Dimensions in Time

INTRODUCTION

In 1993, BBC Enterprises attempted to create a special feature-length episode of Doctor Who to celebrate the programme's thirtieth anniversary. BBC Television already had a special documentary tribute planned, entitled Thirty Years In The TARDIS, but fans were looking forward to the Enterprises production, The Dark Dimension. Scripted by life-long Who aficionado Adrian Rigelsford, the film was to be directed by Who stalwart Graeme Harper, and feature Tom Baker as the Doctor, with cameo appearances from the other surviving actors who played the role of the Doctor in the BBC series, namely Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy.

The plot was to feature the Fourth Doctor awaking at the bottom of the Pharos project radio telescope, having dreamed his fourth, fifth and sixth regenerations. However, his subsequent incarnations were now part of a different reality - the Dark Dimension. With cameos from many other familiar faces, the appearance of a female character called Summerfield - based on the character of Professor Bernice Summerfield, one of the Doctor's companions in the New Adventures series - and the return of some of the Doctor's most dastardly foes, The Dark Dimension promised to be a visual feast and a loving tribute to the world's longest running science fiction drama series for children.

However, Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy were unhappy at the reduced size of their roles, and there was a woeful lack of money available after Enterprises had paid Tom Baker £25,000 pounds for his services. To the dismay of fans everywhere, the project collapsed and it looked like there was to be no new Doctor Who to commemorate thirty years of time travel. Fortunately, the BBC was to save the day, and with the help of some cardboard glasses, the world's most popular soap opera, and some very familiar faces, there was to be a new Doctor Who adventure after all. So why not take a stroll down memory lane, and enjoy a slice of televisual nostalgia....

CREATION

The genesis of Dimensions In Time came during June of 1993, when a BBC researcher came up with the revolutionary concept of three dimensional broadcasting. By transmitting three separate images that were slightly misaligned, the viewer at home could, with the aid of special polarised filter lenses, watch three dimensional television, or 3-D TV as it became known. Tests were carried out, and it soon became clear that there was a wealth of potential in the new 3-D format, and the BBC immediately began to plan a special week of programmes to be broadcast in the new idiom.

One of the first shows to be given the go-ahead for a 3-D special was the BBC's music programme, Top Of The Pops. The group chosen for the honour of having a three dimensional performance broadcast, were the Pet Shop Boys. Singer and writer Neil Tennant recalls the BBC's invitation:

"To be honest, I nearly burst into tears. It was such a wonderful honour to be asked. The BBC has always been a very important institution, and so have the Pet Shop Boys. Chris and I were in the studio, mixing one of the singles from "Very", and they asked us to perform "Yesterday, When I Was Mad" in three dimensions. It was marvellous."

Other programmes, including Blue Peter and Going Live! were also given special 3-D slots, but perhaps the most exciting concept was the merging of two of the BBC's most popular programmes, EastEnders and Doctor Who. Documentation sadly no longer exists as to exactly who came up with the idea, although a former script editor of the latter, Eric Saward, has recently claimed that he devised the concept some years earlier. Interviewed for Doctor Who-ber Alles, a German science fiction magazine, in late 1995, Saward makes the following allegations:

"That Dimensions In Time was a load of crap, and it was a rip-off of one of my better ideas! The BBC had been rejecting my proposals for three dimensional telly since I worked with Peter Davison in 1982! The stupid sods wouldn't listen, and said it was a bloody awful concept, yet in 1993 they used all my ideas without giving me as much as a penny, the bastards."

However, Saward now denies making these claims, and that an error in translation from German to English has caused him to be misrepresented:

"I never made any of those remarks about 3-D TV", he says now. "Some prat in the proof-reading department of a certain magazine needs his head seeing to. Why on Earth would I want to take the credit for combining EastEnders and Doctor Who? That was Nathan-Turner's idea, I'm sure."

Whether John Nathan-Turner actually came up with the original idea for Dimensions In Time will probably never be conclusively proven, although as nobody else has ever taken the credit for it, it is probably safe to assume that it was him. The Head of Programmes officially commissioned a Doctor Who adventure called 3-Dimensions In Time in the middle of June 1993 as an hour and a half long television film. JN-T was installed as producer, and a stalwart from the EastEnders side, Stuart McDonald was given the role of director. Immediately, the project became a kind of personal obsession with JN-T, as had Doctor Who during his producership, where he insisted on being involved at all creative levels. The first thing to be conceived was the script. A BBC staff writer and Doctor Who fan, David Roden, was approached independently by the BBC to write the script, although it soon became clear to him that with JN-T at the helm, he was more of a co-writer, accepting the main bulk of ideas from the producer, who had been set some very firm guidelines by his superiors. The majority of these were quite patently at odds with Roden's very lavish and dark vision for 3-Dimensions In Time:

