Doctor Who: Unwildered | Season One

Hello & welcome to Doctor Who: Unwildered - the series where we'll be showcasing our thoughts on what Doctor Who could've been like had the 1996 TV Movie been a success.

SEASON 1 - 1997

Season 1 of Doctor Who would’ve starred Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, along with Daphne Ashbrook as Grace Holloway. It would see Philip Segal acting as showrunner, with Matthew Jacobs as the series’ head writer.

In this alternate timeline, the TV Movie was delayed until the 28th of May, 1996. By this point, Roseanne, the TV Movie’s main rival in our history, had concluded its eighth season the following week, which gave Doctor Who the opportunity to make a better impression on American audiences. In this new version of history, with the altered air date, the viewing figures were able to meet the minimum requirement for FOX to commission a full season of Doctor Who. The season was greenlit for a run of 15 episodes, which would air in May the following year. This, however, would affect FOX & Universal’s own sci-fi series, Sliders, which, in this universe, was cancelled after Season 2.

Before going any further, I want to make the following note, as I know some people often get the facts mixed up when it comes to what a McGann TV Series in the 1990s could've looked like. Had a TV Series been commissioned, it would NOT have been the proposed Leekley bible, which was to be a complete reboot of Doctor Who. That idea was thrown out long before the TV Movie began production. Had there been a TV Series, it would've been a continuation of the 1963-89 series & the TV Movie.

For the production team, Philip Segal, Matthew Jacobs & Jo Wright would be credited as Executive Producers. Alex Beaton, the producer of the TV Movie, would not work on the new series, and was replaced by Mychelle Deschamps. Several new names would also join the production team. Joining would be Rockne S. O'Bannon, acting as Co-Executive Producer, Richard Manning, acting as Supervising Producer, Naren Shankar, acting as Co-Producer, and Melissa M. Snodgrass, acting as a Producer.

For this first season, Segal & Jacobs wanted to have a potential romance arc between the Doctor & Grace running through the season, with each episode teasing a "will they / won't they" relationship, which'll be ultimately answered in the finale. This would be the only key arc throughout season 1, with most of the season consisting of episodic stories. This was due to the fact that networks like FOX had a habit of sometimes changing the broadcast order of episodes, which could/would potentially muddle any ongoing serialized stories in a season (see Sliders as an example).

The last minor note, as I figured it's worth noting, would be the title sequence. Rather than creating a whole new title sequence from scratch, the titles used for the TV Movie would be trimmed down & reworked. It would begin with the explosion in space, before moving directly to the Doctor Who logo. The logo travels down the vortex, before we get ‘Starring’ credits for McGann & Ashbrook (Ashbrook no longer credited as a guest star) & ending with the TARDIS drifting through the vortex, with the episode title at the bottom of the screen.

Season 1 would air between the 9th of May, 1997, and the 15th of August, 1997, in the US, with the show airing three days later in the UK. It would consist of 15 episodes across 11 stories, with seven single part adventures & four 2-part adventures. and would go out weekly on Friday Night in the US & on Monday Night in the UK.

THE ENEMY WITHIN

Written by: Matthew Jacobs

Directed by: Geoffrey Sax

Parts: 2

The Enemy Within would be a new / definitive edition of the TV Movie. Rather than make a whole new story that reintroduces Grace, and as a way of saving money, it was decided to rework the TV Movie into the first story, which would be edited into a 2x45-minute adventure (the cliffhanger for Part I being Chang Lee & the Master opening the Eye of Harmony) & re-broadcast in 1997.

The real reason I bring up the TV Movie is because of the newly filmed ending. In this new ending (which would begin after Chang Lee leaves the Doctor & Grace), rather than having the Doctor & Grace decide to go their own ways, Grace agrees to travel with the Doctor. There is no controversial kissing scene, and the adventure ends with the pair entering the TARDIS & we see it dematerialising.

CONFLICTS OF WAR

Written by: Naren Shankar

Directed by: Geoffrey Sax

Parts: 1

Conflicts of War would've been set onboard a space station named Beta-Orion in the year 500,000. The story sees the Doctor taking Grace to the future, where they land onboard the Beta Orion. There, they discover a festival consisting of humans & Julkes, a humanoid race with red skin.

Through some mingling with the guests & hacking the ships logs, the Doctor learns that a party is being held in honour of 20 years of peace between humans & Julkes after a long, bloody war.

At first everything seems to be going swimmingly. However, when a human ambassador returns to her shuttle, disaster strikes as, once the shuttle is in orbit, it explodes, killing the ambassador & her secretary. Everyone is in shock & filled with tension & fear, with everyone seemingly coming to the same conclusion: that this was no accident.

The story then sees the Doctor & Grace playing detective, as they investigate both human & Julke officials to try & find who was responsible & why. However, we all see the Doctor & Grace's lives being threatened, with Grace being abducted, drugged & dumped into the waste disposal; only being saved by the Doctor at the last minute. Further tension begins to brew as a group of human officials are found electrocuted to death, putting further blame on the Julke people & nearly kicking off a second war.

Eventually, the Doctor & Grace workout that the killer is actually a human - Field Marshal Mason. Through their evidence, they discover that Mason has been against peace with the Julkes all throughout his career & was opposed to the peace treaty, stating that his men died fighting for the extinction of the Julkes. Mason therefore planned to try & kickstart a second war by making the Julkes appear to be attacking humans. Once war was declared, Mason would make himself leader of the human army & replace those who sought peace with yes-men.

The story ends with Mason attempting to flee in his shuttle with Grace as a hostage. However, Grace is able to break free & Mason's shuttle is shot down by the humans.

THE LIFE HARVEST

Written by: David Kemper

Directed by: Jeff Woolnough

Parts: 1

The Life Harvest would've been set on a rocky alien planet named Kunaga, which is home to a religious group known as the Worshipers of Molten. The leader of this religion is a woman named Flaccini, who her followers believe is a reincarnation of their god, Vottax.

The story begins with the TARDIS in orbit around Kunaga. Then suddenly, the TARDIS comes under attack from an unknown energy source on Kunaga, before it loses all power & crash lands on the planet. Realising that someone or something has drained the life force from the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to investigate. He's able to arrange a meeting with Flaccini, a red haired woman roughly in her late 20s. However, the Doctor soon discovers that Flaccini is over 400 years old.

The Doctor discovers that Flaccini is able to rejuvenate herself by harvesting the life of a strong life force, and quickly deduces that Flaccini has somehow managed to harvest the power of the TARDIS. After confronting Flaccini, she realises what she has done & says that the only way the TARDIS can be restored is if she dies. Before her most recent rejuvenation, Flaccini was ready to die. But now, after harvesting a lifeforce more powerful than anything she's ever known, she no longer wants to die. She feels good. Very good. And powerful. More powerful than ever. Powerful to bend the rules of reality; powerful to turn dust into life; powerful to be a god.

Convincing her followers that the power of Vottax has awoken in her, she orders the Doctor & Grace to be sacrificed for the glory of Kunaga. She then begins using her new found powers to build a brand new kingdom & empire not in the face of Vottax (who has been depicted as a dragon) but in her own image.

The Doctor & Grace are tied to a stake & are prepared to be sacrificed by impaling them with swords. However, before they are killed, the Doctor is able to convince the worshipers of Molten that Flaccini isn't the real Vottax. Vottax was said to be a wise god, inspiring both love & fear. But Flaccini only inspires fear & violence.

After convincing the Worshipers of Molten, the Doctor & Grace rush back to the TARDIS, where the Doctor is able to activate an emergency power supply. He proceeds to frantically flick switches & pull levers, attempting to reverse Flaccini's harvest & restore the TARDISes power. Flaccini soon realises what's going on & tries to stop the Doctor. She floats into the air &, using force-like powers, suspends the TARDIS in the air. She then uses her powers to begin to shrink the TARDIS down & down.

