Seventh Doctor Audition Tapes (home video)

The Seventh Doctor Audition Tapes was the name given by the Doctor Who: The Collection — Season 24 blu-ray boxset to a group of filmed auditions of actors hoping to get the part of the Seventh Doctor.

Sylvester McCoy, Dermot Crowley and David Fielder all portrayed the Doctor in the tapes. The videos were entirely fictional scripted scenes that were directed and produced. The tapes featured no real world elements.

The DVD release of Time and the Rani, in 2010, included some of these clips within a documentary. The Collection — Season 24 was the first time the tapes had been released in full.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

Full tapes for Seventh Doctor candidates.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Scene 1[[edit] | [edit source]]

The following scene has multiple versions starring either Sylvester McCoy, Dermot Crowley or David Fielder.

A woman sat at it raises her head. The Doctor approaches. He says "hello" and tells the woman that he's come for a little chat. The woman asks "how did you get in here" and "who are you". The Doctor then answers the second question revealing who he is. She then asks him to leave at once for she is the Iron Woman - the dictator of ten galaxies. The Doctor says he knows and to believe him when he says she needs a Doctor. The Iron Woman then tells him she needs no one.

The Iron Woman reminds the Doctor that she is the iron and the fire. The Doctor then asks her if she intends to save the universe. The Iron Woman explains she will save it with iron and fire. Scorch it with fire. Crush it with iron. Slaughter all living things and save it. The Doctor says that the logic of it eludes him. The Iron Woman mocks by telling him she can see logic must always elude him. She then goes on to call him a clown and say that he dresses like on. The Doctor says that in his experience the biggest clowns are the ones in uniform. The woman says he has a clown's gleam in his eyes. A gleam of tears. She calls him a pitiful sentimental clown that enjoys crying of spilt milk. The Doctor then adds "and blood".

The Doctor then says that they need to get on with their consultation. He then examines her face and asks her how she's sleeping. He then asks if she had any dreams. The Iron Woman says she doesn't dream when she's asleep and the Doctor replies it's because the Woman's dreaming all the time she's awake. The Doctor then admits the strangest thing about the Woman is that she's not really evil. The Doctor says he's spent all his lives battling evil and that it's like wrestling with smoke. He says that's what the Woman is also doing, but she denies it. The Doctor says she under and illusion which she also denies. The Doctor said her denial is the biggest illusion of them all.

The Doctor then asks the Iron Woman what she's scared of. She says nothing. He says nothing is very terrifying and writes it on a piece of paper. The pair argue. The Doctor says he gets the drift and understands why nothing scares the Woman. She's the Great Dictator because she's scared of nothing and that's why we have all this blood and iron nonsense. As the Doctor says nonsense she stands up in protest to which the Doctor orders her to sit down and shut up. She does.

The Doctor demands he must write a "prescription" as the Iron Woman's badly ill, but it's not too late. She's killed, but nothing compared to the killing she's going to do. The Doctor diagnoses a bad case of the fear of nothingness. She sulks. He tells her to listen. He says in the beginning there was dust and the dust became fire and the fire reflected in the water and in the water was life. Them. They're just dust. Nothing is where they came from and nothing is where they're going to go. However he says in the meantime they have precious moments little and few with no time for blood, iron, war and killing. The Doctor says what the Iron Woman needs is... he writes it on a piece of paper and hands it to her. She says she can't read his writing. He tells her it says life as he puts his hat on his head. He asks her if she understood, she said she did and the Doctor thought that great as he doesn’t like making house calls. He walks off.

Scene 2[[edit] | [edit source]]

The following scene has multiple versions starring either Sylvester McCoy, Dermot Crowley or David Fielder.

The Doctor continues fiddling at a panel of buttons. Mel approaches the Doctor and says it’s time. The Doctor says time is a funny thing and that he thought he’d have the hang of it by now being a Time Lord.

rest to be added

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Scene 1[[edit] | [edit source]]

Scene 2[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

The crew were credited on the on screen info card at the start of the tapes.

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Scene 1[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Iron Woman is the dictator of ten galaxies.
The Iron Woman calls the Doctor a clown.
The Doctor mentions the creation of all living things.

Scene 2[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

According to the on screen info card at the start of the tapes all auditions were recorded on 18 February 1987 at BBC TV Pres Studio B.
Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor wears the trademark hat his Doctor would wear until his regeneration story, but the rest of his outfit is unique to these tapes. His Doctor wears a brown blazer with a white shirt, brown waistcoat and red star design tie. Accessorised with a handkerchief and a wristwatch.
Dermot Crowley's Seventh Doctor wears a yellow Hawaiian shirt with a grey suit.
David Fielder's Seventh Doctor wears a grey chequered blazer with a grey waistcoat, grey shirt and red neckwear.
The DVD release of Time and the Rani, in 2010, included some of these clips within a documentary and it is revealed that Sylvester McCoy pleaded with Andrew Cartmel to incorporate the Mel depature sccene from these tapes into Dragonfire. After heavy rewrites the scene was taken from here and used.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Home media release[[edit] | [edit source]]

The entire tapes were released within The Collection — Season 24.