The New Doctor! A Doctor Who Alternate History Story

Part 8 - Introducing the New Doctor

"I don't think we really expected the BBC to say 'yes' to us. We'd hoped, yes, we'd had high hopes. But that was in September. The winter came, the holidays came and went. I'd basically written it off, and then one day, Paul (Bernard) calls up and says 'we're in!' I thought about going out for a round, but then I remembered the row we'd had over the car, so I just sat tight." David Burton, The Lost Doctor: A Memoir, Chesapeake Press, 2005.

[Ed. Note - David Burton is referring to an incident where a dealers car contained a blazon announcing him as 'The New Doctor Who' during the period of production and consideration by the BBC. It provoked a furious reaction from both Levine and Bernard, outraged that the accidental premature disclosure might have ruined their chances.]

The Press conference which announced the New Doctor series to the world was March 6, 1992. The New Doctor would run half hour episodes, through four serials, from August 6, 1992, through October 31, 1992. One serial was already in the can, the next well underway.

David Burton made his first official appearance as the New Doctor, with Ian Levine and Paul Bernard as the producers. Joining the group was Barry Letts had been brought on board as a showrunner, anticipating the challenges of producing seven episodes in only three or four months.

Letts association with Doctor Who extended all the way back to directing Patrick Troughton and Enemy of the World. Early in the Pertwee era, he had come on board as a Producer, starting with the Silurians. He continued producing, up to Tom Baker's first serial, Robot. Thereafter, he'd returned as Executive Producer for Baker's final year, assisting John Nathan Turner. Letts and Bernard's association went back to Bernard's directing work under Letts.

At the Press Conference, all was smiles. Ian Levine was on top of the world, having finally realized his dream. Bernard and Letts were optimistic about the chance to write their own chapters in television history. David Burton enjoyed the chance to preen and strut publicly as the Doctor. Levine promised a whole new era in British television.

Although the BBC had only licensed the one season, Levine expressed confidence that the show would be a hit, with many more seasons. In fact, Levine revealed that they were already planning a multi-season story arc that would make the Key to Time or Trial of a Time Lord seem like a flash in the pan. This was news to the others.

At times, Levine overreached himself. He took time out to mildly disparage John Nathan-Turner, and the recent Doctors that had followed on Tom Baker. In response to questions, he was expansive, and while he didn't so much as say that his show would feature a return of classic Who monsters, he hinted strongly at it.

These comments were received with misgivings in some quarters. John Nathan-Turner was reported to be furious, and there was an incident where Sylvester McCoy publicly swore at Ian Levine at a restaurant. BBC Enterprises was concerned enough by certain remark they wrote to Millenium to remind them of the terms of their agreement.

But by and large, the mood was one of jubilant optimism.

"Looking back, I don't think any of us, except maybe Barry, really understood what we were getting ourselves into."  David Burton.

*****

Film and especially television are the most bureaucratic of the art forms.

To produce a single movie or a television episode is a massive undertaking, it involves recruiting dozens of people for every aspect of the production ranging from make up artists, carpenters and painters, electricians, lighting people, camera and camera assistants, boom operators, sound recorders, actors, and directors, lab processors, editors, sound mixers, folley artists, most of whom are operating delicate, complex and expensive equipment.