Inside the TARDIS, we see the console sparking, warning lights flashing & the cloister bell ringing, as the Doctor continues to try & stop Flaccini & the TARDIS continues to fold in on itself, until finally, the Doctor's plan works. Suddenly, the entire console springs to life. Then cut to outside, where we see the TARDIS re-growing in size. We see a beam of bright energy bursting out of Flaccini & into the TARDIS. The two begin to float back to the ground, as we see & hear Flaccini screaming in pain.

Eventually, the process finishes & the TARDIS is restored to working order. The Doctor & Grace step outside, where they see what remains of Flaccini: an old, discoloured skeleton. The story then ends with the Doctor saying his goodbyes to the Worshipers & quickly making his escape in the TARDIS just as the worshipers start wondering whether the Doctor or the TARDIS is actually Vottax.

THE ORDER OF BLOOD

Written by: Melinda S. Snodgrass

Directed by: Allan Kroeker

Parts: 1

The Order of Blood would've been set in Vancouver in the 1920s. The story sees the Doctor attempting to take Grace to France in 1954. However, they accidentally end up in Canada in 1927. Exploring the area, they learn of a ball party happening nearby. So the Doctor & Grace quickly return into the TARDIS to get dressed up in high value clothing, before sneaking into the ball.

At the party, the two find themselves separated & mingling with some other guests. Grace meets a man named Nick, who appears as a typical posh, upper class man in his early 20s. Grace finds herself quickly interested in Nick as the two begin to dance. The Doctor, meanwhile, finds himself speaking to a female Journalist named Ellie, who asks for his opinions on the vanishings. She explains that there have been reports about rich & upper class people simply vanishing in the night.

We see Grace & Nick dancing & laughing. Grace admits that she thinks she's falling for him, to which Nick says he's not surprised - he has that power. The two kiss, with Grace laughing awkwardly. Suddenly, Grace begins to feel tired, falling asleep in Nick's arms - clearly being drugged during the kiss. The Doctor turns to see where Grace is, only to see Nick's lips closing in on Grace's neck. The Doctor shouts "HEY!" at Nick, causing him to throw Grace over his shoulder & sprinting towards the exit, with the Doctor & Ellie giving chase. We see the pair chase after Nick, with him making major distance between them when cutting corners. Eventually, Nick is so far ahead that the Doctor & Ellie will never be able to reach him.

Ellie then takes the Doctor to meet her boss, a detective named Terry Emerald. The Doctor explains Grace being kidnapped & Terry suspects her being another victim in the missing people case. The Doctor then proceeds to describe Grace's kidnapper, Nick, to Terry. Terry is confused, saying that his description of Nick matches up exactly with a previous missing person who was also named Nick. The only difference, however, was that "missing" Nick was a very tanned man, whereas this "kidnapper" Nick was described as having very pale skin.

We then see the Doctor, Ellie & Terry investigating "missing" Nick's last known sighting - his university. There, they find an old, dried up blood stain, which Terry assumes is Nick's blood. The Doctor pulls out a pen device & places it against the blood. To the Doctor's distress, the device identifies the blood... as Vampire blood.

We then see Grace waking up in a small room on a bunk bed. In the room is another woman, about her age, named Ruth. Through Ruth, Grace learns that they're in an old abandoned hospital, where "our kind" are allowed to live as a community under one roof. She explains that everyone in the hospital was once human but has now been converted into a vampire. They need blood to survive, but it's too dangerous for many of them to be roaming the streets. We learn that the head vampire, a man named Arthur, distributes blood to everyone & anyone who needs it in exchange for money, living in the hospital & working for him. He has a plan - one that he hasn't made clear yet. But he'll say what it is, one day. Then it hits Grace: if she's here that can only mean one thing. She is now a Vampire.

Cutting back to the Doctor, Ellie & Terry, we see them going through some paperwork in a restaurant, looking for any hints as to what vampires are doing on Earth & where they might be hiding out. However, their work is interrupted by the sounds of a man screaming. Looking out of the window, they see a man in a tuxedo being chased by a woman - another Vampire hunt. Quickly, the trio spring into action & give chase after the vampire. They're eventually able to corner & capture the Vampire, before taking her back to Terry's office.

At Terry's office, the Vampire, named Veronica, is interrogated by Terry. Eventually, Veronica breaks & tells them what we know so far: the Vampire cult, the Hospital, Arthur & the blood market. The Doctor then comes to the conclusion that Grace must've been converted & plans to break her out, with Terry & Ellie agreeing to help. Veronica laughs, saying that they'll never make it into the hospital alive, as all Vampires can tell the difference between humans & Vampires. Realising that there is no other way, the Doctor makes a risky decision. He extracts some of Veronica's blood using a syringe, before injecting her blood into himself, Terry & Ellie. The three of them will now be turning into Vampires. And soon, it'll be too late to reverse the condition.

We then see the pair gaining access to the hospital, where Terry & Ellie split up to look for clues & the Doctor tracks down Grace, which he quickly does. After reuniting with / hugging Grace, the Doctor tells her that he may be able to save her & himself. However, before the Doctor can give any further details, a loudspeaker announces that they are required in the hall. Everyone starts drifting towards the old dining hall, with the Doctor & Grace following & reuniting with Ellie & Terry.

In the hall, everyone gathers around the central table, where a man (early 50s, dark grey hair, sharp suit) waits for silence. This is Arthur. Next to him are his henchmen, one of them being Tony. Arthur announces that their population & subjects have grown in size. He goes on to announce that he plans to expand his empire & that his goal is to fully conquer Vancouver, with his ultimate, final goal to one day entirely take over the country. We see the population giving mixed reactions. Some seem excited to take over the country, fully believing the cause, whilst others are feeling unsure.

The Doctor, appalled by what he's hearing, loudly announces that this whole operation is immoral & dangerous. Tony identifies the Doctor to Arthur, who asks the Doctor what he's doing. The Doctor ignores Arthur & tells the people that they don't have to give their lives & souls to this man - he can provide free care, a cure that will change their diet from blood to something which won't cost them everything. We hear murmurs through the crowd, some still supporting Arthur's plans of conquest, but a lot of people start liking the sound of the Doctor's plans.

Growing frustrated, Arthur calls for silence. He asks the Doctor if he dare threaten him. The Doctor says that he does & challenges him to the title of leader. Arthur announces "very well. I accept your challenge. I wish to fight for my claim to leadership... to the Death".

Cutting to later, we see the old central hall in the hospital being cleared out, whilst Arthur practises swinging a sword for the upcoming battle. The Doctor, meanwhile, is beginning his development for a cure, which he calls "The Paneth". He explains that if he is quick, he, Grace, Ellie, Terry & any other recently converted Vampires, should be able to undo the Vampire-isms & be restored back to normal. Those who've been converted for more than a while, however, will remain as vampires, but won't need to survive off blood. However, before the Doctor can finalise his cure, he's dragged away from his work. The time has come for the fight to the death.

In the central hall, we see a large crowd circling the Doctor & Arthur, chanting, waiting. The Doctor & Arthur stand at either side of the circle, sword in one hand & shield in the other. *BONG* a bell is struck & the fight begins. The Doctor is able to get a lucky first hit on Arthur's arm. However, the fight soon turns to Arthur's favour, who shatters the Doctor's shield. Arthur throws the Doctor to the ground & goes in for a strike. At the last second, the Doctor rolls out of the way & gets back to his feet. He proceeds to strike hard & fast against Arthur, obliterating his shield & swiping at his leg, causing him to fall to the ground. Arthur lays flat on the ground, the Doctor has the end of his sword directly under Arthur's chin. The Doctor says he'll spare his life in exchange for his surrender. Arthur accepts & the Doctor has him arrested, before returning to develop the Paneth.