"I had all these fantastic ideas for Dimensions, but the majority of them, John said werecrap. I wanted Sylv and Sophie to be the main characters, like they were in the books at the time, with lots of violence and mystery. I'd tried to keep the appearance of Ian Beale and all those other bastards down to a minimum, as I really thought the programmes merging was a load of old tripe. The Daleks were making a return appearance, with Davros, and we'd see the Timewyrm onscreen for the first time. There was lots of adult language and it was about a hour and a half in length. It was really quite good, but John went up the wall when he read the first draft. He said that they had to feature all the surviving Doctors (apart from Tom) as it would be like The Five Doctors, and it had to be set in Albert Square. He was horrified by the language and content, and did not understand who the Timewyrm was. When he finally said that we couldn't use the Daleks because of a pay dispute between Terry Nation and the BBC, I blew my top, saying that I was being paid as a writer, not a bloody charity worker, and that the whole thing was a fucking farce. After a lot of shouting, I eventually calmed down and John explained the harsh realities of the situation to me. I was completely disarmed by his frank honesty, and we agreed to co-write the script within the stupid parameters set by the BBC."

The guidelines laid down by the BBC were very strict, as Roden discovered. The corporation were dubious about reviving a programme which was in reality an embarrassment to them, and were anxious not to make themselves look foolish. Looking at the last BBC series of Doctor Who from 1989, they noted what they thought was a lack of humour, and decided to make 3-Dimensions In Time a more light-hearted affair. JN-T had been given a ten point plan as his starting template for the show:

- Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy must all appear

- The Fourth Doctor should not be included in the script

- There must be as many of the monsters as possible, although no Daleks

- There must be as many of the regular EastEnders cast as possible (depending on availability)

- No swearing

- No violence

- No scenes of a sexual nature

- It must be set in and around 'Albert Square'

- Kate O'Mara and Anthony Ainley should appear, as both are still under BBC contract

- More wit, less slapstick

David Roden was less than pleased when he heard this, but reluctantly agreed to try and incorporate these elements into his new script.

The second draft was almost complete, when Roden received a message from JN-T saying that the BBC wanted the name of the film was to be changed to Doctor Who versus The Dark Dimensions. Roden recalls his feelings when he heard this news:

"I was bloody livid, to be frank. I'd just completed the new script with all the Doctors fighting against the Rani and the Master, with enough appearances by those Cockney ponces to satisfy the BBC, when John rang me to say that the name had to be changed. When he said it was to be called Doctor Who versus The Dark Dimensions I immediately twigged that this was a sort of two-fingered salute to BBC Enterprises, who had ballsed up with their own film, The Dark Dimension. I was half tempted to jack it all in because of all the pettiness. The Beeb was riddled with it."

While Roden fumed as he changed his script again, some of the actors whom JN-T had tentatively contacted were also bemused by the problems stemming from the upper echelons of the BBC. Colin Baker recalls:

"John and I had just made up after a long period of unpleasantness between us, and after all that tomfoolery with the Enterprises film, I was pleased that the 3-D thing was going ahead. Sylv McCoy and myself were having a drink in the Drum in Walthamstow when his phone rang. It was John, saying that the title was being changed at the request of the Director General, or something! Sylv began shouting down the phone at John about 'bastards', 'arrogance', and God knows what else. I fully agreed with whatever he was trying to say, because we just wanted to get on and film a new Doctor Who story, not mess about with all that beaurocratic bullshit."

The problems surrounding the new name of the film grew to dangerous levels at the beginning of the following month, July, when BBC Enterprises refused to promote the film at all, saying in a statement that Doctor Who versus The Dark Dimensions was "nonsensical" and "a bland fantasy".

JN-T and David Roden were furious, as BBC Enterprises comprised the whole commercial arm of the corporation and held most of the financial muscle needed to promote and distribute the film world-wide. Unfortunately, the problem refused to blow over, with neither side in the argument will to back down, and eventually the decision was taken to cancel the whole project. Colin Baker remembers where he was when he heard the sad news:

"I was about to start filming for a series hosted by Tom O'Connor, called Crosswits, when I heard that it was all off with Doctor Who. John Nathan-Turner told me that it was an internal problem between the BBC and BBC Enterprises that had caused the cock-up, but I was beyond hearing. I can only remember crying on a few occasions in my life, and this was definitely one of them. I blubbed like a big baby for several minutes. I was inconsolable, because I had set my heart on wearing that patchwork coat again, and meeting up with Peter, and Sylv and all the others."

