Doctor Who (1996)

1. The Doctor Who TV movie was originally broadcast in the UK on BBC-1, on 27th May 1996 at 8:30 p.m.

2. It had already been shown in Canada on 12th May, and in North America on 14th May.

3. Except for a charity special in 1993, this was the first original TV Doctor Who in seven years.

4. The opening voice-over was originally given by the Master - delivered by Gordon Tipple, playing him here.

5. It was one of the many ways producer Philip Segal tried to make the show accessible to new viewers.

6. The BBC did not own the rights to the Doctor Who theme tune, so Segal had to purchase them from Warner/Chappel.

7. This version was arranged byJohn Debney and John Sponsler.

8. Debney's music had previously appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1994) and Deep Space 9 (1993).

9. He would go on to work on numerous films, including Sin City (2005) and Iron Man 2 (2010).

10. Louis Febre also contributed to the final score. It was recorded on 16th and 17th April 1996.

11. An orchestral version of the theme was also used when Doctor Who returned in 2005.

12. The TV movie was intended as a "back door" pilot episode for a potential series.

13. Segal was keen to maintain continuity with the original series.

14. Hence the sonic screwdriver - used for the first time by Sylvester McCoy.

15. It hadn't been seen since The Visitation (1982).

16. This song is In a Dream, performed by Pat Hodge.

17. Being out of copyright, it was more economical to use than director Geoffrey Sax's preference - 'Swing on a Star'.

18. British writer Matthew Jacobs had a previous connection with Doctor Who.

19. His father, AnthonyJacobs, played Doc Holliday in 'The Gunfighters' (1966).

20. Matthew Jacobs remembered visiting the set at Ealing.

21. Segal felt that Jacobs could write a script that would satisfy all three production partners: Fox, Universal and the BBC.

22. He outlined the requirements: it needed to tell a story "personal to the Doctor".

23. It also needed to deal with his regeneration, and return him to Earth.

24. The decision that the old Doctor would be played by previous incumbent Sylvester McCoy may seem logical,

25. but it wasn't popular with everyone.