The Doctor eventually finishes the Paneth cure & injects it into Grace. We see the colour return back to her skin & hair - the cure has worked. We then cut to Arthur in his cell, where he's able to tackle a guard through the bars, snatch his keys & escape his cell. He grabs a blade from a Vampire & dashes through the hospital, forcing his way through people, making his way directly to the Doctor's lab. There, he floors the Doctor with a heavy push & pins him to the floor. Grace, Terry & Ellie try to pull Arthur off the Doctor but to no luck. Arthur pushes Grace & Ellie off him & stabs Terry through the chest. Ellie screams a loud "NOO!" & begins crying uncontrollably. This causes something inside the Doctor to snap. Almost instantly, he kicks Arthur off him & flat onto the floor. The Doctor pulls the knife out of Terry & jams it into Arthur; the Doctor shouting in anger & Arthur shouting in pain, before he slowly begins to die. The Doctor gets back to his feet, shaking all over, before injecting himself with the Paneth cure. He sits on a chair, still shaking. He says "it shouldn't have ended like this..."

We then cut to a few days later. The Paneth cure is making its way through the hospital, treating everyone. Terry is dead & it was too late for Ellie to be cured - she's now a vampire for life. She tells the Doctor that she plans on helping the people get back to their normal lives, or in some cases, start new ones. The Doctor & Grace say their goodbyes, before making their exit.

Outside the TARDIS, Grace asks where next. The Doctor doesn't respond. He has a look of regret on his face. The Doctor doesn't kill, yet there he was a few days ago, taking away Arthur's life. Yes, it was the Vampire DNA that was doing it to him; he had no control over his anger. But he thought he was better than it. He thought he had control...

IRON HEART

Written by: Tracy Tormé & Philip Segal

Directed by: Geoffrey Sax (Pt. 1) & Stuart Gillard (Pt. 2)

Parts: 2

Iron Heart would've been set in San Francisco in the early 2000s. The story sees the TARDIS performing an emergency landing on Earth after a component of the TARDIS malfunctions & explodes. Landing on Earth, they find themselves back in San Francisco, now in the year 2002. The Doctor explains to Grace that although they won't be able to find a replacement circuit in 2002, as Earth's technology isn't advanced enough, he should be able to find a suitable replacement circuit, which'll allow them to make a trip to somewhere / somewhen that will have a permanent fix.

Heading into town, the Doctor & Grace enter a computer shop, where the Doctor is able to purchase a laptop, which he says will have a circuit that'll have to suffice. However, as he begins scanning the laptop with his sonic screwdriver, he soon discovers that this laptop is highly advanced. way too advanced for the 21st century. And he soon discovers it's not just this laptop. It's nearly every piece of modern technology, all created by a company named Iron Heart, run by a man named Richard Creevey.

Suspecting Creevy to be in possession of dangerous alien technology or in league with aliens, he & Grace decide to investigate. The two of them are able to sneak into one of Iron Heart's warehouse factories & begin snooping around. However, Grace accidentally triggers a motion detector, which results in the two of them being found, captured & taken to see Creevy personally. Inside Creevy's office, he refers to the Doctor & Grace as "another group of nosy government officials" trespassing on his work & warns them that if he finds more of them snooping around his work again, he'll employ more drastic action. He then orders his men to throw them out of the warehouse.

Following this encounter with Creevy. The Doctor returns to the TARDIS, hoping to fully analyse the laptop he bought & get a hint as to who is responsible for it. However, before the Doctor & Grace can enter the TARDIS, they're quickly surrounded by soldiers and several military personnel. The soldiers aim their rifles at the Doctor & Grace who slowly raise their hands. One of the soldiers, clearly the leader of the group, played by Rick Pasqualone, addresses the Doctor & Grace by their names & identifies himself as Sgt. Scott Haynes of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, before asking if they'll follow him, saying that Stint is waiting for them. The Doctor tells Grace that these lot are with UNIT & explains that they're friends of his, before the pair follow Haynes into a Jeep, with the TARDIS being loaded onto the back of a van.

We see the convoy of UNIT vehicles driving towards San Bruno Mountain, where we see a military base built inside & on the mountain, with soldiers & trucks surrounding the entrance. The Doctor's jeep pulls up outside of the base, where we see a man, played by James Pickens Jr, waiting to greet the Doctor. Exiting the truck, we learn that this man is Stint; John Stint, leader of UNIT North America. He then proceeds to walk with the Doctor, Grace & Sgt Haynes to the command room, where he introduces their scientific advisor, Michelle Hawkins, played by Andrea Thompson, & Col. Patrick Woods, played by David Franklin, who was transferred from UNIT Australia.

Entering the central command room, we see a spherical room filled with highly advanced machinery & a wall filled with computer monitors. We also see a clearly elderly man with his back to the Doctor's group as they enter the room. Stint then introduces this man as a special visitor from across the pond, before calling him over by calling "Lethbridge-Stewart". The Doctor's face lights up with joy & glee as the man turns around & we see it to be Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, played by Nicholas Courtney. The Doctor & the Brigadier are delighted to see each other, with the Brigadier mentioning he approves of the Doctor's new face & dress sense. The Doctor asks what he's doing here in UNIT NA, to which he explains that he is helping UNIT NA also investigate Richard Creevy.

Speaking with Stint & the Brigadier, the Doctor & Grace learn that UNIT is well aware that Creevy's technology is too advanced for this time period & that they've been monitoring his main factory for months now. When they first saw the Doctor & Grace entering the warehouse, they thought they were government officials. But when they retraced their steps through other cameras & saw them arriving in a blue box, they realised who the Doctor was.

Stint explains to the Doctor that until last year, Iron Heart was producing nothing but cheap radios. However, an accident at the workplace saw Creevy hospitalized for a month. Then, after returning to work, Creevy's personality had changed from a dim but meaning well boss to a strict, no nonsense business man & completely rebuilt Iron Heart into a giant tech company, producing smartphones, computers & everyday electrical appliances, producing tech for the everyman & even for the military, although UNIT has refused to adapt any of Iron Heart's technology.

Theorising that something must've happened whilst Creevy was in the hospital, the Doctor & Grace decide the next place to look for clues is at the hospital where Creevy recovered from his accident: Walker General Hospital, the same hospital where the Eighth Doctor was born. UNIT is able to hack into Grace's personal records & reactivate her old hospital code clearance, giving her easy access to the staff & restricted zones in the hospital.

In the hospital, Grace reunites with one of her old colleagues, Angela, where she learns that Angela was one of Creevy's Doctors. Pretending to be interested in Creevy, Grace asks to see some of his medical records, which Angela is able to provide. Then, when the coast is clear, Grace uses a special UNIT camera device to take snaps of Creevy's medical records, which are sent directly to a computer at UNIT HQ.

Back at UNIT HQ, the Doctor, Stint & the Brigadier begin analysing Creevy's medical files, looking for any oddities or anomalies. This eventually leads to them examining two separate x-rays of Crevvy's chest - one that was taken shortly after the accident & one shortly before returning to the hospital. And although they look identical to Stint, the Doctor & Brigadier notice that Creevy's skeleton is embedded with very thin strips of advanced wiring in the second x-ray.

