The Nth Doctor

All Rights Reserved © 1997, 2003 by Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier

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Originally published by Virgin Publishing, Ltd.

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Contents

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

PROLOGUE (PRE-1987)

1

THE RETURN OF VARNAX

2

THE TIME LORD

VERSION ONE: VARNAX THE CREATOR

VERSION TWO: THE CRYSTALS OF POWER STORY

VERSION THREE: THE IMMORTALITY BULLET

VERSION FOUR: THE GENETIC DUPLICATE

3

LAST OF THE TIME LORDS

VERSION ONE: THE FALL OF GALLIFREY

VERSION TWO: THE MARK OF VARNAX STORY

VERSION THREE: CHAMELEON

4

THE JEWELS OF TIME

5

THE DARK DIMENSION

6

FATHERS AND BROTHERS

7

THE TIME OF MY LIFE

APPENDIX

THE END OF TIME

THE HAND OF OMEGA

Dedication

To my sister-in-law, Gwennis, for her unflagging support, Chris Heer for his valuable advice and notes, and Lou Anders, Lee Harlin Bahan, Jon Blum, Neil Hogan, Corey Klemow, David McKinnon, Jason Miller, Siobhan Morgan, Kate Orman, Debi Smolenske, Shannon Patrick Sullivan, Joe Wesson, Gary Zielinski and all the other ragweed-free folks whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting on the Internet.

J.-M. L.

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the following people who helped me in the compilation of the information included in this book: Johnny Byrne, Robert DeLaurentis, Denny Martin Flinn, Tony Harding, John Leekley, Peter Litten, Rebecca Levene, Leonard Nimoy and Philip Segal.

J.-M. L.

Introduction

‘Life is not a sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be. ‘

José Ortega y Gasset

The purpose of this book is to offer a fairly comprehensive and somewhat scholarly look at the Doctor Whos that might have been, outside the realm of the original BBC television series. Not the 1st, or the 8th, or the 9th, or even the 13th Doctor, but the … Nth Doctor.

Hypothetical Doctors. Doctors pulled out of what Hollywood poetically calls ‘development limbo’. Doctors whose existences are less than ‘canon’, and yet more legitimate than that, for example, of the stage plays or comics. Doctors whose existence may still affect the future of Doctor Who. Nth Doctors.

As I have done in the past, I have written this Introduction in order to clear some potential misunderstandings concerning the approach that I took in writing this book, and to explain some of the rules that I followed and assumptions that I made. If you happen to disagree with any of the following editorial decisions, then you will probably find faults with this book.

Selection of material

In agreement with my editors at Virgin, I have decided to cover only seven unproduced scripts, all intended to be a film or television continuation of the original BBC television series.

I have purposely not delved into the various scripts or treatments which were, at one time or another, commissioned by, or written for, the original BBC television series, but never produced. First, these have been adequately

documented in various fan magazines. One, Anthony Coburn’s The Masters of Luxor, was even published, and reviewed in the updated version of my Doctor Who Programme Guide. Besides, I feel that a book of this nature ought to be written by someone based in England, with full access to the BBC archives.

Instead, I have concentrated on the one major area that has not been extensively researched and that has been, until now, the subject of rumours and half-baked, often erroneous, information: the attempts, by the BBC and others, to resurrect Doctor Who after its cancellation in 1989.

These unproduced scripts each represent a vital link in the chain that bridges the gap between the BBC’s final story, Survival (7P), and the 1996 made-for-television Doctor Who feature, starring Paul McGann.

Titles

With the exception of The Dark Dimension these scripts, including that of the Paul McGann made-for-television feature, were all officially entitled Doctor Who with some minor variations, which is both confusing in a book of this nature and, frankly, not terribly imaginative.

I have therefore taken the liberty of labelling these scripts with more distinctive titles, although in every instance I have sought to confirm these titles with the writer (or the producer) themselves. For your information, here is an accurate ‘scorecard’ of the material covered in this book:

•   The Return of Varnax is the first screenplay developed by a company called Daltenreys Ltd (a.k.a, Greenlight and Coast to Coast) in order to launch Doctor Who as a full-length feature film. It was written in 1987 by Mark Ezra, based on a story by Daltenreys’ principals, Peter Litten and George Dugdale. Its official title was simply Doctor Who-The Movie.

•   The Time Lord was written in 1988 by Johnny Byrne, who also penned the original BBC television series stories The Keeper of Traken (5T), Arc of Infinity (6E) and Warriors of

the Deep (6L). Byrne was hired by Daltenreys to rewrite Ezra’s screenplay. Its official title was Doctor Who-The Time Lord and its story was still credited to Litten and Dugdale. The Time Lord went through at least four major versions.