26. The BBC wanted Tom Baker to play the old Doctor.

27. Fox didn't want a regeneration scene at all.

28. CGI was used to create the "Master Morphant".

29. Using CGI to "morph" shapes was popularised by directorJames Cameron in Terminator2 (1991 ).

30. The influence of Terminator2 can clearly be seen later on in the TV movie.

31. These opening scenes were recorded on 31st January 1996 at the Burnaby studios near Vancouver, Canada.

32. The cut to an image of an eye repeats one of the recurring motifs of the film.

33. The movie opened with a shot of the Master's eyes, and eyes will be important to the plot later on.

34. Location filming was carried out in Vancouver.

35. Vancouver, like San Francisco, has a Chinatown.

36. But it doesn't have the same steep hills - hence the city's suspiciously flat appearance.

37. These alley scenes were recorded on 1st and 2nd February 1996.

38. The camera script says Chang Lee is "fifteen, but looks older".

39. Yee Jee Tso, who plays Chang Lee, arrived an hour late for his final audition.

40. The casting team decided this reflected the "I don't care" attitude of the character, and he got the part.

41. The gunplay in the TV movie alarmed the British Board of Film Classification.

42. They initially gave the movie a "15" certificate for its video release.

43. This is one of the scenes that Sax trimmed so that it would get a "12" instead.

44. The "Visit London" poster was a prop, as was the rubbish in the alley.

45. The rubbish proved to be a bit too realistic.

46. It was cleared away by accident between takes, and new rubbish had to be found!

47. This scene was the last recorded by Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor.

48. He had arrived in Vancouver accompanied by a young actor/writer shooting a video diary.

49. The young man was Mark Gatiss, who went on to write for and star in Doctor Who from 2005.

50. The last shots of McCoy were completed at 5:20 a.m.

51. Paul McGann was on set.

52. McCoy shook his hand and said, "Cheers mate, it's all yours now..."

53. British viewers should note the US health system isn't like the NHS.

54. It is insurance-based, which is why Chang Lee needs to sign the form.

55. Using the pseudonym "John Smith" may not in reality be an effective way to get free health care.

56. It is, however, a name the Doctor often used in the old BBC series.

57. The "ambulance park" is actually the back of a few buildings near the Chinatown alley.

58. TV medical drama was revitalised in the 1990s by the popular American series ER.

59. These scenes mimic the rapid tracking shots and fast editing style of ER.

60. Indeed, the production team nicknamed this sequence "Who meets ER".

61. This sequence is reminiscent of 'Spearhead from Space' (1970).

62. In the earlier story, a hospital X-ray also showed the Doctor's two hearts.

63. Not true: a "double exposure" would have shown a denser image of one heart.

64. An air bladder was used to inflate the sleeve here.

65. The music is 'Un Bel Di' ('One Fine Day') from Puccini's Madame Butterfly.

66. But the "opera" is really a tightly packed set of seats, and the tear is glycerine!

67. This was recorded on 30th January 1996 at Burnaby studios.

68. The final script describes Dr Holloway as being "like a young Grace Kelly".

69. In earlier drafts, her name was "Dr Kelly Grace".

70. Californian Daphne Ashbrook was one of the few Americans to appear in the TV movie.

71. Most of the cast were Canadian.

72. Ashbrook had previously appeared in TV programmes including Knight Rider, The A-Team and Murder She Wrote.

73. Her first audition for the TV movie consisted of "a very heavy scene" in which she talked about her childhood.

74. The scene was later cut.

75. She said she didn't get the "tongue-in-cheek" aspects of the script until rehearsals started.

76. This scene was recorded on 29th January 1996 in a disused wing of a Vancouver children's hospital.

77. Sylvester McCoy suggested that he should pull off Grace's mask.

78. This meant the regenerated Doctor would recognise her later.

79. The anaesthetist is played by a real nurse.

80. She helped Ashbrook, and advised on medical accuracy.

81. Her opinion was overruled by Sax on a few occasions.

82. He explained that their aim was dramatic effect rather than total accuracy.

83. Grace's anatomical knowledge is unfairly mocked here.

84. The right subclavian artery arises from the brachiocephalic artery.

85. So it wouldn't be hard to hit one en route to the other.

86. The monitor shows a real operation on a regular, single-hearted person.

87. This was another sequence edited down by Sax for the BBC Video release.

88. Sax raised the volume of the opera music in post-production.

89. This reinforces the fact that it is the last thing the dying Doctor remembers.

90. Thus the music will become important in the new Doctor's relationship with Grace.

91. Not only does this X-ray show two hearts - neither is of normal appearance!

92. It isn't clear why Chang Lee hangs around in the waiting room.

93. In the rush to complete the movie, several such plot holes were noted but left unresolved.

94. In the final script, Grace also pilfers some of the Doctor's property.

95. She takes "a bag of candy" from the Doctor's possessions and puts it to one side.

96. These shots of San Francisco are stock footage.

97. This scene begins with a ticking clock - another visual motif of the movie.

98. Bruce's bedroom was a studio set at Burnaby.

99. This made it possible to move the camera around for the crane shots.

100. This scene was filmed on 8th February 1996.

101. After being wheeled around all day, McCoy joked he could write a book about the ceilings of Vancouver.

102. Wild Bill Hickock (1837-76) was a lawman, scout and gunfighter of the Old West.

103. "John Doe", meanwhile, is a common name given to unidentified persons in the USA.

104. These technicians were originally called "Bill and Ted".

105. Bill and Ted were movie comedy characters of the early 1990s. Their catchphrase was "Party on!"

106. Bruce took his name from Jacobs's rough screenplay notes dated 27th June 1995.

107. The character - originally a Fire Chief - was referred to as "a snoring Bruce Willis".

108. At this point, his wife was called "Demi" after Willis's then wife Demi Moore.

109. Miranda, as she came to be called, is played by Eric Roberts's real-life spouse, Eliza Roberts.

110. The movement under Bruce's t-shirt may allude to the "Chest-Burster" of the Alien films.

111. Listen for the cable-car bell clanging outside - very San Francisco!

112. The movie is James Whale's Frankenstein (1931 ).

113. The rights were owned by Universal Studios, so clearance wasn't a problem!

114. The mortuary set was built in the old swimming-pool area of the children's hospital.

115. The regeneration was filmed on 26th January 1996.

116. Motion-capture shots of McCoy, Paul McGann and a skeleton were mixed to produce this effect.

117. Sax said that McCoy's gurning skills were very useful.

118. They gave the effects crew something to "latch onto".

119. Note the way the events in the morgue and Frankenstein mirror each other.

120. A smoke pipe was used for this shot.

121. Dr Frankenstein's dialogue is garbled here.

122. The original line was "In the name of God, now I know what it feels like to be God."

123. It was deemed blasphemous and cut out when the movie was re-released in the late 1930s.

124. The dents on the metal door were created using a low-tech but effective technique.

125. Two props men stood the other side and bashed the door with mallets.

126. At this point, the imagery switches from Frankensteinian to Christian.

127. The Doctor emerges from the tomb wrapped in a shroud.

128. The script specifies he has "just risen from the dead" and is in pain from a wound "in his side".

129. Later, it states he kneels down "as if in supplication".

130. Sax claimed he didn't see "the Christ motif" until the Fox network pointed it out to him.

131. This was shot in the old hospital Limb Room, also on the 26th January.

132. The production team also considered using the hospital roof.

133. Sax came up with the idea of the mirrors - but denied there was any significance to the number.

134. But there are seven of them!

135. Some fans believed this referred to the number of previous Doctors.

136. Sax just thought it was a neat way for the new Doctor to see his own face for the first time.

137. Unlike previous episodes of Doctor Who, the TV movie was structured to include advert breaks.

138. Thus it was divided into seven acts.

139. This is the end of Act One.

140. The script describes "Grace's sleeping face in the soft dawn light..."

141. "She has been working hard all night."

