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'''BBV Productions''' (also known as '''Bill & Ben Video''') is a [[British]] video production company founded by [[Bill Baggs]] in [[1991 (releases)|1991]]. The company was named for Baggs himself and his then-wife Helen, whose nickname is "Ben."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090216172424/http://bbvonline.co.uk/about_us.html "About BBV"] - bbvonline.co.uk (archived)</ref> It was a commercial enterprise that served ''[[Doctor Who]]'' fans who were starved of content between the broadcasts of ''[[Survival (TV story)|Survival]]'' and ''[[Rose (TV story)|Rose]]''. Towards this end it heavily used ''Doctor Who'' actors and, when possible, characters. BBV therefore quickly gained the reputation for putting out content that was "almost official" or "nearly ''Doctor Who''". In truth, though, its output was a bit more varied than that. Most of it could safely be put into one of five categories:
'''BBV Productions''' is an independent British media production company headed by [[Bill Baggs]], specialising in [[Doctor Who spin-offs|''Doctor Who'' spin-offs]] of various kinds. Despite the similarity in name, it had no direct affiliation with the [[BBC]] or any of its subsidiaries, with the initials instead standing in for '''Bill & Ben Video''', "Ben" having been the nickname of founder [[Bill Baggs]]' then-wife when the company was founded in [[1991 (releases)|1991]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090216172424/http://bbvonline.co.uk/about_us.html "About BBV"] - bbvonline.co.uk (archived)</ref>  


*documentaries
Although not all of their productions had a legal link to the [[Doctor Who universe|''Doctor Who'' universe]], they marketed almost exclusively to the ''Who'' fanbase and made use of actors knowing for their ''Doctor Who'' work, including [[The Doctor|Doctor]] actors [[Jon Pertwee]], [[Peter Davison]], [[Colin Baker]], and [[Sylvester McCoy]], companion actors [[Caroline John]], [[Louise Jameson]], [[Nicola Bryant]], and [[Sophie Aldred]], and others.
*fiction using characters owned by individual ''Doctor Who'' writers
*fiction using characters owned by the BBC whom the BBC gave BBV permission to use
*what [[Nicholas Briggs]] has called "[[Doctor Who pastiches|''Who'' clones]]", or things that were very close to ''Doctor Who'', but the names were changed to keep the BBC at bay
*some wholly original material using nothing that connected to the DWU, aside possibly from ''Doctor Who'' actors


Of these five types, this wiki is only interested in the first three. Because it's a little confusing, [[#Releases|a list of BBV releases]] appears below to demonstrate which are DWU stories and which are not.
Several actors appearing in these productions early in their careers went on to achieve further notability, including [[Nicholas Briggs]], [[Mark Gatiss]], and [[Alan Cumming]]. A number of personnel behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera, including Briggs, Gatiss and Cumming, would go on to work on licenced ''Doctor Who'' spinoffs at [[Virgin Books]], [[BBC Books]], and [[Big Finish Productions]], as well as the [[2005]] television revival of ''Doctor Who''.


==Personnel==
Despite its foundational role in the 21st century state of ''Doctor Who'' fiction, the legacy of BBV remained a mixed one due to alleged misbehaviour on behalf of Baggs while overseeing the production, principally not paying proper royalties to writers and actors. ([[REF]]: ''[[Downtime – The Lost Years of Doctor Who]]'')
BBV developed a repertory company of actors that appeared in many of their productions, often playing different roles. Many of these actors were previously known from their work in ''Doctor Who'', and included former [[The Doctor|Doctor]] actors [[Jon Pertwee]], [[Peter Davison]], [[Colin Baker]], and [[Sylvester McCoy]] and companion actors [[Caroline John]], [[Louise Jameson]], [[Nicola Bryant]], and [[Sophie Aldred]].


Several actors appearing in these productions early in their careers went on to achieve further notability, including [[Nicholas Briggs]], [[Mark Gatiss]], and [[Alan Cumming]]. A number of personnel behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera, including Briggs, Gatiss and Cumming, would go on to work on licenced ''Doctor Who'' spinoffs at [[Virgin Books]], [[BBC Books]], and [[Big Finish Productions]], as well as the [[2005]] television revival of ''Doctor Who.''
== Format ==
[[File:Dr. Jeremiah O'Kane.jpg|thumb|right|[[Jon Pertwee]] as [[Jeremiah O'Kane]] in ''[[The Zero Imperative (home video)|The Zero Imperative]]''.]]BBV was originally a product of the "Wilderness Years" of ''Doctor Who'', the period of time during which BBC-licesned live-action [[Doctor Who universe|DWU]] content was few and far between, and predated the obtaining of the ''Doctor Who'' audio license by [[Big Finish Productions]]. As such, they fulfilled a niche in fandom as producers of "nearly ''Doctor Who''" material. Originally, this took the form of [[Doctor Who pastiches|''Doctor Who'' pastiches]], also referred to by [[Nicholas Briggs]] as "''Who'' clones". These works, as exemplified by ''[[The Stranger (series)|The Stranger]]'', would use tropes and structures familiar to ''Doctor Who'' fans without actually using copyrighted elements like [[the Doctor]] or [[the Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]]. These productions took the form of full-cast direct-to-video features or audio dramas, and would often revolve around an actor known to ''Who'' fandom for their appearance as a prominent TV character, cast in a subtly different part; thus, [[Colin Baker]] played the titular "Stranger", and, on audio in the ''Time Travellers'' series, [[Sylvester McCoy]] and [[Sophie Aldred]] resurrected their [[Seventh Doctor]]/[[Ace]] dynamic as "the Professor" or "the Dominie", and his companion Alice, often nicknamed Ace. These productions are generally [[Tardis:Valid sources|not covered]] on this Wiki.