•   Last of the Time Lords (a.k.a. The Last Time Lord) is a substantially different version of The Time Lord, also penned by Johnny Byrne in 1991, before Daltenreys/ Greenlight/Coast to Coast passed the torch to Lumière. The script itself was never completed-only 75 pages were written. Two versions of the story exist, plus yet one more attempt at creating a third story (Chameleon), which never made it past outline stage.

•   The Jewels of Time is a screenplay written in 1993 by Denny Martin Flinn for Lumière. It was intended to be directed by Leonard Nimoy, before the rights reverted to the BBC. Its official title was Doctor Who-The Movie, but this title was fully approved by Flinn.

•   The Dark Dimension is a screenplay written by Adrian Rigelsford, also in 1993, as part of an attempt by BBC Enterprises (now BBC Worldwide) to produce a direct-to-video Doctor Who feature, to capitalise on the then upcoming 30th anniversary of the programme.

•   Fathers and Brothers is a screenplay written by John Leekley in 1994. It was the first script commissioned by executive producer Philip Segal on behalf of Amblin Television, Universal Television and BBC Enterprises. Its official title was Doctor Who, but this title was fully approved by Leekley.

•   The Time of My Life is a screenplay written by Robert DeLaurentis, also in 1994. It was the second script commissioned by executive producer Philip Segal on behalf of Amblin Television, Universal Television and BBC Enterprises. Its official title was Dr. Who? (with a question mark); this title is the one chosen by DeLaurentis.

•   Finally, Enemy Within-which is not covered but is often mentioned in this book, since every other script eventually led to it-is the screenplay written in 1995 by Matthew

Jacobs. It was the third script commissioned by executive producer Philip Segal on behalf of Universal Television and BBC Worldwide (Amblin was no longer involved at that stage), and the one which eventually became the made-for-television feature starring Paul McGann. Its official title was Doctor Who. Enemy Within is the title given to it by Segal.

Background

I have tried to interview at least one person connected with each of the scripts reviewed in this book, so that readers can hear their voices as well.

Speaking of voices, it will not escape readers’ attention that a good portion of this book is written from first-hand experience, and that the Appendix even includes me, to a minor extent, as a participant in the process.

This is because several times over the years I have found myself approached by producers who wanted to pick my brains about the series. My wife Randy and I met with Leonard Nimoy to discuss The Jewels of Time, and we acted as ‘fan liaisons’ for Philip Segal for about a year, a time of turmoil and changes for the new show. This has given us a unique insiders’ perspective on the various attempts at reworking Doctor Who, one which I hope readers will enjoy.

Notes

Readers of The Terrestrial Index and The Universal Data-hank already know that I have always enjoyed ‘retconning’ (a fan term derived from ‘retroactive continuity’) the Doctor Who universe, that is to say, trying to fit all the pieces-even the ones that were realistically not meant to fit-within a greater, coherent fictional tapestry.

Argument about each ‘Nth Doctor’ script’s degree of ‘canonicity’ will ultimately depend on each reader’s own evaluation. Readers who wish to disregard any or all of the scripts reviewed here are, naturally, free to do so. Since these

scripts were not produced, their status as regards their ‘canonicity’ is highly subjective.

However, one should bear in mind that these scripts were fully licensed and approved by the BBC. The new elements that they proposed to introduce in the Doctor Who universe may often seem fairly radical to the readers, but they are no less a break with the past than, say, The Deadly Assassin (4P) was when compared to The War Games (ZZ), or Genesis of the Daleks (4E) to The Daleks (B). Change-often radical change-has always been a respected tradition of Doctor Who.

For these reasons I feel justified in treating the ‘Nth Doctor’ scripts as, at the very least, something closely related to main Doctor Who continuity, not unlike the New Adventures or the Missing Adventures. John Leekley’s Fathers and Brothers, in particular, deserves special consideration, since many of the revelations it contained about the Doctor’s past appear to have been carried over into Matthew Jacobs’ Enemy Within, and would have become part of series continuity had there been a series. What we have here is a ‘Segal Masterplan’, different yet no less valid than the previously established ‘Cartmel Masterplan’.

The question that I therefore asked myself in analysing each of these scripts was, if they had been produced, how would we have reconciled them with the rest of the existing Doctor Who universe?

The surprising answer I found was that, in fact, it would not have taken much to make these scripts fit in with continuity, which, if anything, is a glorious tribute to the strength and flexibility of the Doctor Who concept.

