The Truth About Doctor Who’s Hiatus

0:00 Doctor Who in the late 1980s was filled with behindth scenes drama hiatuses firings and ultimately the cancellation of the show one of the most notorious moments is the unceremonious exit of the six doctor portrayed by Colin Baker the six doctor is one of my absolute favorites a sentiment shared by many Doctor Who fans however Colin's early exit shaped public perception of both the show and his performance today I want to discuss the 1985 Hiatus how Colin Baker was fired from Doctor Who how the expanded universe attempts to give him a proper regeneration and why you should give the SI doctor a

0:47 chance Doctor Who acts by the BBC it could have been slightly better written on February 27th 1985 it was announced that doctor who would end at the conclusion of its current season television's Time Lord is to take a rest Tardis won't be taking him anywhere for 18 months 18 months for 18 months when the present series ends in 5 weeks time the Doctor Who appreciation society is up in arms they called the decision horrifying and staggering I think it's important to say that before this Colin was enjoying a somewhat successful season of Doctor Who Season 22 his first B season as a doctor maintained its high audience share of

1:33 between 6.5 to 8 million viewers consistent with Davidson's last two seasons the show was doing fine it wasn't a ratings disaster the main reason for the show facing its end was a change in management the controller of BBC 1 Michael grade made the decision a month before the new series was due to start production but the BBC says it wants to save money to make other drama shows Michael Gray's gone on holiday no wonder he's tried to escape because I would have gone in this morning yes and said just what's going on you know Michael grade became the BBC controller and was very vocal about his dislike for Doctor Who he stated multiple times that he thought it was rubbish and pathetic and look 22 seasons is nothing to turn your

2:19 nose up at it's an incredibly impressive run the higher option believed that the budget could be better spent on new ideas rather than investing in a show that they considered outdated overly violent with embarrassing visual effects I thought it was pathetic I mean I'd seen Star Wars and then I had to watch these cardboard things probably clonking across the floor kinding of scare kids you know you just sit and laugh at it in a way Michael grade was right Doctor Who just didn't have the budget it needed to compete with other programs it was cheap that's something that doct Hans and he can agree on it's just a solution to the problem that we disagree with Doctor Who needed more money even shooting the

3:04 series on film would have increased the look of the show instantaneously but it's clear that they believed that they didn't have the money for that and wanted to direct that budget onto new shows and that's his prerogative as the BBC controller yet the show wasn't going to die that easily Doctor Who fans launched a campaign to save the show one that couldn't be ignored by BBC producers Michael grade became enemy number one by Doctor Who fans and Casual viewers alike the Earthman known as Michael grade has achieved a mighty victory for our cause he must be located and cyberized immediately Michael gra was on holiday when the news broke but I doubt

3:51 that even he could have shied himself from the screeching tones of the charity single doctor in distress doct in distress ultimately the show returns to the screens with trial of a Time Lord a 14-part adventure where the doctor faces against the valard a mysterious Time Lord who is intent on finding the doctor guilty on interfering with the universe which you know the doctor is guilty of that but he does it with such style and if the doctor is found guilty he will pay with his life depicting the doctor on Tri while while the show itself face scrutiny

4:36 created a clear parallel its true jury was the viewing public what was Doctor Who's final verdict from its audience although the audience appreciation figures increased from the previous season overall viewing numbers were much lower the most watched episode was the final part attracting 5.6 million viewers a significant drop from last season's lowest rated episode which had 6 million viewers essentially the high audience from Season 22 did not return had the media backlash convinced the general public that the show was awful if Doctor Who was to survive something had to change 1986 Colin received a phone call from

5:22 John Nathan Turner the producer of Doctor Who I've got some good news and some bad news the good news is that the series is happening again next year the bad news is I've been asked to replace you Colin was in shock in issue 324 of Doctor Who magazine he said that he was waiting for John to reply saying but I refused and insisted that you must stay but the words never came in October 1986 John Nathan Turner the producer of Doctor Who was asked by Jonathan pal head of series and serials to fire Colin Baker pal and BB the1 controller Michael grade had previously put the show on Hiatus in 1985 and now faced with worse

6:08 ratings than the previous season they finally had enough ammo to wipe Doctor Who out once and for all but they didn't oddly it seemed that pal and grade were looking to revamp the show even contacting Sydney Newman the head of drama during the show's original run a person who was instrumental in the creation of Doctor Who during a meeting Sydney Newman suggested bringing back Patrick trouton and bringing back an older doctor would never happen right right ultimately they took away one key conclusion from that meeting Colin Baker had to go why was Colin the Fall Guy why did he have to pay for the show's sins folks

6:55 we're about to enter speculation territory all of these are based on Carson crew's personal opinions and not to be treated as fact there is one rumor touted by Peter Davidson that it wasn't Colin who was meant to be replaced but John Nathan Turner Colin in Doctor Who magazine 324 said Peter Davidson told me this that he had sat next to Michael grade on an airplane and had gotten a strong impression that it wasn't me but John Nathan Turner that grade was after being a kind of corporate game player grade thought by telling the producer to sack his lead actor he'd forced that producer to resign he wanted John to point blank refuse to sack me but John