==Productions==
As time went on, BBV increasingly pivoted to putting out somewhat similar productions that now had a tangible legal link to the ''Doctor Who'' universe via [[List of DWU concepts not owned by the BBC|individually-licensed elements]] that had debuted in previous ''Doctor Who'' media, including the TV series as well as the ''[[Virgin New Adventures]]'' and the [[BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures|''Eighth Doctor Adventures'']] novels. These included such productions as the live-action ''[[Auton Trilogy]]'' (focusing on the [[Auton]]s and also featuring [[UNIT]]) and ''[[The Faction Paradox Protocols]]''. Of special note among series was ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'', as, after production had commenced under the assumption that [[Caroline John]] would be playing a new character called "Abbogt", the BBC finally given word to BBV that they could allow the character to be referred to explicitly as [[Liz Shaw]]. The original ''P.R.O.B.E.'' films were overseen by [[Mark Gatiss]] and were also notable for featuring one [[Jon Pertwee]]'s last performances, albeit not as his [[Third Doctor|Doctor]]. With BBV retaining the copyright to the elements introduced around Liz, including the titular [[Preternatural Research Bureau]], the ''P.R.O.B.E.'' series continued into the [[21st century]] with a shifting cast, branching out into further media and making occasional use of other licensed DWU elements.
===Work in Video===
 
BBV's first production was the [[1992]] video release ''Summoned by Shadows'', which was co-produced by the [[BBC Film Club]] and starred Colin Baker playing an unnamed character only known as the Stranger and Nicola Bryant as Miss Brown. Although these characters were evidently reminiscent of the pair of the [[Sixth Doctor]] and [[Peri Brown]], Bryant did not use her American accent for the ''Stranger'' Miss Brown, setting her performance apart from Peri, and later installments of the series gave the Strange and Miss Brown a notably different backstory from "a Time Lord and his companion". Overall, the Stranger's adventures were chronicled on six videos and an audio adventure, many of which featured former ''Who'' cast members. The sixth video, ''Eye of the Beholder'', was later re-released as the audio story ''Eye of the Storm''.
In addition to these two broad trends in fiction, BBV also created a number of documentaries and interviews relating to the production of TV ''Doctor Who'', such as ''[[The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond]]''. There were also occasional attempts by BBV to branch out into new productions not connected aesthetically or narratively to the DWU, such as the audio drama ''The Pattern'' and the direct-to-video romantic comedy ''Sunrise: Love Again''.
 
After its revival in [[2021 (releases)|2021]], BBV branched out into the prose medium with the ''[[Novelisations in Time & Space]]'', paperback novelisations of some of their own past productions. Notably, this range included novelisations of several ''[[Audio Adventures in Time & Space]]'' formerly of the "unlicensed pastiche" type, incorporating background use of licensed DWU elements to formally establish the narratives' place in the ''Doctor Who'' universe.
 
==History==
=== Early 1990s: Home video beginnings ===
[[File:Auton 2 VHS cover.png|thumb|left|The [[Auton Trilogy]] was one of BBV's biggest commercial successes with their commercially-licensed [[Doctor Who spin-offs|''Doctor Who'' spin-offs]], showcasing [[UNIT]] battling the [[Nestene Consciousness|Nestenes]] without [[the Doctor]].]]BBV's first production was the [[1992 (releases)|1992]] video release ''Summoned by Shadows'', which was co-produced by the [[BBC Film Club]] and starred Colin Baker playing an unnamed character only known as the Stranger and Nicola Bryant as Miss Brown. Although these characters were evidently reminiscent of the pair of the [[Sixth Doctor]] and [[Peri Brown]], Bryant did not use her American accent for the ''Stranger'' Miss Brown, setting her performance apart from Peri, and later installments of the series gave the Strange and Miss Brown a notably different backstory from "a Time Lord and his companion". Overall, the Stranger's adventures were chronicled on six videos and an audio adventure, many of which featured former ''Who'' cast members. The sixth video, ''Eye of the Beholder'', was later re-released as the audio story ''Eye of the Storm''.


BBV's next release was the ecologically-themed thriller ''The Airzone Solution'', which was about a near-future conspiracy. The video was released in [[1993]], coinciding with the 30th anniversary of ''Doctor Who'' and featured four actors previously cast as the Doctor.
BBV's next release was the ecologically-themed thriller ''The Airzone Solution'', which was about a near-future conspiracy. The video was released in [[1993]], coinciding with the 30th anniversary of ''Doctor Who'' and featured four actors previously cast as the Doctor.