The other members of the cast who had already signed up were also devastated. Jon Pertwee told Starburst magazine that the decision was "disgraceful", while Sylvester McCoy admits now that he felt "like I'd been kicked in the balls". Anthony Ainley was so disgusted with the whole debacle that he vowed never to work for the BBC again, while Kate O'Mara says that she sunk into "a deeply black depression" and had to turn to alcohol and prescribed drugs to numb the pain and shock. Peter Davison was even more enraged than the others, as he now recalls:

"The others just seemed to be depressed about it, especially Colin Baker, but I'd become great friends with him, Jon and Sylvester over the years, and there was no way I was going to let the buggers at the BBC get away with it. I was decidedly tetchy, and spoke out in the press against the company's governing body. I went a bit over the top, but I think it worked out for the best."

Davison's comments in the press were extremely shocking, and an immediate embarrassment for the BBC. Quoted in the Sun, Independent and Guardian newspapers, he said:

"The British Broadcasting Corporation has always represented the highest standards of television and been a synonym for fair play and British spirit. However, I am sad to say that it is now run by a bunch of scumbag pygmies, who would rather sit wanking in their offices than producing decent programmes. In cancelling the new Doctor Who film, they have shown themselves to be yellow bastards. I will not be working for them again, and I encourage other members of the acting profession to do the same."

Although it did not immediately have the desired effect, Peter Davison's controversial statement sent shockwaves through the BBC. Several key figures resigned during the next month, and a major reshuffle in the organisation of BBC Enterprises was announced, giving it less power in the United Kingdom. Eventually, in early August, John Nathan-Turner received a memo from the Controller of BBC1, saying that the film was being revived by the BBC, under its original title, 3-Dimensions In Time. New contracts were signed with the leading cast, although Anthony Ainley was now unavailable due to theatrical commitment, and recording was tentatively pencilled in for the middle of August. Unfortunately, without the financial backing of BBC Enterprises, the production team were mortified to discover that the budget for 3-Dimensions In Time was almost non-existent, and that there was absolutely no way that they could afford to produce a full length film with high production values. Director Stuart McDonald remembers a crisis meeting in JN-T's temporary office at Elstree studios:

"John got me, David Roden and Wendy Richard into his office and said that there was no money at all, and that there was no way on Earth we could afford to film one and a half hours of television. David went potty, shouting and swearing and throwing things at the wall. Eventually, security managed to drag him out to calm him down, and when he returned he could rationalise about what was going on. There seemed to be no way of carrying on, but John refused to give up. The project had died once already, and he had only just resurrected the corpse. It was a kind of obsession with him, and he just could not let go."

The discussions went on long into the night, with nobody really having any idea as to how they could continue, until Wendy Richard recognised a possible way forward. "I said we ought to make it a two part charity special", she remembers today. "Get Children in Need involved, and it won't matter how cheap it looks, 'cos it'll all be for charity."

It was a great idea, and immediately JN-T called the Controller of BBC1 to ask permission. It was granted, although some concessions were forced on the production team:

- The length of each episode should not be more than ten minutes

- It should be fast-paced, with a strong emphasis on action

- There should be a cliff-hanger at the end of Part One to be 'resolved' by viewers

David Roden once again had to change his script, something he was not very happy about, although this time it was more a case of editing, as the plot was to remain basically the same, albeit in an extremely truncated form. Although they were not completely happy with the new, shorter length of the project, and the lack of financial backing, all of the original cast with the exception of Anthony Ainley signed up to work on 3-Dimensions In Time. Colin Baker recalls:

"After I read the new plot synopsis, I spoke to Jon, Peter and Sylv, and we all said that we had to go ahead with it, because it was Who, and that had to outweigh all other considerations. Jon was a little confused by some of David Roden's ideas, and he went a bit strange, but JN-T managed to calm him down, and we signed the contract that very day."

The next hurdle was gaining the consent of the EastEnders cast to appear in the project for nothing. Although several refused outright, the majority agreed immediately, partly because it was a charitable event and partly because of the influence of Wendy Richard. However, Pam St. Clement, who had been in the series for several years as Pat Butcher and was a respected method actor, was less than happy with the arrangement. Eventually, Wendy Richard and Peter Davison had to make a personal entreaty to her, as she recalls:

"I was very concerned about starring in Dimensions In Time, as I was looking for quality drama, not a lot of softies in rubber costumes scaring children. When I heard that Adam [Woodyatt] and Gill [Taylforth] had given it the OK, I was more inclined to say absolutely not. However, dear Wendy Richard brought Peter Davison to my dressing room at Elstree, and he gave me a signed photograph of himself and Robert Hardy, which was rather lovely. I melted at that, and said I'd do one short scene, and it had to be with Peter."