While ‘retconning’ the scripts, I came up with a number of theories that throw new light on the Doctor, his past, and various other elements of the Whoniverse. Clearly all the theories expressed in this book are, in the end, just that-the product of my personal opinions. Other fan scholars, such as John Peel, David Banks, Paul Cornell, Martin Day, Keith Topping and Lance Parkin, have presented their own conflicting, if equally worthy, interpretations.

It is fairly safe to state, however, that if you do not care for

Doctor Who continuity, you might want to skip the footnotes entirely.

Reviews

I have included a brief general review of each script-all in my humble opinion, of course. However, readers should keep in mind that the quotes provided in this book represent (on average) only about 7 per cent of the scripts themselves, and furthermore that these quotes have been selected for their relevance to the Doctor Who universe rather than for their literary merits.

As it would be unfair to judge a painting by looking at less than 10 per cent of its canvas, readers should not presume to pass judgment on these scripts-other than in matters pertaining to continuity.

Also, none of these scripts ever reached the final shooting stage. They were all ‘drafts’, and would probably have been further rewritten before being shot. (I have, in fact, included some speculation as to what changes might have been made.) So, these scripts should be considered ‘works in progress’, and not definitive statements of their respective writers’ intentions.

Finally, as everyone who has studied the art of filmmaking knows, even a good script can be mangled beyond recognition by poor execution, and a mediocre script can sometimes be improved by skilled direction and great acting. Therefore, it would also be a mistake to prejudge what these productions might have been and looked like on the basis of these scripts alone.

In conclusion, as I write this (in July 1996) it has become clear that Enemy Within was not the huge commercial success hoped for by its producers. As a result, the very future of Doctor Who in film and television is, once again, uncertain. The ‘Nth Doctor’ scripts, taken together, may give us a glimpse of what lies ahead, should the good Doctor some day return to grace our screens.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not thank here my wife and writing partner, Randy (hence the ‘we’ which sometimes replaces the Τ in this work), who has helped write and polish this book.

Jean-Marc Lofficier

Prologue (pre-1987)

The first time I was approached to discuss the concept of a Doctor Who movie was in 1981, as I was working on the first draft of what eventually became The Doctor Who Programme Guide.

The series had just made a critical splash in America with the syndication of a package comprised of the episodes from Robot (4A) to Invasion of Time (4Z), featuring odd introductions delivered by American actor, Howard DaSilva, sold to a number of independent television stations. A first dedicated Doctor Who convention had been held in Los Angeles in December 1980, which Randy and I had attended. We had also arranged for the guest appearances of Terrance Dicks and, through Terrance’s good offices, Tom Baker and then-producer Graham Williams. I had also just finished working on an article about Doctor Who for the French cinema magazine, L’Écran Fantastique, an article which, for Randy and me, started it all.

The convention was a massive success and, since it had been held on its doorstep, Hollywood took notice. This was also the time when the American editions of some of the Target novelisations, republished by Pinnacle with a brilliant introduction by Harlan Ellison, had hit the bookshops, giving the show added visibility. Doctor Who and Tom Baker were therefore, in Hollywood lingo, ‘hot’.

They started to come out of the woodwork soon after that, ‘they’ being, of course, the wannabe producers who, always looking for a locomotive to which they could hitch their wagon, knew a good thing when they saw one.

There were rumours in England of a feature film project, Doctor Who Meets Scratchman, being arranged by Tom Baker and Ian Marter. In America I was briefly contacted by the producers who later released an unsuccessful Lone Ranger remake.

Tom Baker left and was replaced by Peter Davison. In Hollywood the iron was no longer hot and Doctor Who had started to be considered a little like yesterday’s news. Yet short-lived attempts continued to surface.

There was talk of an animated series to be produced by Nelvana for CBS whose then-executive, Michael Chase-Walker, liked Doctor Who. Around 1986 producer Bob Kos-berg expressed an interest in the property. (Randy and I ended up briefly working with Bob on what eventually became Twelve Monkeys, but that, as they say, is another story.) But, in typical Hollywood fashion, nothing ever happened for our favourite Time Lord. It did not matter much, anyway, because the show was still on the air, year after year, like clockwork.

Then in 1989, after a couple of premonitory hiccups, the unthinkable happened. Doctor Who was cancelled.

But, to quote Logopolis (5V), ‘the moment had been prepared for…’

1

THE RETURN OF VARNAX

by

Mark Ezra

from a story by

Peter Litten & George Dugdale

Background

The saga of the producing team that became known to fans variously as ‘Daltenreys’, ‘Greenlight’ and ‘Coast to Coast’ began in 1986, soon after the original Doctor Who television series was put on hold by the BBC.

