The True Story Behind Doctor Who's Abandoned Anniversary Movie
9. Graeme Harper Comes On Board "To Make Doctor Who Scary Again"
While BBC Enterprises wrangled over the project with the controller of BBC1, Jonathan Powell - himself one of the Doctor's greatest enemies - Rigelsford brought on a director for the project. He chose Graeme Harper, a fan-favourite director who was responsible for two of Doctor Who's most atmospheric and acclaimed stories of the 1980s - The Caves of Androzani and Revelation of the Daleks.
Harper was reportedly very excited to "make Doctor Who scary again", and was certainly a great choice for the darker, more grown-up tone that Rigelsford's script was aiming for. At this stage, the film was to be an exclusive VHS release and therefore had a target audience of the older fans with paid employment and disposable incomes.
This was to change in early 1993 when Jonathan Powell was replaced as controller of BBC1 by Alan Yentob. The incoming controller was a supporter of Doctor Who, and cult television in general, having overseen a season of classic Who repeats on BBC2 throughout 1992 and into 93. Supported by Charles Denton, the new Head of Series and Serials, Yentob gave his blessing for The Dark Dimension to be aired on BBC1. The planned VHS release now had the potential to feature extra footage as an added selling point.