Fortunately, this was not difficult to incorporate, and the finished script was sent to the Head of Serials for his final approval, John Nathan-Turner received a memo reiterating an earlier point about the viewer being given the chance to decide the outcome of the cliff-hanger at the end of part one. After much discussion with David Roden, the producer decided that they should film two endings for part one; The first featuring the Doctor being saved by Sam Mitchell, the second featuring Big Ron as the hero of the hour, rather than both of them together as in the original script. Viewers would be given a chance to "vote" for their favourite ending, which would then be transmitted. This satisfied the Head of Serials, who announced that the first episode of 3-Dimensions In Time would be transmitted as part of the 1993 BBC Children In Need appeal on the 26th of November, while the second would be shown the next day, as part of Noel's House Party.

Finally, on the twentieth of September, the cast received the script for the first time. Colin Baker recalls his response upon reading it:

"I was flummoxed, to say the least, by what I read. I could not understand what was happening to the Doctor. Was it simply the Seventh Doctor experienced flashbacks due to the Rani's time distortion, or was he really regenerating backwards? Even worse, why did Ace change into all those other companions? I had one line about "the inrush of time zones" that was meant to explain it all away, but to be honest nobody had a clue. I remember sitting in a pub with Jon Pertwee, who was almost crying because he didn't understand why he was to be joined by Bonnie Langford and Deborah Watling."

In his autobiography, Jon Pertwee recalled that he considered the programme to be "a bit of a poo", and that the Doctors and companions were all mixed up for "reasons which I couldn't fathom." He also said that to him, "the script was all over the place." Sylvester McCoy was also unimpressed, while Peter Davison has since expressed the opinion that Dimensions In Time had "...the strangest script I have ever seen. It was completely crackers."

Despite all their reservations, the four Doctors agreed to honour their commitments and arrive at the BBC Elstree studios on the twenty second of September, for the beginning of a three day shoot. However, what none of them were aware of was that the day before, the twenty first, another, top secret recording was to take place at Fountain Television studios, in New Maiden, Surrey.

Since the conception of the project, John Nathan-Turner had been concerned that only four of the surviving five Doctors were participating in Dimensions In Time. He was well aware that many of the fans of the programme considered Tom Baker to be the quintessential Doctor, and there had already been many angry letters to Doctor Who Magazine complaining that he was not to appear.

Eventually, he decided to check with the BBC's legal department to see if Baker's involvement with The Dark Dimension prevented him from appearing in Dimensions In Time, irrespective of his own personal feelings. It transpired that although the actor had signed saying that he would appear in The Dark Dimension "when and if it was made", he had not legally bound himself in terms of any other Doctor Who productions. Legally, there were no barriers to Tom appearing. The problem, as JN-T saw it, was that the actor simply did not want to appear in Dimensions In Time.

Tom Baker was and still is notoriously shy of anything that connected him with the other former actors to star as the Doctor, particularly Peter Davison, whom he despised. The concept of a reunion of the Doctors was nauseating to a man who saw himself as a great character actor, whose greatest achievement had been making Doctor Who a great success around the world. Interviewed in 1997, Baker explained what happened when JN-T arrived, out of the blue, at his house, and asked him to appear in Dimensions In Time:

"I was wholeheartedly against the idea at first, because I thought it was just a gimmick. My time as Doctor Who was loved by millions of children, and there are still youngsters who come up to me in the street and call me 'Doctor'. It is a wonderful feeling, and I didn't want to lose those good things by starring with a bunch of shagged out old Doctor Whos who couldn't get any other work outside the TARDIS. Also, I was so broken hearted when The Dark Dimension flopped, and it was a glorious failure, believe me! I don't think we shot a single second of action. So, I didn't want to be a part of it at all. Then John told me of all the fans who would be so upset if I didn't at least flash them the old toothy smile, and trip over my scarf or something like that. Eventually, I managed to come to terms with the idea, and John and I started planning a special scene, all for me."

JN-T envisaged a special segment of the programme with Tom in front of a microphone, calling to his fellow Doctors to look out for a terrible criminal called the Rani, who is chasing them with the sole intention of destroying them. However, for Tom, the message had to be more specific, with some bitter undertones about his feelings for his predecessors and successors.

"I wanted to have a bit of a go, to be absolutely truthful. I'm very paranoid about Doctor Who, and when people talk to me about it, part of me is glowing with pleasure, yet the other half is cringing, hoping they don't ask me about Peter Davison or Patrick Troughton. So, I asked John if we could put in a few asides, and he agreed. Probably, he was just humouring me, because I like that, you know."

Whether JN-T approved of Tom's idea or not, he drafted a speech, which Tom then changed to his satisfaction. Before leaving the Baker residence, and knowing that Kate O'Mara and Sam West were shooting the scenes set inside the Rani's TARDIS on the twenty first, JN-T then booked a second, top secret session earlier in the day, to record Tom's sequence. Dimensions In Time was ready to take shape.

2nd February 2004