Now knowing that something is definitely wrong is going on with Creevy, the Doctor stages a plan to break into his office. We then cut to later, where, late at night, we see the Doctor, Grace & Sgt. Haynes breaking into the Iron Heart factory. The Doctor & Grace search Creevy's office, while Haynes pokes around the factory for any security measures. There, they begin to tear the place apart, looking for any signs that he is in league with aliens. Removing a painting off of the wall, the Doctor finds a safe. Grace proceeds to crack the code to the safe & unlock it. However, once the safe handle has been turned, instead of the safe opening as to be expected, the entire wall is pulled to the ground, revealing a room behind the painting. An alien whiring, bleeping sound begins to fill the room, and the Doctor looks in horror, as hidden behind the wall is... a Cyber Planner!

The Doctor then explains what the Cyber Planner is to Grace & Haynes, as well as explaining who the Cybermen are, with Haynes throwing in a reference to The Invasion by mentioning how he's "heard of them from somewhere before". The Doctor then questions "but why? What could the Cybermen gain by partnering with a man such as Creevy?". Then, from behind them, we hear Creevy reply with "I think I can answer that, Doctor". The group turns to face Creevy, who's blocking the doorway.

Creevy explains that the Cybermen plan to conquer the Earth by disabling its defences. He reveals that, during his time in the hospital, the Cyber Planner made mental contact with him, offering him an alliance. In exchange for helping the Cybermen conquer Earth, they offer him a second chance at life, as well as the knowledge & resources to develop technology that'll make him more powerful than he could ever dream. Creevy agreed to their plan, and so the Cybermen provided what they offered: they repaired his body using nano-Cybertech & provided him with the means to turn Iron Heart into the leading tech company of Earth. He then explains how the Cybermen plan to conquer the Earth, as he reveals that every single piece of technology produced by Iron Heart is fitted with a tiny circuit which, when activated by the Cyber Planner, will transmit a signal that'll disable all of Earth's technology, including its defences, allowing for the Cyber Army to invade & conquer Earth.

Creevy then says that the Doctor is known to the Cybermen & that he must be killed. He then pulls out a Cyber Pistol from his pocket & aims it at the Doctor. However, before he can fire, Haynes sneaks up from behind & wrestles with Creevy, allowing the Doctor & Creevy to escape the office. However, Haynes is thrown to the floor & Creevy tells the Cyber Planner "seal the building". We then cut back to the Doctor & Grace as they dash towards the exit. However, before they can escape, out of the shadows emerge a troop of Cybermen, telling the Doctor that resistance is useless.

Part One of the story would then end with Creevy & the Cyber Planner beginning their plan, as we see Iron Heart technology around the world emitting a radio wave which begins shutting down all technology on Earth, leaving the planet powerless & defenceless.

Part Two would then begin with Creevy ordering the Cybermen to execute the Doctor & Grace. However, before the Cybermen can open fire, a set of nearby shutters explode open & an army of UNIT soldiers, led by John Stint, swarm the building. A battle breaks out between UNIT & the Cybermen, with UNIT barely winning the fight. Creevy is captured & handcuffed by Col Woods. Meanwhile, Sgt Haynes & some of his men rush into Creevy's office, where they proceed to destroy the Cyber Planner using their rifles & a rocket launcher.

With the warehouse secure & any nearby threat eliminated, the Doctor tries to make contact with UNIT HQ using Stint's radio, only to discover that it still doesn't work. Stint then proceeds to question Creevy as to why technology on Earth still isn't working, despite the Cyber Planner being destroyed. Creevy then reveals that there is more than one Cyber Planner involved with this plan & that there are still two more active.

The Doctor then proceeds to form a plan with Grace, Stint, Haynes & Woods. Tracing back their steps, they deduce that one of the Cyber Planners must be in Walker General Hospital, where the Cybermen first made contact with Creevy. The Doctor proceeds to sonic his radio, telling Stint that he's returning it to a frequency to one that won't be affected by the Iron Heart signal. The group then exits the factory, where the Doctor proceeds to quickly repair two UNIT jeeps. He then gives the sonic to Grace & tells her & Haynes to return to UNIT HQ with Creevy. There, Grace can use the sonic to retune a radio at UNIT HQ, allowing them to communicate with the Doctor, Stint & Woods, who are going to investigate Walker General Hospital.

The group then splits into two teams, with Grace & Haynes loading Creevy into a jeep & driving back to UNIT HQ. Meanwhile, the Doctor, Stint & Woods board another jeep & make their way to Walker General. We focus on Grace's team, as they drive into UNIT HQ. We see Creevy sitting in the back, his hands still handcuffed. He proceeds to press his thumb into his palm, which activates a blue light under his skin. We then cut to a Cyber Ship orbiting the Earth, where we learn/see that Creevy has activated a homing signal.

With Creevy behind bars & Grace reactivating a radio using the sonic, we then intercut between the two groups, with Grace, Hawkins, Haynes & Lethbridge-Stewart looking over the hospital's floor plans to try & find any potential secret rooms. Then suddenly, we see Cybermen beaming into UNIT HQ, fighting their way through tons of UNIT soldiers & making their way towards Grace's team. Before the Cybermen can reach the central command room, Grace is able to tell the Doctor that there is a hidden room on the lower basement level. However, before she is able to provide any additional details, the room is swarmed with Cybermen, who proceed to knock everyone out by electrocuting them with their hands. The Cybermen proceed to take Grace, Hawkins & Haynes as prisoners, before proceeding to break Creevy out of prison. However, just as the Cybermen begin beaming up their prisoners & Creevy, a UNIT soldier, dying on the ground, uses his remaining strength to shoot Creevy in the chest. Creevy shouts in pain, falling to his knee, before a Cyberman shoots the soldier dead. Just as the Cybermen begin to beam up with Grace, Hawkins & Haynes, we see Lethbridge-Stewart, who fell out of sight from the Cybermen, awakening to see the Cybermen beam away.

Onboard the Cyber Ship, Grace, Hawkins & Haynes are placed into Cyber conversion chambers as hostages. Meanwhile, Creevy is analysed by the Cyber Leader, who tells him that he is dying & must go under conversion. Creevy refuses to be converted into "another Cyberman", but the Cyber Leader announces that he will be their leader, their controller. Grace, Hawkins & Haynes begin reawakening in their chambers to see Creevy being dragged away by the arms as he continues to shout, telling the Cybermen to release him.

Cutting back to the Doctor's team, they eventually find the hidden room by moving an old machine, which was blocking the entrance. There, they find a man-made hole in the wall which leads directly into a sewer system. Travelling through the sewers, they soon discover another man-made hole which leads into a cave, which has been turned into a small base of operations for the Cybermen, containing several Cybermen, a few conversion stations & a Cyber Planner.

We then see a quick gun fight break out between the Cybermen & the remaining UNIT personnel, which ends in everyone but the Doctor, Stint & Woods dead. The Doctor then proceeds to use the Cyber Technology to hack into the Cyber Planner to try & find where the final Cyber Planner is located. However, he soon finds himself racing against the clock, as the Cyber Planner has activated the base's emergency self destruct system. The Doctor soon discovers that the final Cyber Planner is located on a Cyber Ship orbiting the Earth. Within the final few moments, the Doctor is able to lock onto the Cyber Ship's coordinates & beam him, Stint & Woods up to the ship just as the Cyber base explodes.

Onboard the Cyber ship, the Doctor, Stint & Woods begin sneaking their way through the ship, searching for the control room. Eventually finding the control room, the Doctor begins to hack the main console, saying that he's "buying them some time". Suddenly, a group of Cybermen enter the room & shoot Stint & Woods' weapons from their hands, before taking the three of them prisoners. They're then brought into high command, which contains Grace, Hawkins & Haynes in their chambers, the Cyber Planner, the Cyber Leader & the newly converted Creevy; the new Cyber Controller.