In [[1994]], BBV released the first video in the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series, ''[[The Zero Imperative (home video)|The Zero Imperative]]'', which saw a departure for BBV as [[Liz Shaw]] was the only character from the ''Who'' universe to appear (although numerous ''Who'' actors made appearances as different characters). This proved problematic for the series, as Liz Shaw seemed very much changed following her leaving from UNIT; this was due to BBV only acquiring the rights to use the character and had no rights to the Doctor, meaning that the series could make no explicit reference to any other aspect of ''Who'' – including the stories where Liz was present.
In [[1994 (releases)|1994]], BBV released the first video in the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series, ''[[The Zero Imperative (home video)|The Zero Imperative]]'', which saw a departure for BBV as [[Liz Shaw]] was the only character from the ''Who'' universe to appear (although numerous ''Who'' actors made appearances as different characters). This proved problematic for the series, as Liz Shaw seemed very much changed following her leaving from UNIT; this was due to BBV only acquiring the rights to use the character and had no rights to the Doctor, meaning that the series could make no explicit reference to any other aspect of ''Who'' – including the stories where Liz was present.


BBV's next series of spin-off videos focused on [[UNIT]] and their battles with the [[Auton]]s. The first video of the series, ''[[Auton (home video)|Auton]]'', was originally to feature [[Nicholas Courtney]] as [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]], however he had to withdraw due to ill health. The Brigadier was replaced by the original character of [[Lockwood]], an enigmatic UNIT agent played by [[Michael Wade]].
BBV's next series of spin-off videos focused on [[UNIT]] and their battles with the [[Auton]]s. The first video of the series, ''[[Auton (home video)|Auton]]'', was originally to feature [[Nicholas Courtney]] as [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]], however he had to withdraw due to ill health. The Brigadier was replaced by the original character of [[Lockwood]], an enigmatic UNIT agent played by [[Michael Wade]].


After the success of the ''[[Auton Trilogy]]'', BBV attempted to secure the rights to the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] and began production on [[Cyberwar (home video)|a film]] featuring Cybermen hunting characters on a remote island. Negotiations fell through and elements of the script were turned into an audio story, ''Cyber-Hunt'', which introduced a new alien race reminiscent of (but distinct from) the Cybermen: the [[Cyberon]]s. A few years later, the Cyberons appeared in ''Cyberon'', a home video feature film, which reintroduced [[Jo Castleton]] (who had played [[Natasha Alexander]] in the ''[[Auton Trilogy]]'') in a new part, psychiatrist [[Lauren Anderson]]. Although ''Cyberon'' had no official ties to the [[Doctor Who universe|DWU]] upon release, it was intended to take place in the DWU's continuity, as evidenced by the Cyberons and Lauren Anderson's subsequent appearances in other BBV productions alongside "real" DWU characters.
=== 1998-2000: Doctor Who pastiches on audio ===
[[File:Cyberon.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Cyberon]]s, among BBV's most enduring "original" creations, but clearly pasticheing the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]], debuted in Season 1 of the ''[[Audio Adventures in Time & Space]]'' before making the jump to live-action a few years down the line]]After the success of the ''[[Auton Trilogy]]'', BBV attempted to secure the rights to the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] and began production on [[Cyberwar (home video)|''Cyberwar'']], a film which would prospectively feature Cybermen hunting characters on a remote island. Some drafts of the story also featured the [[Ice Warrior]]s. Although the film had already been announced, negotiations for the rights to the Cybermen ultimately fell through. While continuing to develop video material, Baggs set [[Nigel Fairs]] to the task of developing a line of audio dramas under the BBV brand, taking the team back to their ''[[Audio Visuals]]'' roots. The first season of BBV's all-purpose audio range, the ''[[Audio Adventures in Time & Space]]'', was mostly given over to ''The Time Travellers'', a series of ''Doctor Who'' pastiches starring [[Sylvester McCoy]] and [[Sophie Aldred]] — who had yet to reprise their actual DWU roles as the [[Seventh Doctor]] and [[Ace]] with [[Big Finish Productions]].  


In [[2001 (releases)|2001]], BBV released the comedy featurette ''[[Do You Have a Licence to Save this Planet? (home video)|Do You Have a Licence to Save this Planet?]]''. It was a [[Doctor Who parodies|''Doctor Who'' parody]] primarily poking fun at BBV's own practices, with a turning point of the plot involving [[Cyberon]]s who wish to regain "handlebars" and thereby become true [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] so that the can sell merchandise of themselves. The story prominently featured licensed appearances by [[Auton]]s and [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] as well as a cartoon prologue featuring [[Rassilon]]. [[Sylvester McCoy]] starred as a parody of the [[Seventh Doctor]] named "the Chiropodist", who was a [[Chrono-Duke]] instead of a [[Time Lord]] and travelled in a flying washing machine.
However, ''Cyber-Hunt'', the seventh and final release in the season, broke the mold. Advertised as the start of a new series entitled ''The Wanderer'', it salvaged story elements from the cancelled ''Cyberwar'' project and starred [[Nicholas Briggs]] as the amnesiac traveller [[Fred]] (who was never referred to as "the Wanderer" in-story). Briggs had previously played the Doctor for unlicenced fan audios made by [[Audio Visuals]]; the ''Wanderer'' stories were a deliberate continuation of that series in all but name, with Fred being written as an amnesiac version of the ''Audio Visuals'' Doctor, with the BBC-copyrighted elements of the "Doctor" character stripped away via the amnesia plot device.<ref name="justyce-briggs">[http://www.justyce.org/nick-briggs-03-april-2000.html Nick Briggs interview, justyce.org, April 2000]</ref>