142. This scene was filmed on 23rd January 1996.

143. The Tom Baker scarf was Philip Segal's suggestion.

144. This alley scene was filmed on 1st February 1996.

145. The mask caricatures the notorious former US President Richard Nixon (1913-94).

146. The intercutting of these scenes emphasises the theme of the old Doctor versus the new.

147. The Tardis key is based on the design used byJon Pertwee's Doctor.

148. The script originally called for the Master's body to decay as the story progressed.

149. Test prosthetics caused Roberts skin irritation, so this was dropped.

150. Similarly, the contact lenses irritated his eyes.

151. Furthermore, his original costume was too tight-fitting.

152. In short, being the Master was an uncomfortable business.

153. William Sasso played Pete the morgue technician.

154. Sax described him as a "real find".

155. Sasso would go on to do voice work for the cartoon Family Guy.

156. In the script outline dated July 1995, the Doctor left the hospital during the night, running to a nearby park.

157. He was following a vision of his mother in Edwardian-era San Francisco.

158. He then returned to the hospital and met the Master, but the two didn't recognise one another.

159. Here's the "ticking clock" motif again!

160. This scene was filmed on 25th January 1996, at the hospital.

161. Not as easy as it looks - the crew had trouble getting the X-ray to burn properly!

162. Michael David Simms plays Dr Swift.

163. Simms has often been cast as an authority figure.

164. For example, he played a government agent in both The XFiles (1994-1996) and X-Men 2 (2003).

165. In Jacobs's original draft, Grace didn't she was fired for losing a patient.

166. The lift scene was filmed on 24th January 1996.

167. The first cut of the film used a different take, with the Doctor shouting "Puccini!"

168. Sax decided this was "too much" and used the quieter take in the final edit.

169. This scene was filmed on 5th February 1996 at the Golden Crown shopping centre car park in Vancouver.

170. McGann was wearing moleskin soles to protect his feet from the cold floor.

171. This scene was a little different in Jacobs's revised first draft dated 28th July 1995.

172. As the Doctor pulled out the wire, Grace watched his wounds heal "before her eyes".

173. The close-ups of the wounds weren't filmed in the car park - they were recorded later in the studio.

174. In the final version of the script, the Puccini score reappears here, soaring "to a suspenseful high".

175. This brief scene replaces a longer, more dramatic one in the first draft.

176. In that version, Chang Lee tries to sell the Doctor's possessions.

177. The Master arrives and tears the store apart with psychokinesis to get the Tardis key.

178. The final script says, "The Master realises the Doctor has regenerated, but can't say this in front of her."

179. Grace's house is located on Ogden Street in Vancouver.

180. Filming took place on 15th-17th January 1996.

181. This was at the beginning of the shoot.

182. 28 shooting days were planned, but it ended up taking 35 days.

183. The list of actors who could have played the Doctor would fill an entire set of subtitles!

184. Potential doctors included Patrick Stewart, Anthony Head, Jeff Goldblum, and Paul McGann's brother Mark.

185. Paul McGann was known mainly as a film actor at the time he was cast.

186. He had appeared in Withnail and I (1986), PaperMask (1990) and Alien 3 (1992).

187. He recorded his audition tape on 12th September 1994. Peter Wagg, a producer then associated with Doctor Who, said "he was terrific".

188. McGann acknowledged the possibility that he may be the "George Lazenby" of Doctor Who.

189. As it turned out, he was half-right.

190. He didn't appear again on TV as the Doctor, but made numerous Big Finish audio plays in the role.

191. A mistake in the script meant the next line had to be redubbed.

192. He originally said "twelve lives".

193. Grace's use of the word "crap" was of some concern to Fox, but it stayed in.

194. Puccini again!

195. These scenes were filmed on 1st February 1996.

196. Sax decided Lee would walk around the Tardis to establish it was "bigger inside than outside".

197. A similar technique was used in the 2005 episode 'Rose'.

198. Plot hole alert!

199. How did the Master get into the Tardis?

200. Presumably this was overlooked when the "pawn shop" scene mentioned earlier was cut.

201. Remember Eric Roberts's problems with the contact lenses and the tight costume?

202. The sunglasses and leather jacket were the solution!

203. Roberts got a Golden Globe nomination for his debut in King of the Gypsies (1978).

204. He was nominated for another Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Runaway Train (1985).

205. Later credits included The Dark Knight (2008).

206. He recalled watching Doctor Who during a stay in London.

207. He remembered the Master being "a black blob".

208. As he was training at RADA in 1973, it's possible he was misremembering 'The Three Doctors'.

209. End of Act Two!

210. These scenes were filmed on 15th January 1996.

211. It's unclear why a cardiologist would have a microscope in her house.

212. Grace's expertise with it may reflect the influence of Scully from The X-Files.

213. An earlier TV series proposal byJohn Leekley had included the Doctor's father as a character.

214. He was called Ulysses, and the Doctor was travelling in search of him.

215. The sign behind the Doctor was specially made.

216. Sausalito is a little town near San Francisco.

217. The budget for the TV movie was 5 million dollars.

218. Fox provided half the money.

219. The BBC provided 300,000 dollars.

220. The rest of the money came from BBC Worldwide and Universal.

221. The Master's search for a new body had driven the plot of two previous Doctor Who stories:

222. 'The Deadly Assassin' (1976) and 'The Keeper of Traken' (1981 ).

223. In the script:

224. "The Master smiles... humans..."

225. The Production Designer was Richard Hudolin.

226. He would go on to work on Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009).

227. The Cloister Room is another detail from the earlier series.

228. It was featured in 'Logopolis' (1981 ).

229. The Eye of Harmony was first mentioned in 'The Deadly Assassin' (1976).

230. In that story, it was a power source on Gallifrey.

231. Lee's removal of the staff is reminiscent of the Arthurian legend of the sword in the stone.

232. The carving on the staff is of Rassilon, founder of Time Lord civilisation.

233. Underneath is the figure-eight "Seal of Rassilon" from 'The Deadly Assassin'.

234. Another use of the "eye" motif - perhaps the definitive one!

235. Up to 1989, the Doctor hadn't shown much interest in women.

236. The kiss between the Doctor and Grace was therefore controversial.

237. McGann kept his lips together, so it wouldn't look "too sexy".

238. These scenes were recorded on 13th February 1996.

239. The projections were recorded using green screen on 12th February.

240. The plan was to show all seven previous Doctors in the eye.

241. Unfortunately, the team couldn't get copyright clearance.

242. The Doctor's half-human parentage was invented for this story.

243. It is reminiscent of the half-human Spock from Star Trek.

244. Segal had insisted on this point from the beginning.

245. The originalJacobs story outline stresses the importance of this:

246. the Doctor regains his memory when he recalls how much he loves humans.

247. The script describes Grace's thoughts:

248. "Her heart sinks, she looks at the man... who she was growing close to..."

249. "Now he's talking about spaceships."

250. In Jacobs's July screenplay, the Doctor describes the Eye:

251. It is "a kind of mirror world, made from the energy of a black hole."

252. "It runs the Tardis- or the Tardis runs in it, depending on how you see the universe."