The Cyber Controller orders the Cybermen to begin their descent to Earth. We cut to an exterior shot, where we see the Cyber Ship approaching Earth. Far behind them, we see a Cyber Warfleet also approaching the Earth. Then suddenly, the ship comes under attack, as 3 missiles strike the ship, knocking out its defences, causing a power fluctuation & allowing the Doctor & his friends to escape. Cutting back to Earth, we learn that the Doctor's plan to "buy them some time" was to restore all of UNITs technology & transmit the Cyber Ship's signal to them, allowing Lethbridge-Stewart & his remaining men to attack the Cyber Ship.

With the Doctor & his team free, they make their escape back to the control room, where the Doctor, retrieving the sonic from Grace, seals the door so that the Cybermen can't follow them. The Doctor then proceeds to make contact with UNIT, warning Lethbridge-Stewart that they're on the ship & not to blow it up just yet. The Doctor then proceeds to hack into the Cyber Planner using a control panel & overrides its control & fully disable the Iron Heart signal, restoring all of Earth's technology. We then cut to a military base on Earth, where we see their defences coming back online & their radar devices registering the Cyber ships approaching Earth. The base goes to red alert & begins firing missiles into space.

The Cyber ship detects the oncoming missiles, warning the ship that they have 4 minutes before they hit. Now working against a ticking clock, the Doctor forms a plan to make their escape back to the teleport pads. Working out a way to paralyse the Cybermen that are blocking their exit, the Doctor & Michelle Hawkins proceed to create & upload a virus to the Cyber mainframe which'll disable an inhibitor that stops the Cybermen from feeling emotions. The virus is uploaded & we see every Cyberman on every ship falling, kicking & screaming in pain, now realising what they are. This gives the Doctor & his team enough time to unlock the doors, dash towards the teleport pads, beam down to Earth & escape the Cyber ship just before a missile blows it to pieces.

The story would then end back at UNIT HQ, with Stint announcing that there'll be a worldwide recall of all Iron Heart products. Lethbridge-Stewart thanks the Doctor once again, before the Doctor asks what's next for him, to which he says "oh, just a nice & quiet retirement for me, Doctor. No more Yetis or Daleks or Cybermen for me". The Doctor & Grace then say their goodbyes to everyone before departing in the TARDIS.

THE TROUBLE WITH DOUBLES

Written by: Matthew Jacobs

Directed by: Stuart Gillard

Parts: 1

The Trouble With Doubles would've been set on a space military base in the 22nd century. The story sees the Doctor & Grace arriving on the base, initially thinking it's an old colony hub. However, the two of them are quickly spotted by military personnel & arrested under the belief they're spies. However, unbeknownst to everyone, an actual threat has infiltrated their base.

Before landing in the base, we would've seen the Doctor struggling to control the TARDIS, as it was shaken by something in space. It turns out that, without the Doctor realising, the TARDIS had crashed into an alien nest in space, which has now also been brought onboard the base. And as the Doctor & Grace are taken away, we see the nest cracking open & strange alien termite-like aliens emerging.

We initially see the Doctor & Grace being interrogated by the leader of the base, General Black, asking the typical questions of "who are you, who do you work for, how did you find our base etc.". However, this interrogation is cut short by the sound of a soldier screaming. Black sends some of his men to investigate, where they find a group of soldiers knocked unconscious. Naturally, Black now suspects the Doctor & Grace aren't alone & begins questioning them some more.

After the Doctor briefly explains what the TARDIS is to black, he's forced to return to the TARDIS to show Black how to unlock it. However, it's here the Doctor finally sees the remaining shell of the space hive, and informs Black that there may be a deadly form of alien life among them.

Eventually, the cast discovered that these termite creatures are a race of shapeshifters known as the Exons. Meeting with the Queen Exon, who has taken the form of Grace, the Doctor learns that the Exons are a neutral race. They have nothing against the humans; they're just trying to survive & adapt. The Doctor, Grace & a lot of the soldiers believe the Exons, and the Doctor agrees to try & help them the best he can. However, General Black doesn't believe a word from the Queen's mouth & sees them as a dangerous threat with their shapeshifting abilities.

We then see the Doctor & Grace in the navigation room, helping the Queen Exon try to find a suitable uninhabited world for their race to live on. Meanwhile, we see Black rallying up his men & preparing to fight the Exons. Eventually, the Doctor & Queen Exon settle on a small rocky planet named Clauana & the Doctor agrees to take the Exons there. However, as the group make their way to the exit, the Doors slide open, revealing General Black with a big space revolver. Black shoots the Queen Exon through the chest, before the Doctor swings the gun out of his hand & calls him a stupid, dangerous man. The Queen Exon proceeds to hiss, before stating that Black will regret this action. The Doctor pleads with the queen to not fight back, but the Queen ignores the Doctor. She then proceeds to shapeshift back into a Termite & quickly scuttles away into an air vent.

We then see the Queen Exon telling her army that the Exons are at war with the humans. We see an army of Exons emerging from the vent, with each one shapeshifting into a soldier. This is then followed by a massive fight in a hangar, with the disguised Exons being able to tell who is human, but the soldiers having to second guess who is human & who is an Exon.

Realising that the Exons are winning, General Black seals himself in the base's reactor room & activates the nuclear failsafe, which'll completely destroy the base & all the Exons on it. Learning of Black's intentions, the Doctor arranges to meet with the Queen Exon (now back in Grace's form) to make peace. The Doctor pleads with the Queen to end the bloodshed, but she refuses & will only accept peace once Black has been dealt with. However, she does agree to help the Doctor stop Black from destroying the base.

The Queen then shapeshifts back into a termite &, with some help from the Doctor, is guided into the reactor room. She then proceeds to shapeshift into a weird hybrid form of both Grace & a human size Exon. Black tries to shoot the Queen again, however she is able to knock Black to the ground using her long tongue. She then proceeds to unlock the doors to the reactor, where the Doctor rushes into the room & stops the failsafe from activating at the last second. The Doctor then uses the intercom system with the queen to tell both the humans & Exons that the war is over.

We then cut to Black (the character), lying on the ground but awake. He pulls out his revolver from his pocket & aims it at the Doctor. However, before he can shoot, the Queen Exon sees Black & leaps directly at him. The Queen uses her fangs to stab Black through the neck & inject him with a deadly venom. However, Black's gun ends up firing at the same time, which results in both of them dying.

The story then ends with two coffins containing the Queen Exon & Black being ejected into space. The Doctor apologises to both races for the bloodshed caused today & agrees to still take the Exons to Clauana.

BIGGER ON THE INSIDE

Written by: Naren Shankar

Directed by: John Lafia

Parts: 1

Bigger on the Inside would've been set entirely onboard the TARDIS. The story begins with the TARDIS in-flight, with the Doctor piloting the TARDIS & telling Grace about a planet he wants to take her to one day. We then cut to an exterior shot, where we see the TARDIS leaving the vortex & flying directly into a strange, orange cloud.

Cut back to inside the TARDIS, where, suddenly, the TARDIS shuts down mid-flight. Confused, the Doctor tries restoring the backup power, but to no avail. Then, without the Doctor pressing anything, the lights in the central column restart. But something isn't quite right. Usually, the column shines a great blue colour, but now it's shining orange. The Doctor tries to set the TARDIS back into flight, only for the console to electrocute him & send him to the floor. As Grace tends to the Doctor, the sound of the TARDISes engines, (albeit distorted & low-pitched).

Using some analysing tools in his toolbox, the Doctor discovers that the TARDIS has been infected with a virus known as the Chimer Effect. Or as it's known back on Gallifrey: the TARDIS killer. Suddenly, the overhead scanner springs to life, showing the TARDIS slowly drifting towards a black hole. The Doctor then explains to Grace that the Chimer Effect was designed by "an old Gallifreyan enemy" solely to infect & destroy TARDISes. As he proceeds to throw his tools back into his toolbox, he explains that the only way to wipe the virus is by travelling to the centre of the TARDIS, where they'll be able to reboot the TARDIS.