BBV also ventured into non-fiction, producing documentaries such as ''[[The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond]]'' and ''[[Bidding Adieu: A Video Diary]]''.
{{quote|[[Bill Baggs|Bill]] was worried about getting sued by the BBC, so he wanted to further distance his 'Who Clone' products by casting someone who hadn't been the Doctor (officially)... Me! I was very reluctant, but Bill was relentless and persuasive. [...] He told me to write Doctor Who, but find some clever way of making it lawyer-proof!|[[Nicholas Briggs]]<ref name="justyce-briggs" />}}


BBV's only release in [[2008 (releases)|2008]] was the drama ''[[Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough (home video)|Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough]]'', which featured [[Zygon]]s as both protagonists and antagonists. The main character [[Lauren Anderson]] had previously appeared in ''Cyberon.'' The film had actually been mostly shot by [[2003]], but initially scrapped; only after additional shooting years later was the film completed and released.<ref>[http://jblum.livejournal.com/107556.html?thread=506148#t506148 Blog comment by Jonathan Blum. 7th September, 2007]</ref>
The story also featured the debut of the [[Cyberon]]s, a species of somewhat Cyberman-like extraterrestrials. Fred reappeared in a second ''Wanderer'' adventure (''Vital Signs'') in the [[1999 (releases)|1999]] second season of the ''Audio Adventures in Time & Space'', which had begun with two releases continuing the ''[[The Stranger (series)|Stranger]]'' series in audio form. However, Nicholas Briggs had distancing himself from BBV to help create his own DWU spin-off production company, [[Big Finish Productions]], who launched with an [[Bernice Summerfield (series)|audio spin-off]] based on the licensed character of [[Bernice Summerfield]]. In 1999, Big Finish obtained the much-coveted [[BBC]] license to produce official [[Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories|''Doctor Who''-branded audio dramas]]. Season 2 of the ''Audio Adventures'' featured a few further ''Time Travellers'' stories with McCoy and Aldred, but, in light of the official use of the audio license to the "real" versions of their characters, their BBV counterparts were further distanced away from the BBC versions, with McCoy's character becoming "the Dominie" and Aldred's now being referred to as "Alice" instead of "Ace".  


In [[2015 (releases)|2015]], BBV released, ''[[When to Die (home video)|When to Die]]'', the long-awaited return of the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series.
=== 2000s: An increased focus on spin-offs ===
With ''Doctor Who'' pastiches losing their appeal in light of the release of "proper" Doctor-focused stories at Big Finish, BBV began refocusing their audio output on licensed spin-offs similar to ''Auton'' and ''P.R.O.B.E.''. The first was the ''[[Adventures in a Pocket Universe (series)|Adventures in a Pocket Universe]]'' series, which featured the return of [[K9 (The Choice)|K9]] (fully licenced from his creators [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]]). [[Lalla Ward]] co-starred as K9's ever-unnamed "[[The Mistress (The Choice)|Mistress]]", with the implications that she was in fact reprising [[Romana II]] and that the stories slotted in after ''[[Warriors' Gate (TV story)|Warriors' Gate]]'' for both characters. The back half of Season 2 of the ''Audio Adventures'' then saw the rapid-fire inceptions of multiple spin-offs based on iconic ''Doctor Who'' aliens: ''[[Zygon (series)|Zygon]]'', ''[[Krynoid (audio series)|Krynoid]]'' and ''[[Sontarans (audio series)|Sontarans]]''.


===Work in Audio===
It was then the Cyberons' turn to be spun off into their [[Cyberon (series)|own series]], with [[2000 (releases)|2000]]' Season 3, which opened on ''Cybergeddon'', an original Cyberon audio drama. The Cyberon species then reappeared in ''Cyberon'', a home video feature film, which reintroduced [[Jo Castleton]] (who had played [[Natasha Alexander]] in the ''[[Auton Trilogy]]'') in a new part, psychiatrist [[Lauren Anderson]]. Although ''Cyberon'' had no official ties to the [[Doctor Who universe|DWU]] upon release, it was intended to take place in the DWU's continuity, as evidenced by the Cyberons and Lauren Anderson's subsequent appearances in other BBV productions alongside "real" DWU characters. The subsequent entries in Season 3 continued the ongoing ''Sontarans'' series and launched short-lived spin-offs for ''[[The Rani (series)|The Rani]]'', ''[[Wirrn (audio series)|Wirrn]]'' and even ''[[The I (series)|The I]]'', never seen on television but introduced in the [[Eighth Doctor]] novel ''[[Seeing I (novel)|Seeing I]]''.  
After experimenting with audio for a few years, BBV began regularly releasing audio dramas in [[1998]] under the umbrella title "[[Audio Adventures in Time and Space]]". One line of adventures was ''The Time Travellers'', starring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred as "[[Seventh Doctor|the Professor]]" and "[[Ace]];" the two so closely resembled their ''Doctor Who'' characters that, by the seventh story, the BBC had stepped in and demanded changes to not infringe copyrights – the main change was that the main characters were now called "the Dominie" and "Alice."