253. In the July screenplay, the Master manipulates Lee by showing him his dead father in the Eye.

254. This sequence was filmed over the 15th-16th January 1996.

255. Ashbrook enjoyed a good rapport with McGann.

256. She said she appreciated his sense of humour and professionalism.

257. These were especially welcome given the long hours of night shoots on the production.

258. Sax was keen to develop the chemistry between them.

259. He made sure they had plenty of rehearsal time together the weekend before filming started.

260. This special effects sequence was "very tricky" according to Sax.

261. It involved taking the glass out of the window, and putting in a CGI image.

262. The script says the Doctor pushes in "as if... through saran wrap".

263. Those of you living in Britain will know saran wrap better as cling-film.

264. Crew members lifted McGann off the scales to get this effect.

265. In the background, the newsreader is talking about the shooting in Chinatown involving Chang Lee.

266. KKBE isn't a real channel, but this is a real newsreader from a Vancouver station.

267. The news desk scenes were recorded in late December 1995, before the main shoot commenced.

268. Mi-Jung Lee, the main anchor, has appeared in several other movies as a newscaster.

269. These include X-Men: The LastStand, Snakes on a Plane, and Watchmen (2009).

270. Joanna Piros, the other anchor, has also played a newscaster in various movies.

271. These include The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005).

272. Atomic clocks work using the signals electrons emit as they change energy levels.

273. Beryllium is highly toxic.

274. It tends to be used for mechanical applications rather than clocks.

275. End of Act Three.

276. The exterior ambulance scenes were filmed on 23rd January 1996.

277. The interior scenes were recorded in the studio on 22nd January 1996.

278. The Master's wrong.

279. "Transference" is when someone redirects their feelings for one person to another.

280. It was an ad-lib by Roberts.

281. Sax wanted an upturned circus truck, with animals running amok.

282. Budgetary constraints meant he had to use chickens.

283. The Master is shouting, "I can't be injured like this!"

284. These traffic jam scenes were shot on 6th February 1996.

285. The chicken noise here was provided by Sax.

286. It's his second cameo - he also played the Daleks earlier!

287. Here's a bit of British culture unfamiliar to American audiences.

288. The jelly babies were sourced from the UK.

289. Sax told the actor playing the traffic cop to bite the head off.

290. He thought it would "really say something" about the cop!

291. - Don't be a fool. - Are you with me, Grace?

292. We don't stand a chance!

293. Would you excuse me, please?

294. Grace, I came back to life before your eyes.

295. I held back death.

296. Look, I can't make your dream come true forever,

297. - but I can make it come true today. Yo, let's go!

298. An alternative version of this scene was recorded.

299. Taxis down here...

300. Give me the gun.

301. In it, the crowd shouted at the cop in unison, "Give him the keys!"

302. - Hey!

303. Sax thought it was funny, but the studio didn't like it.

304. OK, give him the keys.

305. He concluded that maybe the joke was a bit too British...

306. Thank you.

307. - What are we waiting for? - The road's still blocked.

308. This is an ambulance!

309. Right.

310. The motorbike chase is another element reminiscent of Terminator 2.

311. The dialogue close-ups of the Doctor and Grace were shot on 7th February 1996.

312. - Maybe I should have kept the gun. - What?

313. Look!

314. Their bike was mounted on the back of a low-loader.

315. - Doctor, look out!

316. The shoot came close to running out of time.

317. Breathe in, Grace.

318. Ashbrook has said she was totally exhausted by the end.

319. She had to get things right in one take, because the sun was about to come up!

320. Don't worry. - I'm not worried.

321. Sax described the first edit of this sequence as "perfect".

322. It was left unchanged for the final version.

323. What are you doing, Lee?

324. - This way's quicker. - It better be.

325. Look, this is my town. I know what I'm doing. Trust me.

326. The editor was Patrick Lussier, a master of fast cutting.

327. Faster.

328. So, what's the plan, anyways?

329. We'll let him get to their clock, then we'll get his body.

330. His skills have been used to great effect in horror movies such as Scream (1996).

331. I think we lost them.

332. Good, hold on!

333. Hey, man, when I get all that gold,

334. you know what I'm going to do?

335. I don't wanna know.

336. This dialogue was shot in the studio on 12th February 1996.

337. You kill me.

338. You want me to kill you?

339. No! No, I mean you make me laugh, man.

340. You're a funny guy.

341. Yee Jee Tso said that he liked and respected Roberts. They worked well as a team.

342. I'm glad one of us is amused.

343. Hey, look, cheer up, man.

344. You'll get your body back soon, and then we're a team, right?

345. Yes, we're a team.

346. These long shots were filmed on 2nd February 1996 by a second unit.

347. - Not again!

348. Stunt doubles were used.

349. Oh!

350. Great! I finally meet the right guy and he's from another planet.

351. - Doctor! - Yes?

352. I only have one life. Could you remember that?

353. I'll try!

354. Thank you!

355. The exterior of ITAR is the Plaza of Nations on Pacific Boulevard in Vancouver.

356. Oh, no! Doctor, look.

357. End of Act Four!

358. These scenes were filmed on 18th January 1996.

359. Doctor Grace Holloway and guest.

360. There you are. Hello, happy new year!

361. First time being on the board of this place

362. has ever done me any good.

363. He must have found a back way in. I can't see him.

364. Sorry, no one beyond this point.

365. Why "Doctor Bowman"?

366. Oh, this is Doctor Bowman from London. They're waiting for him. Come on.

367. You'll be allowed in with everyone else.

368. It's possible the alias comes from the hero of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Dave Bowman.

369. I'm on the Board of Trustees.

370. Thank you very much.

371. Come on.

372. Welcome to the Institute

373. The sheer size of the Plaza of Nations made it difficult to light and shoot.

374. of Technological Advancement and Research.