We then see the Doctor & Grace travelling down some corridors, before Grace accidentally takes a wrong turn & a wall appears out of nowhere, separating her from the Doctor. We'd then intercut with the Doctor & Grace trying to find each other, before they seemingly find each other in quick time. However, the two begin to notice that something isn't quite right with the other person. To Grace, the Doctor appears less comforting & more colder. Whereas to the Doctor, Grace keeps asking questions about how the Doctor plans to defeat the Chimer Effect.

The Doctor suspects something is wrong with Grace, so he slightly pricks her arm with a small machine in his pocket. Not only does Grace not react to this, but the Doctor also discovers her blood to be black & thick, almost like tar. Meanwhile, we see the Doctor telling Grace to come closer to him with his eyes filled with sinisterness. Not trusting her Doctor, Grace pushes the Doctor to the floor, causing his hand to fall off & reveal the same tar-like blood.

It turns out that the Chimer Effect is both sentient & intelligent. Realising that it's life was under threat, it created a duplicate version of the Doctor & Grace, using traces of their DNA, to kill the real Doctor & Grace. Eventually, after making some distance between their Chimer counterparts, the real Doctor & Grace reunite, now aware that the TARDIS is actively trying to kill them.

The story then sees the Doctor & Grace continuing their journey through the TARDIS, with their Chimer counterparts following after them. Each room / section of the TARDIS they enter, there is some sort of obstacle the pair must overcome. Such obstacles include navigating a library in pure darkness, and an old dining hall which is slowly baking the pair alive. In the final corridor before reaching the centre of the TARDIS, the Doctor & Grace are able to defeat their Chimer counterparts when the TARDISes gravity is flipped, causing the duplicates to fall to their doom.

Making their way into the core room, we see what appears to be a victorian-esque observatory room with a strange device in the centre - the core of the TARDIS. With the TARDIS slowly mere minutes away from being caught in the black hole, the Doctor proceeds to start rebooting the TARDIS. However, the Chimer, in its final act of defence, begins to remove all the air out of the room. After a few moments, Grace passes out, leaving the Doctor to finish rebooting the TARDIS on his own. Then eventually, after nearly passing out from exhaustion, the Doctor is successfully able to reboot the TARDIS, thus wiping the Chimer Effect, steer the TARDIS away from the black hole & refill the room with air.

With the TARDIS saved, the Doctor turns his attention to Grace, who still lies still. Panicking, he begins to perform CPR on her. He proceeds to blow air into her lungs through mouth-to-mouth, which successfully revives Grace.

The story then ends back in the console room, with the Doctor at the controls fitting in an extra safeguard layer. Meanwhile, Grace is skimming through some old books on a shelf, remarking that none of the first editions are damaged. The Doctor is too busy to listen to Grace, fully concentrated on the controls. But he can't help but occasionally look up at Grace. Grace catches him looking at her & asks why he keeps looking at her. The Doctor says that he really thought he'd lost Grace for a moment back there & says that he doesn't know what he'd do had he lost her. We then end with the Doctor leaving the console, walking up to Grace, and the two sharing a hug of comfort.

DEVASTATION

Teleplay by: David Kemper

Story by: Terry Nation

Directed by: Allan Kroeker (Pt. 1) & Jeff Woolnough (Pt. 2)

Parts: 2

Devastation would’ve been set on an Earth-like colony planet named Firmament. The story sees the Doctor & Grace arriving on the planet, where they find the planet to be a wreck. The streets are deserted & destroyed, the sounds of occasional gunfire & shouting echoes through the streets & the little population they can find are seemingly terrified of something. The Doctor tries to talk to some of these people, asking what they’re so afraid of. They say they live in fear of their Masters, the Demons from the sky. The Doctor tries to push for a name to these demons &, to his horror, he instantly recognises the name of said demons: Daleks.

This story would debut a new Dalek design. These Daleks resemble the gray Daleks of the 1970s & 1980s in terms of colour & structure, but look more metallic & stronger; like they could take a real beating. It would also debut what is known as the Dalek High Council. These would be 4 special Daleks that are in charge of the invading Dalek army.

Through some investigation, the Doctor discovers how the Daleks came to be on this planet & exactly why everyone lives in fear of the Daleks. We learn that the planet’s population was being controlled by a machine known as the Agrus device, which controlled people’s thoughts & emotions in an effort to prevent crimes on the planet, which was created using a mineral from the planet's centre known as Zurronian. The Daleks invaded Firmament, toppled its government & took over the Agrus device, reprogramming it so that the population feared the Daleks & wouldn’t form any resistance against them.

The story sees the Doctor & Grace finding a very small resistance, which is led by those who are somehow immune to the Agrus device, to try & find out why the Daleks invaded Firmament & how to defeat them. They eventually discover that the Daleks have set up mines across the planet in search for more Zurronian & that they plan to create an even bigger Agrus device, which’ll allow them to easily conquer & destroy every known Galaxy.

Eventually, the Doctor is able to defeat the Daleks by finding the original Agrus machine & reprogramming it so that the people of the planet not only fear the Daleks, but hate the Daleks with a burning passion, which causes the planet to resist against the Daleks & eventually destroy their taskforce on Firmament. The story ends with the Daleks defeated & the Doctor wishing the population luck with rebuilding their society, before he & Grace return to the TARDIS.

This story would’ve been attributed to the memory of Terry Nation, who passed away earlier in 1997. Nation had originally been approached to write the first Dalek story of this new era, but was too unwell to do so. Instead, he was able to provide a basic story which turned into Devastation.

ONE SMALL STEP

Written by: Rockne S' O. Bannon

Directed by: Geoffrey Sax

Parts: 1

One Small Step would've been set at NASA in the year 1969. The story sees the Doctor taking Grace to NASA on the 19th of July, 1969, to witness the Apollo 11 moon landing. The story sees the duo arriving at NASA, where they're able to witness the landing of the Apollo 11. However, the Doctor soon realises that something is going wrong, as suddenly, communications between NASA & the astronauts are cut off, leaving the astronauts stranded in space & in danger, because if connection isn’t re-established, they'll die.

The story then sees Grace working with a group of NASA scientists to try & re-establish connection with the Astronauts, as well as trying to find the fault that severed the connection. Meanwhile, the Doctor, suspecting that someone / something has deliberately sabotaged the moon landing, works with a group of government officials to try & find said saboteur.

It turns out that the landing was sabotaged by a Cyborg from the future, who refers to itself as G-E-15. We learn that in G-E's future, their people (a race known as the Grucks) are at war with the humans - a war that they are slowly losing. Using a prototype Gruck time device, G-E has been sent back in time to sabotage the Apollo 11 moon landing. G-E explains that they've infected NASA's systems with a virus - one that wouldn't affect a computer of his time, but would completely destroy NASAs 1960s technology. G-E goes on to explain that by sabotaging the Apollo 11 landing, history will be changed so that the human race takes longer to develop space travel, meaning the Grucks have a higher chance of winning the war.

In the end, however, the Doctor & Grace are able to defeat G-E-15 by successfully isolating the computer virus from NASA's systems, storing it on a rudimentary storage device made by the Doctor, increasing the viruses deadliness using the sonic screwdriver & uploading the virus into G-E, causing them to self destruct.

END OF THE LINE

Written by: Melinda M. Snodgrass

Directed by: John Lafia

Parts: 1

End of the Line would've been set on an alien planet. The story begins in Los Angeles the year 2040, where we see the Doctor & Grace being forced to board a train. Through some dialogue, we learn that, during an offscreen adventure, the TARDISes HADS systems activated, leaving them stranded in LA. Using the sonic screwdriver, however, the Doctor learns that the TARDIS has landed in Canada. So the two must travel to Canada to find the TARDIS.