7:41 caught his bluff and he stacked me instead Gary Downey an assistant floor manager/ production manager had this to say when hearing the rumors this is not right John wanted to resign from the show Michael grade stopped him grade couldn't get rid of John he wasn't John's boss which is a that seems to ring true Nathan Turner would go to oversee the show until its conclusion in 1989 even though he constantly protested about running the show his passion was in soap operas and he had always wanted to work on one was he locked in Doctor Who jail as punishment over the Hiatus protest Gary continued stating that grade had a personal Vendetta against Baker citing an alleged romantic

8:27 relationship with Colin's ex-wife Lisa Godard she was Michael 's best friend the divorce was acrimonious and she moved into Michael gr's house while she was getting over the divorce and I'll say no more he did not want Colin working for the BBC Michael grade has gone on to say that his decision to ask doctor who was not a personal attack he purely felt the show had run its course he's even said that he enjoyed the 2005 series because it was brought up to date ultimately wherever the truth may lie why Colin did not appear to film his regeneration sequence so why did Colin refuse in 1987 in an interview with the

9:13 son he said they actually wanted me to come back and do four more episodes just so I could be killed off and fit in with their plans I told them what they could do with their offer he didn't just reject it due to being hurt the main issue was timing at the BFI promotional screening for the season 3 Blu-ray set Colin explained that he was told in November he was fired and that filming wouldn't happen until march/april meaning he would have to continue to promote the show in this time and he said I'll be honest I was hacked off I saw no reason to be nice to them when he said he'd do a whole series and then regenerate he never heard back in later years he regretted not coming back for

9:58 one final story I forgot about you the fans I was being brutally selfish and at the time I just felt annoyed because I loved that part and I thought I had more to offer unfortunately Colin did not get to end his era the way he should have instead Sylvester McCoy dressed up as him and Dawn a curly wig not the finest way for the six doctor to depart our screens yet the past cannot be changed not one line I honestly do still dream that grade will turn up to my my doorstep and say it's all been a terrible mistake but I realize that this will never happen now although his onscreen departure wasn't as dignified as one would hope

10:43 the Doctor Who Universe of expanded media tried to rectify that there are two entries into the wider Cannon a novel titled spiral scratch and an audio drama series called The Last Adventure the first case was a novel titled spiral Scratch by Gary Russell released in August 2005 the Multiverse is shrinking from an infinite number of universes to only 117,649 [Music]

11:29 but it will cost the doctor his life the story leads right up to the opening of time in the Rani and implies that the doctor was already dying when he sacrificed his own energy to save the universe the Ron's attack on the Tardis was the final blow that sent him to his death I personally haven't read this novel I prefer non-fiction when I'm reading so I won't be giving a verdict on whether I recommend it or not yet there is another telling of events for the sixth doctor's regeneration in the form of an audio ad Adventure that I rate quite highly the last adventure is a 4 episode Audio Drama box set by big Finnish productions for those unaware of big finish's output big finish releases audio dramas of original Doctor Who

12:15 stories featuring four casts so it's like television Doctor Who but without the visuals in this four-part series each episode tells the story of the doctor encountering the valard throughout many different periods of this Incarnation life leading to his regeneration in episode 4 the brink of death the doctor and Mel are having one of their typical Adventures lizards highspeed chases the usual when they return to the Tardis a fault is detected when the doctor goes to fix it he is replaced by the valard why is the doctor trapped in The Matrix and why doesn't Mel remember what he used to look like it's all leading to the vard's final revenge of the doctor one where he won't

13:00 make it out alive like Spiral scratch this story leads into time in the Rani and implies that the doctor dies by radiation that only affects time Lords it's a fitting end for the sick doctor he's still grumpy at times but ultimately he's heroic and kind thematically it sets up why the Seventh Doctor becomes more devious someone who is willing to scheme and plot in order to stop a menace you can listen to each episode separately since they are only Loosely linked together due to the Val 's involvement the first three episodes feature companions exclusive to Big finish which might be daunting for new listeners but the Regeneration episode works pretty much Standalone since it features just Mel I've animated the final episode in its

13:46 entirety if you want to experience it with visuals the animation is a great way to dip your toes into big finish if you've never tried an audio Adventure before for me this is the most definitive departure for the six doctor especially because Colin performs it himself in a behind the-scenes feature on the big finish YouTube channel Colin jokes that all the other doctors after him are illegitimate because he never officially regenerated he had no legitimacy because I had never regenerated he was a pretender but now after this adventure he has given them the seal of approval although Colin Baker didn't get the departure I believe he deserved on screen saying that he was fired because he wasn't any good is completely un Fair

14:31 it's important to remember that every actor who has played the doctor has faced criticism for their performance people will blast popular doctors like David Tenant as being soap opera likee and his character being egotistical even though that was an intentional Choice remember when they used to write characters that had flaws on television H just because one doctor's era is more popular thans it shouldn't mean that you're not going to give those other doctors a chance many fans online cry out that Colin's doctor was saved by big finish which portrayed him as a kind of character however I think his original he run is still enjoyable if sometimes uncomfortable to watch and now with the last adventure he has been given a

15:18 departure he deserves just far too many years late but in true doto fashion the end is only the beginning the last adventure was released in 2015 and Colin is still recording New audios to this day so if you haven't given his doctor a chance I recommend giving him a go his era is filled with questionable morals and controversial choices the doctor isn't the doctor we once knew he's dangerous and sometimes very unkind but at his core he's still the doctor whether you like it or not don't forget to click below to subscribe to the official Josh NZ YouTube channel and [Music]