375. After dinner, Professor Wagg will invite you

376. to join him in celebrating the official starting

377. However, Sax thought the spectacular visuals were worth the trouble.

378. of the world's most accurate timepiece,

379. the San Francisco Beryllium Atomic Clock.

380. Here's a bit more scene-setting for new viewers.

381. How are we gonna get that on the back of a bike?

382. No, no, we only need the tiniest part of it.

383. People are starting to stare. Why don't we just make conversation?

384. The reference to other species is intriguing.

385. So, time travel's possible?

386. Anything's possible.

387. And why don't you have the ability to transform yourself

388. into another species like the...

389. Well, I do, you see, but only when I die.

390. We'd only ever seen humanoid Time Lords in Doctor Who up till now.

391. And that rival Time Lord, The Master?

392. He's on his last life, fighting to survive.

393. And the science has shown us over and over,

394. in the fight for survival there are no rules.

395. Also, Grace, if I tell you a secret, you must promise not to tell.

396. Professor Wagg. This is Doctor Bowman.

397. Professor Wagg is named after Peter Wagg.

398. He's from London. He was just going to share a secret with us.

399. Peter Wagg worked with Segal on the Doctor Who project from 1992.

400. Yes. Er, Professor, is there a chance of a closer look at the clock?

401. No!

402. No, I'm afraid that I am the only person allowed up there.

403. He left the project in July 1995, and was sorely missed by the team.

404. Oh, can't you just bend the rules a little?

405. No.

406. - Oh, but you see... - Grace says you have a big secret.

407. Professor Wagg is played by David Hurtubise.

408. What is it?

409. I'm half-human.

410. He also played scientists in The X-Files and Stargate SG-1.

411. On my mother's side.

412. Very clever. Happy new year.

413. Yes, I think you must be.

414. Champagne? - Oh!

415. Grace... - Oh.

416. The millennial countdown was a hangover from the September 1995 script.

417. This is when I wish I had my sonic screwdriver.

418. What?

419. This version features the Master trying to harness "The Millennium Star".

420. The star in question is a power source that comes to Earth every thousand years.

421. It is revealed that it was the star of Bethlehem seen at the Nativity.

422. You see? I told you it was small.

423. What is it they say?

424. Yes, they say that on my planet, too.

425. The security guard is named in the final script as "Gareth Fitzpatrick (18)".

426. I know you.

427. - You do, huh? - Gareth, answer the second question

428. on you mid-term exam, not the third.

429. The third may look easier, but you'll mess it up.

430. He is described as "young and zealous".

431. What?

432. Remember, answer the second question. Don't forget!

433. He is played byJeremy Radick, a former child actor who began his career at the age of 6.

434. I won't. Now can I see what's in your hand, sir?

435. Mmm...

436. His other credits include The X-Files (1996).

437. What was that all about?

438. The reference to seismology is pertinent given the story's setting.

439. Ten years from now, Gareth will head the Seismology unit of the UCLA Task Force

440. and devise a system for accurately predicting earthquakes.

441. - You mean that, don't you? - Of course!

442. San Francisco has suffered earthquakes in the past, most notably in 1906.

443. His inventions save the human race several times,

444. but first he must graduate in poetry.

445. Look! There's the kid who took your stuff.

446. The 1906 quake was followed by a fire which devastated the city.

447. You see who he's with? Come on.

448. The ITAR sequences were cut down to reduce the running time.

449. The Master?

450. The cuts included the scene in which the Master is confronted by guards; in the final edit, we only see the aftermath.

451. You're lucky he only got your wrist.

452. - Why'd you do that?

453. - Liven things up. Come on!

454. This scene was filmed in the studio on 12th February 1996.

455. Door!

456. You're not afraid of heights, are you?

457. - Yeah. - So am I.

458. Everyone, stay calm! Remain inside!

459. Don't panic! Everything is under control.

460. The escape from ITAR was filmed on 18th January 1996.

461. A hoist was used to lower the stunt to the ground.

462. You go upstairs, I'll seal the exits.

463. Doctor!

464. The use of the hosepipe was Sax's idea. He thought it would be a fun visual effect.

465. Sax was keen to bring a cinematic quality to the production.

466. - Here we go again.

467. He started his career in British TV, with series such as End ofPart One (1979-1980).

468. So, do you know what's going happen to me?

469. You don't want to know!

470. Right. You can't not tell me!

471. - Grace. - Oh, God.

472. Brian's gonna move in again!

473. I can't say!

474. One of his episodes included a Doctor Who spoof.

475. Please?

476. The universe hangs by such a delicate thread of coincidences.

477. It's useless to meddle with it, unless, like me, you're a Time Lord.

478. Sax chose not to watch any old episodes before directing the TV movie.

479. All right.

480. - So just give me few pointers.

481. He wanted to bring his own style to the production.

482. Sax would go on to Hollywood success with White Noise (2005) and Stormbreaker (2006).

483. - There she is. - A police box?

484. - Key. - Now I always leave a spare key...

485. in a secret compartment above the door.

486. Great minds thing alike. Up you go.

487. In the old TV series, the Tardiswas disguised by a "chameleon circuit".

488. The "cloaking device" is a term taken from Star Trek.

489. It's in a cubbyhole above the P.

490. Got it. Why a police box?

491. Its cloaking device got stuck on a previous misadventure,

492. but I like it like this.

493. A locked-off shot of the Tardis was mixed with the motorcyclist in post-production to create this effect.

494. Doctor.

495. I've got no brakes!

496. Oh, my.

497. The Cloister Bell that sounds when the Tardis is in danger was first used in 'Logopolis' (1981 ).

498. - Wow! - Do you hear that?