At first everything seems normal, with the Doctor & Grace finding their seats, buying overpriced bottles of water & encountering that one rude couple every train seems to have. But the Doctor senses that something isn't right, stating that he can feel something is wrong in the back of his neck. The train then proceeds to enter a tunnel & everything goes dark. As everyone sits, waiting for the tunnel to pass, strange creaking sounds resonate through the entire train. After about a minute, the train reaches the end of the tunnel. However, when the passengers look out of the window, they find the landscape to be an alien planet - with the surface being a hybrid of red grass & moon-like rock & a dark purple sky.

With everyone taken aback by the fact the train is on an alien planet, no one but the Doctor & Grace notices that the train is pulling towards what appears to be a train station until the train is just about to pull into the station. As the train passes through, a set of giant metal doors close behind the train, sealing it inside with no means of exit. The train pulls up to the platform, before powering down. Then suddenly, the doors open & a group of soldiers wearing helmets enter the train, pulling people onto the platform. The passengers are then split into groups of 4, with the Doctor & Grace being separated, and are taken away from each other.

We follow the Doctor, as he & other passengers are forced to board an elevator & taken miles underground to a giant cave filled with other people - these people appearing more shabby, beaten & close to the brink of death. The Doctor's party is thrown in with these people, before the soldiers board the lift & strand the Doctor's party in the cave with the others.

Speaking to the people in the cave, the Doctor is able to get an understanding as to what's going on. We learn through a man named Browley, the leader of this group, that the soldiers are actually a race of aliens known as the Karmeters - a race of illegal slave auctioneers. The Karmeters have developed a form of technology that allows them to abduct trains full of people from their local space & take them to their base of operations on a small colony world. From there, the people are either made prisoners or are to be sold off to other alien races into slavery. It's also here that the Doctor learns that whilst he's been made a prisoner, Grace has been selected as a slave. And with an auction soon approaching, there is a high chance that Grace will be sold into slavery.

The story then sees the Doctor working with Browley & other prisoners to escape their imprisonment, free the slaves & stop the Karmeters operations once and for all. The Doctor convinces his fellow prisoners to start a fight, which'll bring down Karmeter security to stop them. Then, when security arrives, the prisoners knock out the guards & steal their uniforms, allowing them to return to the surface undetected.

On the surface, the Doctor continues to work with Browley & some other prisoners to find Grace & stop her from being sold off. Making their way into a security room, Browley proceeds to knock out the guards whilst the Doctor accesses a computer to locate Grace's party. He quickly finds her & discovers that she is to be taken away to another Karmeter base via train. He also discovers several other groups of prisoners being held captive in other caves. The Doctor proceeds to try & override Grace's train controls & stop it from leaving the platform. However, one of the Karmeter guards regains consciousness & is able to trigger an emergency alarm before the Doctor or Browley can stop them. An alarm blares across the entire complex, alerting every Karmeter in the facility. Browley then proceeds to kill the guard, before stating that they'll have company soon.

With an army of Karmeters coming their way, the Doctor orders Browley's men to defend the room whilst he continues overriding the train. Browley, meanwhile, accesses another computer & hacks into the elevator controls, bringing the elevators down for the other prisoner groups, allowing them to escape to the surface & fight back against the Karmeters. We see giant fights break out against the prisoners & the Karmeters, as well a big gun fight between Browley's men & Karmeter security, as they try to push towards the security room.

Eventually, the Doctor is successfully able to disable Grace's train & Browley's men are able to kill any nearby Karmeter security. With the coast clear, the Doctor & his party make their way to Grace's train, dodging every fight they can & moving through the smoke. Reaching Grace's train, the party boards the train, with Browley & his men taking care of the Karmeters & the Doctor freeing Grace & the other slaves.

With Grace freed & the Karmeters weakened, the Doctor's next plan is to try & send as many people home. However, he also knows that he needs to stop the Karmeters for good. The group quickly form a plan on how to tackle both returning people home & stopping the Karmeters. Browley & his men will help redirect prisoners to their trains. Meanwhile, the Doctor & Grace will push their way towards the central command room, where they'll work on sending the people back to their correct point in space, as well as summoning the equivalent of the military in this galaxy, the F.A.R. We see the group enacting this plan, with Browley's men helping the prisoners board their trains & the Doctor sending them back to where they came from & summoning the F.A.R. However, after a few rounds of sending trains back, the Doctor is cornered by a group of Karmeters & is forced to surrender.

Then suddenly, we see an army of heavily armoured soldiers teleport into the base - the F.A.R. who surround the base & force the Karmeters to surrender or die. At first, the Karmeters try fighting back. But once the F.A.R. demonstrate their strength by killing three heavy Karmeters, the remaining Karmeters are forced to surrender.

The story then ends with the Karmeters being rounded up & taken away by the F.A.R. The Doctor pre-programs his train to return him, Grace & their passengers to Canada, before boarding his train. The only remaining prisoners left in the station are Browley & his men. The Doctor asks what he's going to do now. Browley explains that there is more than one Karmeter outpost & that some of them contain his family, so he's going to continue working with his men & the F.A.R. to find these bases & take down the Karmeters for good. The Doctor & Grace say their farewells to Browley, before the train doors close & it heads off down the tracks, through the tunnel & arriving back on Earth.

ORDEAL OF THE UNBOUND

Written by: Matthew Jacobs

Directed by: Stuart Gillard (Pt. 1) & Allan Kroeker (Pt. 2)

Parts: 2

Ordeal of the Unbound would've been set on Gallifrey. The story sees the TARDIS being pulled out of the vortex & landing on Gallifrey within the citadel. Upon exiting the TARDIS, the Doctor is arrested. When asked why, the Guard Captain, Ammral, played by David Lee Smith, announces that he has been charged with endangering Gallifrey & its people.

The Doctor is then forced to stand trial for this crime, where we're introduced to a few new recurring Time Lord characters. As well as Ammral, we're introduced to President Olssun, played by John Glover, his Vice President, Chaula, played by Bellamy Young, who attended the academy with the Doctor, Mabisse (one of the Doctor's old teachers), played by Ray Wise, and Phonex, the current inquisitor / Judge, played by Kathryn Joosten.

During the Doctor's trial, we learn what exactly the crime that the Doctor has been accused of. According to Phonex & Chaula, Gallifrey was recently invaded by a race known as the Baynixx, who proceeded to slaughter nearly 50,000 people. Investigating into how the Baynixx were able to invade Gallifrey, the High Council discovered that someone had distorted the transduction barrier, allowing the Baynixx to enter Gallifrey's atmosphere. And looking into the data logs, they discovered the origin of the distortion to come from the Doctor's TARDIS. And with the Doctor previously meddling with the transduction barrier during his time as President, this paints a clear picture of the Doctor being the most likely suspect.

The Doctor is given a chance to speak & defend himself, where he's able to sell the idea that someone is framing him - explaining that distorting even a tiny part of the transduction barrier would require immense power which could only come from Gallifrey. Although the Court still suspects the Doctor to be the main suspect due to their evidence, they also recognise that the Doctor has a history of trying to do right & that something isn't entirely right with this evidence. Therefore, the court gives him three days to find the real culprit & evidence.

With the Doctor living off borrowed time, he teams up with Mabisse & sets to work on finding the real culprit. Theorising that the real answers lie somewhere within the Matrix, the Doctor plugs his mind into the Matrix, where he witnesses & experiences events in the past that led up to the Baynixx invasion, as a spectator. However, a second person soon enters the Matrix - a cloaked assassin, who tries to kill the Doctor in the Matrix, which'll result in the Doctor dying in the real world. The Doctor, however, is eventually able to overpower the assassin & disarm him. The Doctor uncloaks the assassin, revealing his identity, which forces the assassin to exit the Matrix. With a new possible lead, the Doctor also exits the Matrix & reawakens in the real world.

