8. Radio Killed The TV Star
Inbetween the McGann movie and NuWho sits Death Comes To Time. This ambitious relaunch of Doctor Who for the ears arrived in 2001. It boasted an impressive cast including Stephen Fry and Anthony Head and saw the Seventh Doctor and Ace battle against the machinations of John Sessions' evil General Tannis. Dan Freedman/Colin Meek's script covered a broad spectrum, with one key problem - it overshot the show that fans knew and loved and went into different territory altogether. Reimagining the Time Lords as fairytale, god-like creations, it called to mind the protracted wranglings of The Phantom Menace. Just as George Lucas surprised and divided fans by going political, Freedman opted to pursue a more complex route than before - the established format received short shrift. It took a brave man to go there, and the producer did it with knobs on. The ideas were bigger than the series they represented, so when Death Comes to Time proved to be an elaborate one-off, the concept was adapted into the Minister Of Chance audio saga instead. Whovians could now enjoy the action without worrying too much about buggered- up continuity.
Steve Palace
Contributor
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
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