499. - Yeah. - That's a warning. The TARDIS is dying.

500. - This is amazing. - It's no good.

501. We don't even have enough auxiliary power to move next door.

502. The beryllium chip, Grace.

503. - Yes, Doctor. - Careful!

504. In the script, Grace rubs her wrist "where it was sprayed by the Master..."

505. Yes, Doctor.

506. - This looks pretty low-tech. - "Low-tech"?

507. Grace, this is a Type 40 TARDIS,

508. "The colour of her skin is changing, a rash has spread over her whole arm."

509. able to take you to any planet in the Universe

510. and to any date in that planet's existence. Temporal physics.

511. Oh, you mean like interdimensional transference.

512. That would explain the spatial displacement we experienced

513. as we passed over the threshold.

514. Yes, if you like.

515. Yes!

516. There! The Eye is closing.

517. The design of the console reflects Segal's wish for a "Jules Verne" aesthetic.

518. Now, let's see.

519. Come on. Come on.

520. - Oh, no. - What?

521. The prop was extremely detailed.

522. I have a horrible feeling we're already too late.

523. It's 11:48. We still have eleven minutes.

524. There is no context. Hold on.

525. The destination list on the console consisted of planets from previous stories.

526. What are you doing?

527. I'm setting coordinates for one minute after midnight.

528. - Why? - If this is true,

529. the Eye has been open too long and there is no future.

530. These included Argolis, Callufrax and Sarn.

531. I only hope... Oh, no!

532. Is this thing reliable?

533. The date indicator included eras related to the old series, including the Manussian and Sensorian.

534. Whatever's happening can't be stopped by closing the Eye.

535. Well, how come you didn't know that?

536. I haven't opened the Eye before.

537. Now you tell me.

538. Grace, closing the Eye may not be enough.

539. We have to go back to before the Eye was opened.

540. Maybe even before we arrived.

541. This is a time machine.

542. - With no power. - What?

543. The concept of going back in time to avert events had been explicitly avoided by the 1963-89 series.

544. The Eye being open so long must have drained the TARDIS.

545. - Great! - I'm sorry.

546. You must have the power to get back. You must!

547. - Not enough! - What about all those

548. glorious predictions?

549. All that knowledge about what's going to happen to Gareth,

550. 'Day of the Daleks' (1972) invented the "Blinovitch Limitation Effect" to prevent it!

551. to me, to this city?

552. That must come from somewhere. Think!

553. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!

554. Are you any good at setting alarm clocks?

555. - No! - Grace!

556. - I'll try. OK. - Listen very carefully...

557. The Tardistool kit is based on the designs from The Doctor Who Technical Manual (1983).

558. We pre-set the coordinates just as I divert the power

559. from within the Eye itself into the time rotor here.

560. - We jump-start the TARDIS? - We jump-start the TARDIS!

561. What do I do?

562. Hit the top switch on the console there. The top one.

563. The script states Grace's "skin changes colour" here, although the effect is somewhat obscured.

564. Good. Now pass me the neutron ram.

565. Grace? Grace, the neutron ram.

566. Look, I'll show you.

567. End of Act Five! Tea?

568. The scenes of the final battle between the Doctor and the Master were filmed on 13th-16th February 1996.

569. Daphne Ashbrook's eyes were scratched by the black contact lenses.

570. Oh, no. Oh, not you, Grace.

571. This is no time to play doctors and nurses.

572. She was very nearly taken off a day's shooting as a result, but she soldiered on.

573. It's no good talking to her. She's possessed.

574. You. You took my things. Where are they?

575. Stay tuned for more eye abuse later.

576. They're not your things anymore.

577. Pretty soon, everything around here's going to belong to the Master again.

578. "Again"?

579. What's he been telling you?

580. When he gets his body back from you, I'm going to be rich.

581. And you believe him?

582. Why shouldn't I?

583. I suppose he neglected to mention that

584. there won't be any place to spend your money?

585. Which is why we have no time to waste.

586. But time to change.

587. The script describes the villain's entrance in "Masterly robes that flow out behind him".

588. I always dress for the occasion.

589. The robe is reminiscent of the Time Lord costumes in 'The Deadly Assassin' (1976).

590. Well, I'm glad to see that you are aware of the gravity of the situation.

591. I never liked this planet, Doctor.

592. Well, that's good, because any minute now it shall cease to exist.

593. What's the time?

594. The Master was going to wear a black suit, but costume designerJori Woodman added the robe to make him stand out.

595. Time enough for me to get my body, get out of here,

596. and take Lee with me.

597. Lee is the son I have always yearned for.

598. She wanted it to allow movement, but still have the "wackiness" of the 'Deadly Assassin' designs.

599. Oh, please!

600. Grace.

601. Woodman went on to work on films including the Final Destination series.

602. Put it on him. I suspect you know how.

603. Lee, this is my TARDIS.

604. This is my Eye and I'm in my own body.

605. The Master has run out of all his lives, now he plans to steal mine.

606. That's the truth! Look at Grace!

607. The musical cue for this scene is called "Crown of Nails".

608. She's possessed by evil, not goodness.

609. The contraption Grace puts on the Doctor resembles the Crown of Thorns forced onto Jesus' head before the Crucifixion.

610. This won't hurt, much.

611. The music in the background is Ride into the Moonlight by Chuck Duran and Jess Harnell.

612. I didn't think I would make it.

613. Hey, baby.

614. Hey, Pete!

615. My life's work.

616. Om.

617. Om.

618. The device is as uncomfortable as it looks.

619. In 700 years no one has managed to open the Eye.

620. It really is holding McGann's eyes open.

621. How did you do it?

622. Simple. Lee is human and you are only half.

623. It resembles the eye-opener from A Clockwork Orange (1970).

624. Lee, open the Eye for me, please.

625. - Mr Wagg!

