[Neil C]

In reference to the Doctor Who Unbound audio cassettes I have come up with an alternative list of doctors and and an alternative history:

1963-1966 William Franklyn
1966-1970 Richard Hearne
1970-1974 Ian Richardson
1974-1981 Patrick Mower
1981-1984 John Nettles
1984-1987 Stephen Fry

In 1987 The BBC teamed up with ABC in the US to make a series of tele movies. The idea is the cost would be split as the series was costing the beeb too much on its own.

From hereon in the path of the series takes a different route

The telemovies are shown instead of series in the UK:

1988-1991 Stephen Fry
(Fry leaves to make A Bit Of Fry And Laurie. A huge casting error is made when the replacement is...)

1991-1993 Michael J Fox
(The outcry in the UK is huge. Fox is seen as a comedy actor despite his appearances in Back The Future. The BBC realising the error disengage from the US/UK product with grace)

The BBC rest the programme for a couple of years and bring it back with a new continuity canon

1993-1997 Richard E Grant
(Despite decent ratings the show becomes less popular and the decision is made to end the show with Grant's doctor free to travel the stars)

[lordOfTime]

Pity it never worked out with Michael J. Fox. Great Scott the stick he got was heavy.

[Neil C]

Indeed. Despite the show being huge in the states I think an american actor playing Who would have been wrong. IMHO the success of the show was its "englishness" Fox is a great actor and I hope he's well but it would have been a failure.

[Verence]

Originally Posted by lordOfTime

Pity it never worked out with Michael J. Fox. Great Scott the stick he got was heavy.

Mind you his appearances on the Small Start audio dramas have shown what a good Doctor he could have been given half a chance

[Neil C]

I've never listened to them

[TRT1968]

Originally Posted by lordOfTime

Pity it never worked out with Michael J. Fox. Great Scott the stick he got was heavy.

Whatever made them think they could get away with painting that DeLorean in police-box blue? Madness.

[lordOfTime]

Originally Posted by TRT1968

Whatever made them think they could get away with painting that DeLorean in police-box blue? Madness.

And the fact it could only travel in time and not space was a drawback. Bad times.

[TRT1968]

Originally Posted by lordOfTime

And the fact it could only travel in time and not space was a drawback. Bad times.

Not only that but it was much smaller on the inside than appeared from outside - barely enough room for the dog!

[adams66]

Great thread!

I loved the fact that John Nettles had Louise Jameson and then Liza Goddard as his companions.

And wasn't Stephen Fry young when he took over? There were a lot of people who thought he'd not be able to pull it off, but he surprised everyone.

I never really took to Patrick Mower though... but wasn't Bernard Cribbins considered back in the 1970s? He'd have been terrific.

And the less said about Michael J Fox being half-Thal on his mother's side the better...

[Neil C]

Well. Im surprised. Didn't think it would be such a successful thread. Continuing in the vein...

I have to admit I thought the Xmas special where Fry regenerated into Fox was a cracker even though i read in the papers later a lot of children were upset. Patrick Stewart was brilliant as the Master.

NB. I'm considering a Star Trek Alternative thread. Anyone interested?

[Granny McSmith]

Originally Posted by Verence

Mind you his appearances on the Small Start audio dramas have shown what a good Doctor he could have been given half a chance

They are not canon.

And neither are the books in which the 10th Doctor is portrayed as female.

[Neil C]

The Doctor Returns

Despite the end of the series in 1997 there was still some clamour for the doctor to return.

in 1999. Big Finish signed a deal with the BBC to make a series of audio dramas.

The first story "Dark Alliance" was a multi-doctor adventure teaming up Richardson, Mower and Nettles with their respective companions Isla Blair, Lynda Bellingham and Liza Goddard to fight renegade time lord Omega (Gerald Harper) and the Daleks led by Davros (Michael Sheard).

Since then there have been 65 further stories (but no further multiple doctor adventure). These have included.