The first of the Audio Adventures that didn't feature McCoy and Aldred was a two-story series called ''The Wanderer'', which featured [[Nicholas Briggs]] as an amnesiac space-traveller whom one of the other characters dubs "Fred". Briggs had previously played the Doctor for unlicenced fan audios made by [[Audio Visuals]]; the ''Wanderer'' stories were a deliberate continuation of that series in all but name.<ref name="justyce-briggs">[http://www.justyce.org/nick-briggs-03-april-2000.html Nick Briggs interview, justyce.org, April 2000]</ref>
It also featured a final ''The Time Travellers'' audio, starring [[Sylvester McCoy]] alone; entitled ''Punchline'', it is notable as an early DWU-related work of [[Rob Shearman]], who would go on to create celebrated Big Finish ''Doctor Who'' works such as ''[[The Holy Terror (audio story)|The Holy Terror]]'' and ''[[The Chimes of Midnight (audio story)|The Chimes of Midnight]]'', as well as the [[2005 (releases)|2005]] [[Ninth Doctor]] TV episode ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]''. The season was rounded off by ''Infidel's Comet'', a story set in the DWU but principally focusing on original characters and concepts, though it featured cameos by a [[Sontaran]], a [[Zygon]] and a [[Nestene Consciousness|Nestene]], as well as ''The Pattern'', an attempt at an entirely standalone sci-fi audio drama.


{{quote|[[Bill Baggs|Bill]] was worried about getting sued by the BBC, so he wanted to further distance his 'Who Clone' products by casting someone who hadn't been the Doctor (officially)... Me! I was very reluctant, but Bill was relentless and persuasive. [...] He told me to write Doctor Who, but find some clever way of making it lawyer-proof!|[[Nicholas Briggs]]<ref name="justyce-briggs" />}}
In [[2001 (releases)|2001]], following the success of the BBC's own comedy take on the DWU in ''[[The Curse of Fatal Death (TV story)|The Curse of Fatal Death]]'' BBV released their own spoof featurette, ''[[Do You Have a Licence to Save this Planet? (home video)|Do You Have a Licence to Save this Planet?]]''. It was a [[Doctor Who parodies|''Doctor Who'' parody]] primarily poking fun at BBV's own practices, with a turning point in the plot involving [[Cyberon]]s who wished to regain "handlebars" and thereby become true [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] so that they could sell merchandise of themselves. The story prominently featured licensed appearances by [[Auton]]s and [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] as well as a cartoon prologue featuring [[Rassilon]]. [[Sylvester McCoy]] starred as a parody of the [[Seventh Doctor]] named "[[The Foot Doctor|the Chiropodist]]", who was a [[Chrono-Duke]] instead of a [[Time Lord]] and travelled in a flying washing machine.  
BBV moved away from audio stories about characters that could be the Doctor after the establishment of [[Big Finish Productions]]' officially-licenced line of ''Doctor Who'' audio dramas, instead moving on to audios featuring other characters from the ''Who'' universe such as {{O'Mara}} (licenced from her creators [[Pip and Jane Baker]]) as well as a thinly-veiled post-''[[Warriors' Gate (TV story)|Warriors' Gate]]'' [[Romana II]] (referred to only as "[[The Mistress (The Choice)|the Mistress]]" to avoid infringement) and [[K9 (The Choice)|K9]] (fully licenced from his creators [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]].)