Special effects wizards Peter Litten, George Dugdale and John Humphreys, who had previously worked on various BBC shows including Doctor Who, decided that the time was ripe to launch the Doctor on the silver screen as a big-budget, special effects-laden motion picture.

In a remarkable feat of entrepreneurial spirit, Litten, Dugdale and Humphreys succeeded in raising the not inconsiderable sum of money requested by BBC Enterprises (later renamed BBC Worldwide), the commercial arm of the BBC, for the sale of the motion picture rights to Doctor Who. With financial backing from various entertainment industry personalities, such as Brian Ferry, John Illsley, etc., they formed an entity called Daltenreys Limited to make the deal.

When rights to a property like Doctor Who are sold to a producer they are usually sold for a certain period of time-called ‘term’ and measured in years-during which time the said producer must make a movie. If no film is produced the rights eventually revert to their original owner at the expiration of the term.

Daltenreys’ efforts were ultimately doomed when they did not succeed in commencing principal photography on a Doctor Who feature film before the expiration of the term granted by BBC Enterprises, who then refused to grant any further time.

The definition of the rights sold by BBC Enterprises are crucial to understanding the reasons for this failure, and BBC Enterprises’ refusal to grant the extension. Since at the time the deal was struck the BBC intended to continue production on the television series, the television rights, which would normally have been sold together with the motion picture rights, were retained by BBC Enterprises.

Later when, at Philip Segal’s behest, BBC Enterprises eventually decided to join forces with Amblin Television and

Universal Television to produce a new Doctor Who television series, it discovered that splitting up the motion picture and television rights had become an impediment to its efforts. In effect, having both a film and television series with the same name and the same hero, who would undoubtedly be played by two different actors, was deemed too confusing for audiences. It also created potentially serious problems with respect to the exploitation of merchandising rights.

Ultimately BBC Enterprises was forced to make a choice between its co-production with Amblin Television/Universal Television, and the extension of the term granted to Daltenreys and its associates; it chose the former.

Returning to 1986: having secured the rights, Daltenreys then moved on to commission a script from writer Mark Ezra, with whom Litten and Dugdale had worked before. In August 1987 Ezra turned out a script officially entitled Doctor Who-The Movie, based on a story developed by Litten and Dugdale. (The title The Return of Varnax is a made-up title used here for convenience purposes.)

Story

We open on warlord ΖARGON’s massive warship, orbiting the planet Trufador. Zargon issues an ultimatum to the Trufadons to surrender or be destroyed. A prisoner is dragged into the room, handcuffed and his face covered with a hood. It is the DOCTOR, and we see his TARDIS (in the shape of the familiar London Police Box) standing nearby.¹

The Doctor pleads with Zargon to renounce his megalomaniacal dreams of conquest, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. The evil warlord has seized the Doctor’s Time Rotor-a mechanical device something like a cross between an egg-timer and the symbol for infinity with a control knob on top-without which the TARDIS cannot travel in time.²

A gloating Zargon orders the Doctor to be unmasked (‘revealing a very famous face’³) to watch the destruction of Trufador by his Doomsday Weapon, a super-powerful, evil-looking missile. The Doctor warns that the Trufadons will

retaliate and both parties will be annihilated. But Zargon believes that his weapon is powerful enough to prevent any counter-strike. He orders it to be launched.

At that very moment the Doctor breaks free of his chains, seizes the Time Rotor and uses it to create a TIME WARP-a pitch-black hole in space and time which swallows Zargon’s missile.⁴ It is a measure that is strictly forbidden by the Time Lords.

A now powerless Zargon watches in horror as the Trufadons launch their own missile attack. The Doctor, still holding the Time Rotor, escapes into the TARDIS, leaving Zargon and his men to face their deserved destruction.

After CREDITS have rolled, the TARDIS rematerialises on Gallifrey, where the Doctor is immediately placed under arrest.

We cut to the bleak world of Centros, a doomed planet facing impending annihilation from its belching red sun. The Earth probe Voyager is recovered by two humanoids who take the plaque showing Earth’s co-ordinates to their overlord, the evil (and yet unseen) VARNAX. The merciless villain orders them killed by his two companions, the beautiful but deadly MORGANA and the bulky cyborg warrior NEGLOS.