The UNIT Files (set in modern times and featuring stories about cloning, environmental concerns and terrorism)

The Companion Chronicles (How the companions lived after they left the Doctor)

Seeds of Evil (How the doctors enemies same to be that way)

[GDK]

You missed the two movies in the 60s with Christopher Lee playing a human Doctor Who.

And wasn't there an excellent adventure where the DeLorean's chameliod paint job was fixed and it appeared as a US telephone box - though still not bigger on the inside.

[TEDR]

Originally Posted by GDK

And wasn't there an excellent adventure where the DeLorean's chameliod paint job was fixed and it appeared as a US telephone box - though still not bigger on the inside.

There was, but the follow-up journey was bogus.

[Shoppy]

63-66 Cyril Cusack
66-69 Michael Horden
70-74 Ron Moody
74-81 Graham Crowden
81-85 Fulton Mackay
85-87 Richard Griffiths
87-89 Dermot Crowley

A TVMovie in 1996 starring Liam Cunnigham was considered unsuitable for younger viewers, though It did act as inspiration for the American adapation "Who? M.D." starring Ian McShane who was succeeded by first Alan Cumming then Hugh Laurie.

A "reboot" is currently in the works starring Bill Nighy and Benedict Cumberbatch playing each other and Paul McGann as the Rani

[Shoppy]

Originally Posted by Neil C

NB. I'm considering a Star Trek Alternative thread. Anyone interested?

I consider any alternative to Star Trek interesting

[Gillray]

1963-1966 Max Wall
1966-1969 Richard Murdoch
1969-1972 Vivian Stanshall
1972-1975 Freddie Jones
1975-1978 Sebastian Shaw
1978-1981 Heathcote Williams
1981-1983 Ken Campbell

In the mid-sixties three films appeared starring Lionel Jeffries as mad inventor Dr. Who.

The show was cancelled in the year of it's twentieth birthday, and ended with the anniversary special 'The Seven Doctors', with all previous actors returning to the role.

After its cancellation the BBC teamed up with Japanese studio Toho to produce a series of TV movies in the early 1990s. This collaboration became known as 'Amazing Time and Space Travelling Aventures of Dochira-Sama Sensei' and starred Toshira Mifune as The Doctor.

In 2005 the BBC brought the series back with Bill Nighy as the Ninth Doctor.

[thorr]

1963 - 1967 Peter Cushin
1967 - 1970 Kenneth Moore
1971 - 1974 Ken Cope
1975 - 1978 Willie Rushdon
1978 - 1982 Derek Jacobi

[thorr]

1986-1991 Malcolm McDowell
1991-1995 David warner

[vaughan6477]

We've really got to thank that Michael Grade chap for keeping the show alive in the 1990s.

[vaughan6477]

Originally Posted by Neil C

I

1974-1981 Patrick Mower

I

My dad used to work on a building site in the 1970s , with some eccentric Liverpudlian bloke called Tom. This fella swore blind that he auditioned and lost out to Mower as the 4th Doctor. Dad says he must be nearly 80 now and lives homeless in a skip near Tumbridge Wells. Spends his days terrorising people by offering them jelly babies and always wears silly purple-ish scarves.
Dad joked that he probably would've played The Doctor and dressed in this way. Not that the iconic dayglo green Safari Suit of Mowers incarnation would ever be surpassed.

[Neil C]

For me Richardson was the quintessential doctor. His sense of decorum and elegance made the show.

It was because of that that when he showed rage especially when the Brigadier killed the Silurians and the Master in his last adventure it was scary.

[GDK]

Isn't it madness to think that someone in the production team got mixed up and we nearly had Alan Carr as the current incumbent instead of Alan Davies.

[Neil C]

I have to admit I thought Caroline Quentin was the wrong choice to play "maddie" alongside Davies but the chemistry is brilliant

[GDK]

Originally Posted by TEDR

There was, but the follow-up journey was bogus.

Yeah. It went straight to hell...