Scream of the Shalka (webcast): Difference between revisions

*When first broadcast, this Doctor was advertised by the BBC as the 'Ninth Doctor'.

*Appearing in a cameo role in the serial was actor and ''Doctor Who'' fan [[David Tennant]], who in April [[2005]] was announced as the [[Tenth Doctor]]. He was not originally cast in the production, but Tennant happened to be recording a radio play in a neighbouring studio. When he discovered what was being recorded next door, he convinced the director to give him a small role. Tennant had several roles in [[Big Finish Productions]]' ''Doctor Who'' related audios before he was cast as the [[Tenth Doctor]] on the [[BBC Wales]]' produced series.

''Scream of the Shalka'' was produced to coincide with the fortieth Anniversary of ''Doctor Who''. It was originally posted in six weekly parts from [[13th November]] to [[18th December]] [[2003]] on BBCi's ''Doctor Who'' [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/webcasts/shalka/ website]. Although it was intended to be an "official" continuation of the television series that had ended in [[1989]], the revival of the programme in [[2005]] relegated it and the Richard E. Grant's Ninth Doctor, to non-[[canon]]ical status.

Previous ''Doctor Who'' [[webcast]]s were produced with [[wikipedia:limited animation|limited animation]] which was little more than a series of illustrations. This story was the first-ever officially licensed animated ''Doctor Who'' story. ''Doctor Who'' had suspended production in [[1989]], Aside from charity specials, it had only resurfaced as an American-funded [[Doctor Who (1996)|television movie]] in [[1996]] which did not garner enough ratings to go to a regular series. When ''Shalka'' was announced in July, [[2003]] for broadcast in November, the possibility of ''Doctor Who'' returning to television screens still seemed remote and BBC Worldwide were shopping around for another possible movie deal. As a result, BBCi announced, with BBC approval, that the Doctor appearing in ''Shalka'' would be the "official" Ninth Doctor. However, events rapidly overtook this.

In September, [[Lorraine Heggessey]], the Controller of BBC One persuaded BBC Worldwide that as their plans for a ''Doctor Who'' film were nowhere near fruition, BBC television should be allowed to make a new series. A deal with [[Russell T Davies]] to produce the new series was quickly struck, and on September 26, the BBC announced that ''Doctor Who'' would return to BBC One in [[2005]], produced by BBC Wales.

As a result, the "official" nature of the ''Shalka'' webcast was in doubt from even before it was released After the web cast, in February [[2004]], plans for sequels were indefinitely shelved. For a period, it was unclear if the new television Doctor would be the Ninth or Tenth Doctor, but this was settled in April [[2004]] when in an interview with ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', Davies announced that the new television Doctor (played by [[Christopher Eccleston]]), would be '''the''' [[Ninth Doctor]], relegating the Richard E. Grant Doctor to unofficial status.