Meanwhile, native rebels led by young ONYX and his friend KALCIS set up some explosives in preparation for their assault on Varnax’s seemingly impregnable citadel. But things appear to go a little too smoothly. Indeed, this is part of Varnax’s devious scheme. He exhorts his men:

Varnax My faithful warriors, long have I promised you that one day we should leave this dying planet and return to our true and rightful home, Gallifrey. I tell you now that time is near at hand. The sun is dying. Soon it will explode, taking this world of Centros with it into oblivion. But do not fear. By then we shall be long gone. We will be gone, never to return again. I will lead you to our new home. Another world where we shall conquer the population as we once did here. Our Empire will reign supreme once again! ⁵

Varnax wants the rebels to capture a cosmic transmitter and summon help from Gallifrey, acting as bait for the fish he wishes to capture. But the insurgents prove deadlier than even he anticipated. Having seized a cache of weapons, Onyx and his men burst into Varnax’s throne room and battle is joined between the rebels, Morgana and Neglos. During the battle we discover that Varnax is a cyborg too-⁴ a vile travesty of a human being-more machine than man; his deformed, twisted frame is supported by a complex arrangement of tubes, cables and pistons that give life to his otherwise useless body.’

Morgana and Neglos repel the rebels, who are allowed to capture the transmitter. Kalcis sacrifices his life so that Onyx and his friends can escape from the citadel.

Meanwhile on Gallifrey the High Council, comprised of three TIME LORDS, is passing judgment on the Doctor:

Time Lord 2 My honourable Time Lord is too generous to the defendant. He has interfered with the course of Time itself by opening a Time Warp-in direct contravention of every rule… and has placed the entire stability of the universe at risk.

Time Lord 3 Our own ancestors meddled with the fifth dimension in similar manner … And I need not recount the evil to which it was put.

Time Lord 1 Our early history is an embarrassment to us all.⁶ However, there is no suggestion that the defendant had any but the least selfish of motives.

The Doctor once more pleads for a relaxation of the rules. He argues that the Time Lords have a duty to interfere to prevent evil, but the Council remains deaf to his eloquence and he is found guilty. However, in consideration of his past good services he is merely condemned to be grounded on Gallifrey, denied permission to travel in time, and required to help teach Gallifreyan Law to Time Lords in training.

On Centros Neglos and his men and their pack of hunting animals, the size of lions with several eyes, are hot on Onyx’s trail. The rebel leader reaches a cavern where he is met by LOIS and other insurgents. Onyx uses the transmitter to

broadcast an SOS to Gallifrey, unaware that this is precisely what Varnax wants him to do.

As soon as he has finished, Neglos and his men burst into the cavern. The rebels escape but Onyx chooses to remain behind. POG, a furry little creature, ‘something like a raccoon with a prehensile tail and a hairless face’, stays with him. Onyx is taken prisoner, realising at last that Varnax wanted him to use the transmitter, but Pog escapes. A small recording device containing Onyx’s story is attached to his collar.

On Gallifrey the Doctor is reluctantly attending to his new tasks when he passes a docking bay and spots his TARDIS. The urge to check it out is too strong and he enters the ship where he meets CORA, a beautiful, strong-willed and rather humourless mechanic, who is engaged in removing the TARDIS’s Time Rotor in order to decommission it. It’s to be sent to the Museum of Primitive Transport! Introductions are performed:

Cora Hey, who do you think you are?

Doctor That’s right

Cora (confused) What?⁷

Just as Cora is about to walk out with the Time Rotor, Onyx’s distress signal comes in. In spite of the Time Lady’s loud protests the Doctor seizes this opportunity first to reinstall the Rotor and then to take off for Centros.

Doctor You look like you could do with a vacation. Loosen up a bit. What’s your name?

Cora (panicked) What kind of vacation? I’ve never left Gallifrey before!

Doctor Oh dear, a typical Gallifreyan. You ought to get out more. See the universe. (He checks Centros in the TARDIS’s memory banks.) We once used Centros as a place of exile… For one of our most evil villains… But it’s been abandoned for a very long time.⁸

The TARDIS rematerialises on a bleak, sulphurous plain on Centros. After a scary encounter with a WOOG, a seemingly cute and harmless creature which suddenly turns into a fanged monster, the Doctor and Cora are captured by Varnax’s men. They are taken to the Citadel foundry, underground, where the renegade Time Lord is supervising the final repairs to his own black menacing TARDIS.⁹ The Doctor recognises Varnax, which pleases the villain:

Varnax So I have not been entirely forgotten on Gallifrey. That is good, for the High Council will soon have reason to tremble at my name again.

We learn that Varnax has used all his