626. Ladies and gentlemen, in three minutes the world will enter a new millennium,

627. and with it a new standard of accuracy

628. will come to how we measure time.

629. According to the script, Wagg's face "goes beetroot" when he hears the bad news.

630. What do you mean, it won't start?

631. Much of Lee's backstory was cut from the script.

632. Lee, this is your last chance!

633. This is my only chance.

634. He's right, Doctor. There's nothing for him here.

635. He was conceived of as an orphan looking for a father figure.

636. No family, no gangs, only death.

637. But with me, he gets see the Universe.

638. Tso explained the Master's betrayal would shock him into realising how his vulnerability had been preyed on.

639. This is his last chance to stay alive, and you know it.

640. What do you know of last chances?

641. More than you!

642. I have wasted all my lives because of you, Doctor,

643. and I will be rid of you.

644. All your lives! Didn't you tell Lee I'd stolen your lives?

645. Lee, he's lying. He's used all his lives, now he wants mine.

646. Like I told you, this is my TARDIS, this my body.

647. Don't believe him. Open the Eye.

648. Lee's fight with the Master was originally more spectacular.

649. He said it himself, Lee. He's wasted his lives, all of them.

650. He was rigged up in a harness.

651. - Open the Eye. - No!

652. Wire work would have made him "fly" across the room and hit a pillar.

653. You lied to me!

654. The shoot was delayed when a leaf blew into Roberts's eye.

655. Lee. Lee.

656. So lack of time meant Sax ended up going for a simpler option.

657. I would never lie to you.

658. I would only protect you.

659. - No!

660. How will you open the Eye now?

661. Grace, come here.

662. Unless I'm mistaken, in her present state of mind, that won't work!

663. Her eyes aren't human anymore.

664. The script describes the Master's kiss:

665. Watch...

666. "The Master kisses her as if he were sucking the poison back out of her body!"

667. See? Now they're human.

668. - No! Grace, close your eyes!

669. Too late!

670. The mechanism of the energy transfer between the Doctor and the Master wasn't described in Jacobs's script.

671. I'm blind!

672. Your sight will return, Grace!

673. Sax and Segal worked out the logistics when the set was completed.

674. Sax suggested using the balconies.

675. Segal decided to use mirrors on the staffs to reflect light between the protagonists.

676. What's happening?

677. He can't move so long as the Eye links us.

678. Sax stated that he liked to use studio light to give "life" to CGI effects.

679. Remember, Grace! Remember!

680. Reroute the power!

681. In the console room, go!

682. But you'll die if I leave you!

683. We'll all die if you don't! Run! Run, Grace!

684. I'm taking your lives, Doctor.

685. Run!

686. Stock footage is used here to convey the effect of "a major disaster of biblical proportions".

687. I can hear your thoughts, Doctor.

688. The script says: "The Master is now absorbing the very essence of the Doctor."

689. I can feel your memories.

690. Oh. Oh.

691. End of Act Six!

692. This can't be how it ends.

693. Stop this. Please. Stop!

694. These shots of Grace working on the console were among the last to be filmed.

695. God, please!

696. They were recorded on 21st February 1996.

697. Oh, what have I done?

698. - Thirty seconds!

699. 29, 28, 27, 26, 25...

700. - 20, 19, 18...

701. Back to the clock motif!

702. 17, 16, 15...

703. Press PAUSE!

704. You may catch a glimpse of Paul McGann in the Master's costume!

705. 12, 11, 10...

706. And I thought surgery was difficult.

707. The script states: "The Master is showing signs of becoming the Doctor."

708. Nine...

709. Eight...

710. Rerouting the power.

711. The Master's "I'm alive" echoes the earlier Frankenstein scene.

712. I'm alive.

713. - Seven. - Any minute now.

714. Six...

715. I'm alive. I'm alive!

716. - That's all the time we have... - Three...

717. I am alive!

718. The script describes: "Grace's fingers... still speeding through the wires, trying to determine which is which."

719. One!

720. The clock was wound backwards by hand for this scene.

721. We have to go back to before the Eye was opened,

722. The intention of the white-out was to leave us "hanging as to the fate of the planet".

723. maybe even before we arrived!

724. Alarm clock, alarm clock, think alarm clock!

725. "Temporal orbit"?

726. What's a "temporal orbit"?

727. Landmarks here include:

728. Stonehenge

729. The Kremlin

730. The Eiffel Tower

731. The Houses of Parliament

732. The Statue of Liberty

733. Walker General Hospital

734. Feel free to go back and use the PAUSE button to check.

735. Feel free also to wonder why it is dark in Moscow, Paris, San Francisco and New York, but twilight in London!

736. She did it.

737. Your life force is dying, Master.

738. No!

739. The script makes it clear that Grace saves the Doctor's life in this sequence.

740. She does this by breaking the beam of light.

741. We're in temporal orbit, Doctor. What is it?

742. Unfortunately, this also frees the Master.

743. What is that?

744. Daphne Ashbrook didn't socialise much with Eric Roberts.

745. Grace! No!

746. She said she thought he was a "sweetie", but found him intimidating.

747. Grace...

748. Sax explained that Patrick Lussier used "every shot" in the edit to make this scene flow.

749. You are my life.

750. You want dominion over the living, yet all you do is kill!

751. The phrase "life is wasted on the living" is quoted from The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

752. Life is wasted on the living!

753. Adams was Doctor Who's script editor in the 1979-80 series.

754. Wires were used to suspend Roberts in mid-air for this sequence.

755. The struggle over the precipice is reminiscent of the Sherlock Holmes story 'The Final Problem' (1893),

756. Give me your hand!

757. Never!

758. Doctor!

759. in which Holmes faces down his arch-enemy Moriarty, and apparently dies with him at a Swiss waterfall.

