The New Doctor! A Doctor Who Alternate History Story

Part 1 - The Beginning

"Hello Ian, Paul Bernard here. I've found the next Tom Baker."

That simple phone call begins the story.

Doctor Who was dead. It wasn't quite official. On December 6, 1989, the final episode of the final serial of Doctor Who, Survival, had aired. The series wasn't officially cancelled. Supposedly, it was on hiatus through 1990. But there were no plans to bring it back. By the beginning of 1991, there was still no sign of it and fans were getting restless.

Ian Levine was intrigued. Levine, a successful music and record producer. Levine was also notable as a hardcore Doctor Who fan. In the 1970's, he'd almost single handedly halted the destruction of the old Doctor Who tapes, personally salvaging whole serials. He'd travelled the world, searching out missing episodes. He had scored the music for the Sarah Jane spin off 'K9 and Company.'

In the 1980's his association with the show had become semi-professional. He had been brought on board as a continuity advisor and script consultant, he was an uncredited writer for the Colin Baker serial 'Attack of the Cybermen', and during the hiatus of 1985 had organized a 'Save Doctor Who' campaign. Following this, he'd had a falling out with John Nathan Turner.

Levine was a volatile personality, but one with a deep knowledge of Doctor Who's history and deeper pockets. Again, this in and of itself, wouldn't have gone anywhere. But by the early months of 1990, it was increasingly clear that the show was cancelled, and there was a growing discussion among both fans looking for a way to revive the series. Producers also angled to see if they could obtain a license to the show - among them Verity Lambert, Terry Nation, Chris Barry, Adrian Riglesworth and many others. Most of these discussions would go nowhere.

In some cases though, things did go somewhere sort of. Bill and Ben Bags had been inspired to form BBV Productions, eventually producing Doctor Who spin off video and audio. Reeltime Pictures was beginning its own semi-licit spin offs. The Audio-Visuals group, the amateur predecessors of Big Finish, were well established creating audio adventures. Fans were even making their own films.

Levine knew many of the people associated with the show, among them, Paul Bernard.

*****

Paul Bernard, born in 1929, had entered show business as a production and art designer in the 1960's, from the mid 60's through the 1970's he had been a successful television director. In the 1970's, he had directed three Pertwee serials, Day of the Daleks, the Time Monster and Frontier in Space. During this time, he'd also directed two 'Tomorrow People' serials 'Slaves of Jedikiah' and 'The Vanishing Earth.'

By the late 80's, however, Bernard's directing career in television was largely over. His final television credits were Coronation Street in 1987. By the late eighties and early 90's, Bernard had shifted almost entirely to theatrical production.

He knew Ian Levine. Everyone did. His connection to the show in what Levine considered its golden era guaranteed that the two men would encounter each other. They'd discussed the decline of the show into the late eighties, and after 1989, chatted amiably about prospects for revival. But it was just idle chat, unlikely to go anywhere.

It was in the middle of June, 1989, during a local production of 'Lock Up Your Daughters,' that Bernard encountered David Burton, a local actor, and was impressed by Burton's charisma and manic charm.

Burton and Bernard got along well, and at some point, Bernard found himself telling stories of his time on Doctor Who, and remarked that David could have made a good Doctor. The two men laughed about it. There was already a Doctor.  But who knew, if the role came open, Bernard promised to recommend him.

Then, later in the year, Doctor Who officially went on hiatus. At first, the expectation was that the series would pick up again, after a year off or so. But by 1991, it was becoming clear that the show wasn't coming back.