As with their videos, BBV also produced audios featuring original characters battling invasions by licenced aliens (such as [[Auton]]s and [[Zygon]]s) or close matches to ''Doctor Who'' monsters which were altered to avoid infringement (such as the [[Cyberman]]-like "Cyberons.") BBV also released a series of stories by [[Lawrence Miles]] about his history-spanning cult organisation, [[Faction Paradox]].
[[File:The Shadow Play.jpg|thumb|left|As the ''[[Audio Adventures in Time & Space]]'' wound down in the early 2000s, pride of place was increasingly given to ''[[The Faction Paradox Protocols]]''.]]Season 4 of the ''[[Audio Adventures in Time & Space]]'' was released over a longer periods of time than its predecessors, spanning [[2001 (releases)|2001]] through [[2004 (releases)|2004]]. It opened on the launch of ''[[The Faction Paradox Protocols]]'', the vanguard of of [[Lawrence Miles]]' wider ''[[Faction Paradox (series)|Faction Paradox]]'' franchise, newly spun-off from the [[BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures|''Eighth Doctor Adventures]]. The season continued the ''[[Zygon (series)|Zygon]]'' and ''[[Krynoid (series)|Krynoid]]'' series, featured a single release in the new ''[[Rutans (series)|Rutans]]'' series, and also included ''[[The Quality of Mercy (audio story)|The Quality of Mercy]]'', not branded as part of a specific series but which featured the ''[[Virgin New Adventures]]'' character of [[Guy de Carnac]]. There were plans for [[Bring me the Head of Sabalom Glitz (audio story)|a spin-off]] based on [[Sabalom Glitz]], but it and several other projects fell through when BBV  announced in [[September (releases)|September]] [[2003 (releases)|2003]] BBV announced that it would be no longer producing audio stories, with the exception of ''Faction Paradox'' and instead would focus on video releases. By [[December (releases)|December]] [[2005 (releases)|2005]], past audio releases were being deleted from their online catalogue,<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090225210522/http://www.bbvonline.co.uk/news/script.cgi?&page=1 News] - bbvonline.co.uk (archived)</ref> although they would later be made available once more in [[2021 (releases)|2021]].


In [[September]] [[2003]] BBV announced that it would be no longer producing audio stories, with the exception of ''Faction Paradox,'' and instead would focus on video releases. By [[December]] [[2005]], past audio releases were being deleted from their catalogue. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090225210522/http://www.bbvonline.co.uk/news/script.cgi?&page=1 News] - bbvonline.co.uk (archived)</ref> However, the full ''Audio Adventures in Time & Space'' library became available once more in [[2021 (releases)|2021]] as paid downloads from a revamped BBV Productions website, and a first new BBV audio release ultimately saw the light of day in the form of a reading of ''[[The Door We Forgot (short story)|The Door We Forgot]]'' by [[Bill Baggs]] himself.
Thereafter, BBV ventured into non-fiction, producing documentaries such as ''[[The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond]]'' and ''[[Bidding Adieu: A Video Diary]]''. In [[2003 (releases)|2003]], much production was done on a new direct-to-video DWU film, ''[[Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough (home video)|Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough]]'', which featured [[Zygon]]s as both protagonists and antagonists, as well as [[Lauren Anderson]], who had previously appeared in ''Cyberon''. However, it was only after additional shooting years later that the film completed and released,<ref>[http://jblum.livejournal.com/107556.html?thread=506148#t506148 Blog comment by Jonathan Blum. 7th September, 2007]</ref> coming out in [[2008 (releases)|2008]]. In an attempt to appeal to a post-''[[Torchwood (series)|Torchwood]]'' market, the final cut of ''Zygon'' featured adult elements, including uncensored nudity and even sex scenes. Upset at this, Baggs's marketing, and the way in which he had in other ways messed with their scripts, the several scriptwriters who had worked on the story, including [[Lance Parkin]] and [[Jonathan Blum]], declined to have their names appear on the finished product. ([[REF]]: ''[[Downtime – The Lost Years of Doctor Who]]'')


===Work in Webcasts===
BBV's only release in [[2008 (releases)|2008]] was the drama ''[[Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough (home video)|Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough]]'', which featured [[Zygon]]s as both protagonists and antagonists. The main character [[Lauren Anderson]] had previously appeared in ''Cyberon.'' The film had actually been mostly shot by [[2003]], but initially scrapped; only after additional shooting years later was the film completed and released.<ref>[http://jblum.livejournal.com/107556.html?thread=506148#t506148 Blog comment by Jonathan Blum. 7th September, 2007]</ref>
In [[2021 (releases)|2021]] BBV released a series of short ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' webcasts on their [[YouTube]] channel under the title of ''P.R.O.B.E. Online''. After being released weekly, they were taken off the Internet (but for two) and collected as a paying release available through the BBV Website as ''P.R.O.B.E. Case Files''.


==Hiatus and revival==
=== The 2010s hiatus ===
The original BBV Productions website, BBVOnline.co.uk, became inaccessible in late 2009. In January 2011, BBV's registration of the domain had expired leaving it to be taken up by a new registrant for an unrelated site. Though this left BBV with no official online presence, in 2012 a number of BBV releases were reissued on DVD through retail channels; the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series was rereleased in March 2012, followed by ''Do You Have a License to Save This Planet?'', ''Cyberon'' and ''Bidding Adieu'' in August of that year.
[[File:PROBE When to Die Cover.jpg|thumb|right|''[[When to Die (home video)|When to Die]]'', an additional ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' film, was the only DWU BBV release in the 2010s.]]The original BBV Productions website, BBVOnline.co.uk, became inaccessible in late 2009. In January 2011, BBV's registration of the domain had expired leaving it to be taken up by a new registrant for an unrelated site. Though this left BBV with no official online presence, in 2012 a number of BBV releases were reissued on DVD through retail channels; the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series was rereleased in March 2012, followed by ''Do You Have a License to Save This Planet?'', ''Cyberon'' and ''Bidding Adieu'' in August of that year.