760. Note that the Tardis uses American dating - month, day, year. The UK system uses day, month, year.

761. The hero reversing time to save his friend is a device reminiscent of Superman (1978).

762. This sequence, although less frenetic than the fight, took careful storyboarding.

763. The light on the Doctor had to fit with the CGI effects added later.

764. The script says: "Gradually the light from the Eye of Harmony fills the room."

765. "The Doctor looks back to his friends, their bodies seem to glow as the light becomes warmer and warmer."

766. "Suddenly they are breathing."

767. "A slow smile of relief crosses the Doctor's face."

768. Doctor, I have your things.

769. To publicise the TV movie, an "Electronic Press Kit" was made.

770. Hello, Grace.

771. Well, how does it feel to hold back death?

772. Interviewed for this, Segal explained the blend of sci-fi and love story would appeal to the American audience.

773. The Eye of Harmony was opened and closed by technicians under the rostrum.

774. Incredible. Did you see that?

775. What a sentimental old thing this TARDIS is.

776. Well, congratulations. You've both been somewhere I've never been.

777. - It's nothing to be scared of, Doctor. - Oh, glad to hear it.

778. Did we go back far enough?

779. Either that or I'm talking to a couple of ghosts and I don't believe in ghosts.

780. The TV movie had a mixed critical reception.

781. American reaction was perhaps best summarised by the New York Times.

782. So, uh, where's the Master?

783. It compared the Doctor to Gregory Peck, and the Master to Bela Lugosi.

784. Indigestion.

785. So, let's see where we are.

786. The bemused reviewer thought the script could have done with some "meddling".

787. There. The future.

788. Wow...

789. Look over there, on the other side of your galaxy. That's home.

790. Gallifrey.

791. The US audience seemed to agree. It got ratings of 5.5 million, and a 9 per cent audience share.

792. Two hundred and fifty million light years away.

793. Phew.

794. That's a good ten minutes in this old thing.

795. So, where are we?

796. This was below average for the time slot, although it was up against stiff competition.

797. December 29th. Do you want to get off here?

798. I don't think I could live through that again.

799. I definitely wouldn't live through that again.

800. Reason enough.

801. This included a pivotal episode of the hit sitcom Roseanne.

802. The programme did better in the UK, with 9.08 million viewers.

803. Critics generally welcomed the return of the Doctor.

804. So did the viewers, according to the BBC's Points of Viewprogramme.

805. That's not funny!

806. Eleven, ten...

807. Nine, eight, seven...

808. Six, five...

809. Four, three, two, one!

810. As the script puts it:

811. - Have a happy new year...

812. "FIREWORKS!"

813. "PARTIES..."

814. "Everyone going absolutely insane!"

815. Happy new year. Happy... Can you believe it?

816. 2000.

817. This scene was filmed on 7th February 1996 at Andy Livingstone Park in Vancouver.

818. The park was opened in June 1995, and named after a former Park Commissioner.

819. The rain made this scene hard to film.

820. Now, that's as it should be.

821. They even tried to shoot it using umbrellas.

822. Your things.

823. The rain frizzed up both Ashbrook's hair and McGann's wig.

824. My sonic screwdriver. Thank you!

825. And, uh, these, too.

826. Please, keep them.

827. - Really? - Yes, really.

828. Tso, meanwhile, got even wetter when he stepped backwards and fell in the water.

829. I'd better go before you change your mind.

830. Lee! Next Christmas, take a vacation.

831. Just don't be here.

832. Right, thanks!

833. Thanks, Doctor!

834. See you around, Grace! Happy New Year!

835. In Jacobs's May 1995 outline, Grace decided to stay with the Doctor at the last minute.

836. There you go, interfering again.

837. Grace, something you should know...

838. - Don't tell me. - Why not?

839. I know who I am. And that's enough.

840. Both Ashbrook and Tso would have loved to have done a full series.

841. I'm glad.

842. Ashbrook liked the "limitless" format of the show.

843. Come with me.

844. You come with me.

845. - Me come with you? - Yes.

846. - Me come with you?

847. She was also inspired by the affection the crew showed for the programme.

848. It's tempting.

849. Sax, too, was disappointed the series option wasn't picked up on.

850. I'm going to miss you.

851. How can you miss me? I'm easy to find. I'm the guy with two hearts, remember?

852. That's not what I meant.

853. Segal believed the programme would return one day.

854. He stated that he kept the key to the Tardis, just in case.

855. - Thank you, Doctor. - No, no. Thank you, Doctor!

856. The TV movie changed the way the BBC handled the Doctor Who licence.

857. They took the book rights back from Virgin Publishing.

858. Bye.

859. The first novel to feature McGann's Doctor was an adaptation of the movie, written by Gary Russell.

860. The ending of the movie went through several versions in post-production.

861. One used a quotation from H. G. Wells's The Time Machine (1899).

862. "... the Time Traveller is one of those men who are too clever to be believed..."

863. "... you always suspect some subtle reserve, some ingenuity in ambush, beneath his lucid frankness."

864. Sounds better.

865. Right, where to next?

866. The final version - with the record sticking - was decided on in April 1996.

867. Jon Pertwee, who played the Doctor in the early 1970s, died a week before the UK broadcast.

868. Where was I?

869. A caption was added to the UK version of the movie in his honour.

870. - Oh, no, not again!

871. The US version included the credit:

872. "Based on the original series broadcast on the BBC"