Bill Baggs ultimately returned to DWU work with a new ''P.R.O.B.E.'' film, ''[[When to Die (home video)|When to Die]]'', in memory of [[Caroline John]], featuring Hazel Burrows taking over the role of Liz Shaw. It was released on [[15 April (releases)|15 April]] [[2015 (releases)|2015]]. <ref>[https://www.galaxy4.co.uk/product.thtml?id=1508&vts=gbYeAgI "Fifth PROBE film for pre-order"] - www.galaxy4.co.uk</ref> In 2018, BBV released ''Sunrise: Love Again'', an independent feature film written and directed by Bill Baggs.  
Bill Baggs ultimately returned to DWU work with a new ''P.R.O.B.E.'' film, ''[[When to Die (home video)|When to Die]]'', in memory of [[Caroline John]], featuring Hazel Burrows taking over the role of Liz Shaw. It was released on [[15 April (releases)|15 April]] [[2015 (releases)|2015]]. <ref>[https://www.galaxy4.co.uk/product.thtml?id=1508&vts=gbYeAgI "Fifth PROBE film for pre-order"] - www.galaxy4.co.uk</ref> In [[2018 (releases)|2018]], BBV released ''Sunrise: Love Again'', an independent feature film directed by Bill Baggs and cowritten between Baggs and Kristina Wilde. It featured significant shared cast with ''When to Die'', but otherwise had no stylistic, let alone narrative, relationship to the DWU.<ref>[https://bbvproductions.co.uk/products/BBV-Sunrise-Love-Again-a-Romantic-Comedy-FILM-DOWNLOAD-p420510851 ''Sunrise: Love Again'' on the BBV Productions website]</ref>


In late [[2020 (releases)|2020]] and continuing into [[2021 (releases)|2021]], BBV Productions started uploading interviews of various vintages with ''Doctor Who'' cast and crew to their YouTube channel, as well as making ''Sunrise: Love Again'' available for free as a form of promotion on the same channel. They also revived the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series with a series of webcasts, "''Case Files''" starring a returning Bill Baggs as [[Giles (When to Die)|Giles]]. These webcasts occasionally featured licensed appearances by, or references to, other DWU elements than P.R.O.B.E., including the [[Shed Scale]]s from ''[[Faction Paradox (series)|Faction Paradox]]''.
=== 2021-2022: Rise and fall of the BBV renaissance ===
[[File:P.R.O.B.E. Case Files - Volume 2 - Cover.jpg|thumb|left|[[Bill Baggs]] himself starred as [[Giles]] in the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. Case Files]]''.]]In late [[2020 (releases)|2020]] and continuing into [[2021 (releases)|2021]], BBV Productions started uploading interviews of various vintages with ''Doctor Who'' cast and crew to their YouTube channel, as well as making ''Sunrise: Love Again'' available for free as a form of promotion on the same channel. They also revived the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series with a series of webcasts, "''Case Files''" starring a returning Bill Baggs as [[Giles]]. These webcasts occasionally featured licensed appearances by, or references to, other DWU elements than P.R.O.B.E., including the [[Shed Scale]]s from ''[[Faction Paradox (series)|Faction Paradox]]''.


This preceded the revival of the BBV website at new domain BBVProductions.co.uk in the first half of 2021, which made all of the company's back catalogue (both DWU and otherwise) available as paid downloads as well as permitting the order or preorder of home media releases. A new season of ''[[Audio Adventures in Time & Space]]'' was begun, including original ''P.R.O.B.E.'' stories featuring the "new team", as well as the reissuing of the hitherto-unrelated-to-BBV audio series ''The Minister of Chance'' as part of the label. Through partnerships with [[Thebes Publishing]] and [[Arcbeatle Press]], ''[[Erimem (series)|Erimem]]'', ''[[Cyberon (anthology)|Cyberon]]'' and ''[[Cwej: The Series]]'' ebooks were also sold through the BBV website, even as they remained available through their primary publishers.
This preceded the revival of the BBV website at new domain BBVProductions.co.uk in the first half of 2021, which made all of the company's back catalogue (both DWU and otherwise) available as paid downloads as well as permitting the order or preorder of home media releases. A new season of ''[[Audio Adventures in Time & Space]]'' was begun, including original ''P.R.O.B.E.'' stories featuring the "new team", as well as the reissuing of the hitherto-unrelated-to-BBV audio series ''The Minister of Chance'' as part of the label. Through partnerships with [[Thebes Publishing]] and [[Arcbeatle Press]], ''[[Erimem (series)|Erimem]]'', ''[[Cyberon (anthology)|Cyberon]]'' and ''[[Cwej: The Series]]'' ebooks were also sold through the BBV website, even as they remained available through their primary publishers.
In [[June (releases)|June]], BBV announced that they had reacquired the ''Faction Paradox'' audio and video license, releasing new standalone ''Faction Paradox'' audio stories, scriptbooks of ''[[The Faction Paradox Protocols]]'', and ebook and audiobook versions of [[Lance Parkin]]'s rejected ''[[The Book of the War (novel)|The Book of the War]]'' entry ''[[Mr Saldaamir (short story)|Mr Saldaamir]]''. Notably, some of BBV's early decisions wer quicklye met with backlash from the Faction Paradox's own creator, [[Lawrence Miles]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://twitter.com/The_Beasthouse/status/1401654193312706562
|title=I strongly recommend that you don't buy any Faction Paradox material from BBV.
|author=[[Lawrence Miles]]
|website name=Lawrence Miles on Twitter
|date of source=6 June 2021
|archiveurl=https://archive.today/gvr1M
|archivedate=6 June 2021
}}</ref> Around the same time, an agreement was also made with [[Hannah Hatt]] of the Haisman estate and BBV found themselves, for the first time, in a position to create stories using [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]]. They launched a series of audiobooks, ''[[The Brigadier Adventures]]'', which also tied in with the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' series.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://scifibulletin.com/2021/06/29/baggs-brings-the-brigadier-to-bbv/
|title="Baggs bring the Brigadier to BBV"
|author=
|website name= Sci-Fi Bulletin
|date of source=29 June 2021
|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/Tmm2Y
|archivedate=3 March 2022
}}</ref>
In [[September (releases)|September]],<ref>[https://twitter.com/bbv_productions/status/1434063684960198656 BBV Productions on Twitter]</ref> they launched a line of print and ebook ''[[Novelisations in Time & Space]]'', adapting some of their ''[[Audio Adventures in Time & Space]]'' in prose form. The initial slate included ''[[Republica (novelisation)|Republica]]'' as well as two further Cyberon stories, ''[[Cyber-Hunt (novelisation)|Cyber-Hunt]]'' and ''[[Cybergeddon (novelisation)|Cybergeddon]]''. In all cases, licensed elements from the ''Doctor Who'' universe were added to the original "pastiche" narrative, as had been done more prominently in Arcbeatle's earlier licensed ''Cyberon'' anthology.
In [[October (releases)|October]] 2021, however, public outcry erupted over BBV's hiring and defense of an accused child predator on a [[Sherlock Holmes]] audio project.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/gallifrey/comments/qig08e/
|title=Thread on the Current Situation with BBV Productions
|website name=r/Gallifrey
|date of source=29 October 2021
}}</ref> Creatives such as [[Callum Phillpott]], author of [[Cyber-Hunt (novelisation)|the ''Cyber-Hunter'' novelisation]], were quick to formally announce that they were "not going to be associating with BBV anymore" moving forward,<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://twitter.com/MarvelousMop/status/1453976026678169600
|title= Yeah so, needless to say, I'm not going to be associating with BBV anymore. Not after all this.
|website name=Callum Phillpott on Twitter
|date of source=29 October 2021
}}</ref> thus spelling the end of ''[[Minalopa (novel)|Minalopa]]'', an original [[Cyberon]] novel that Phillpott had designed as a direct sequel to ''Cyber-Hunt'', which would have featured the return of the [[Man in black (Cyber-Hunt)|mysterious "man in black"]] introduced in the ''Cyber-Hunt'' novelisation by Phillpott.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://twitter.com/MarvelousMop/status/1453976026678169600
|title= Yeah so, needless to say, I'm not going to be associating with BBV anymore. Not after all this.
|website name=Callum Phillpott on Twitter
|date of source=29 October 2021
}}</ref> BBV had also been developing a ''[[Doctor Omega (series)|Doctor Omega]]'' audio series, which fell through after a lead writer dropped out over the scandal.<ref>{{cite web
|url= https://twitter.com/ColeHrusovsky/status/1461343363668533249
|title= I was actually developing a Doctor Omega audio series with BBV before... you know...
|website name=Callum Phillpott on Twitter
|date of source=18 November 2021
|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/fKExR
|archivedate= 3 March 2022
}}</ref> [[Jacob Keith]], who had worked on BBV's ''[[Faction Paradox (series)|Faction Paradox]]'': ''[[Rebirth (audio series)|Rebirth]]'' range, stated that Baggs "no longer has his hands on" ''Faction Paradox'' by early [[March (releases)|March]] [[2022 (releases)|2022]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://twitter.com/NoNotTheMemes/status/1499205683736055813
|title= Tweet by Jacob Keith
|author=[[BBV Productions]]
|website name=Jacob Keith on Twitter
|date of source=3 March 2021
|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/Qox39
|archivedate=3 March 2022
}}</ref>
Nevertheless, BBV carried on releasing new material, principally in the ''[[P.R.O.B.E. (series)|P.R.O.B.E.]]'' range. After collecting most of the existing ''Case Files'' into ''[[P.R.O.B.E. Case Files - Volume 1]]'', they released a [[P.R.O.B.E. Case Files - Volume 2|''Volume 2'']] in [[February (releases)|February]] 2022. The same year also saw the debut of a new ''P.R.O.B.E.'' audiobook subseries, ''[[New Companions (series)l]]'', launching with ''[[Maxie (audio story)|Maxie]]'', written and read by [[Bill Baggs]] himself.


==Releases==
==Releases==
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