After telling Mabisse about the assassination attempt, the Doctor describes the assassin to Mabisse, who searches the Data Banks for a Time Lord who matches their description. They eventually identify the assassin as Zehann, an up-and-coming politician. After tracking him to one of the lower levels, Zehann is soon captured by Ammral & his men. However, before Zehann can give any information, he kills himself by taking the Gallifreyan equivalent of cyanide.

Although Mabisse believes that Zehaan must've been responsible for the Baynixx invasion, they still don't know why. Furthermore, the Doctor doesn't believe Zehaan was the mastermind & that he was simply a henchman for the real suspect. Zehaan didn't seem like the type of man who'd know how to do something as technological as distorting the transduction barrier. And with Zehaan being a mere politician, it doesn't fit the picture. Needing answers, the Doctor returns to the Matrix. There, he finds himself in a void with nothing & no one but Zehaan; or rather, Zehaan's consciousness. With Zehaan's mind now a part of the Matrix, the Doctor is able to get the relevant data from Zehann's mind by asking his consciousness.

Speaking to Zehaan, the Doctor's suspicions are proven correct: Zehaan was working for someone. We learn that the real culprit is actually the Vice President, Chaula. Zehann explains that getting rid of the Doctor & the Baynixx invasion were just the first steps in Chaula's ultimate plan. Through some flashbacks, we learn that prior to the events of the Baynixx invasion, Chaula & Zehaan came into contact with creatures from another universe named the Unbound (that's the name of the creatures). The Unbound offered the pair the power to rule over Gallifrey. All they ask for in return is access to this universe & allow them to expand their army.

Knowing that someone like the Doctor would try to stop the Unbound, Chaula & Zehaan needed to somehow get rid of the Doctor. Therefore, the pair orchestrated a plan to frame the Doctor for a crime that'd result in their death. Chaula was responsible for the distortion of the transduction barrier, the Baynixx invasion (with Chaula offering to help the Baynixx once he was in charge of Gallifrey) & the framing of the Doctor. The pair were so sure that the Doctor would be dead by now. However, when the Doctor was able to buy himself some extra time, and fearing the worst, Chaula forced Zehaan to do her dirty work & execute the Doctor. Which takes us to the present.

With all the evidence & information the Doctor needs, he exits the Matrix & informs High Command about Chaula. However, it's too late for Chaula to be stopped, as we see her & her followers enter a section of the Citadel known as the Etymology, which contains several advanced computers & computer banks. There, they proceed to kill everyone in the chamber, before they begin hacking into the computers. We see Gallifrey begin to shake violently with everyone & everything thrown into chaos. Finally, we see Chaula insert two golden keys into a panel in the centre of the room & turn them in succession, before inserting a strange device into the panel. A great, invisible force strikes Gallifrey & we see a giant blue portal ripping open in the sky, with black battleships containing werewolf creatures emerging from the portal - the Unbound.

The Doctor tracks Chaula to the Etymology, and we see the Doctor, Grace, Mabisse, Ammral & Olssun making their way to the Etymology. However, before they can enter, Chaula uses a recall device to teleport away. Chaula arrives on the outskirts of the Citadel, where she's greeted by the Unbound King named Qila.

Once the Doctor's team is inside, a gunfight breaks out between Chaula's men & Ammral's guards, with Ammral's side winning. With the room cleared, the Doctor makes his way to the main control panel to try & deactivate the portal, only to discover it's been hardlock sealed on. Furthermore, he discovers that a hole has been ripped open in the transduction barrier, allowing the Unbound to enter Gallifrey's atmosphere.

Realising that they need to stop anymore Unbound from entering Gallifrey, the Doctor forms a plan to try & reseal the transduction barrier. Using the power of every TARDIS on Gallifrey available, including his own, the Doctor re-directs their shields power towards the power used to sustain the transduction barrier, allowing him to temporarily patch the hole in the transduction barrier. Although this power will eventually run out & the hole will re-open, it'll keep any newly arrived Unbound out for now, allowing the Doctor & his team to find a way to close the portal & send the Unbound back, including the few that managed to make it to Gallifrey.

Chaula & Qila discover the Doctor's work & realise that they must attack the Citadel & find a way to completely shatter the transduction barrier, allowing the Unbound to conquer the entire planet. Chaula therefore comes up with the idea of using the Eye of Harmony to destroy the barrier. Qila thanks Chaula for the information, before revealing that Chaula is no longer needed. Qila betrays Chaula. The Unbound never intended to help her; they just needed her so that they could gain access to this universe. Qila then orders his guards to execute Chaula, who is shot dead just as she begins to escape & teleport away using his recall device. We then see her dying body materialising in the citadel.

The Doctor's team soon discovers Chaula's body, who, with her last breath, informs the Doctor on what the Unbound are planning. This then gives the Doctor the idea to use the Eye of Harmony on the Unbound before they can use it. What if they can use the power of the Eye of Harmony to reverse the effects of the portal, pulling the Unbound in instead of sucking them through?

We see the Doctor's team make their way towards the Eye of Harmony chamber, where we see the Doctor, Mabisse & Olssun working on opening the Eye, whilst Ammral & his men defend the area from an oncoming Unbound attack. Eventually, after looking into the Eye & connecting his mind to it, the Doctor is able to reverse the effects of the Unbound portal. We see the Unbound ships orbiting Gallifrey being pulled through the portal. We then see the Unbound army on Gallifrey being pulled through corridors & being thrown out of the Citadel by the pull of the portal, before being dragged into space & pulled into the portal. Then, with the last few Unbound & Qila pulled through, the portal closes on itself.

The day is saved, however trouble isn't over for the Doctor. As he tries to disconnect his mind from the Eye, the force & pressure of sustaining the pull of the Unbound portal has nearly killed him. So, when the Unbound portal closes & the Doctor releases his mind from the pressure, he collapses to the floor, seemingly on the brink of death. Grace rushes over to his body, trying to revive him using CPR. But it doesn't work, the Doctor remains lifeless. In a last ditch effort, Grace performs mouth-to-mouth to try & revive the Doctor, which, after a few attempts, successfully works. The Doctor thanks Grace before telling her well done, saying "you held back death". The two smile, before sharing an actual, romantic kiss.

The story then ends with a cut to a few days later. The transduction barrier is starting to automatically repair itself & the people of Gallifrey are working on rebuilding & clearing up the rubble. We see the Doctor & Grace in the TARDIS, with the Doctor talking to Olssun on the scanner. Olssun thanks the Doctor for helping to save Gallifrey, saying that all charges have been dropped, before asking if he would be interested in becoming his new Vice President. The Doctor laughs nervously before declining his offer, saying politics isn't his thing. Olssun then offers the Doctor a new Type 400 at the very least. Again, the Doctor laughs, saying he's happy with his current ship. Grace comes up to the Doctor & hugs his left arm, with the Doctor looking over at her & smiling. He then looks back at the console, setting some controls on the panel. The two look back at each other,smiling. They both then look at the central rotor as the Doctor pulls down the main flight lever, sending the TARDIS into flight & departing for new adventures.

CONCLUSION

Season 1 of Doctor Who was an adequate success on FOX. The show quickly found a dedicated fanbase in the states who’d tune in weekly for new stories. Whilst viewing figures were good & stable enough to convince FOX to greenlight a second season, they weren’t as high as FOX were hoping for. Many fans (and the production team itself) theorised that a key reason for the seasons' viewing figures was due to the timeslot they were allocated to: the Friday Night timeslot, which was infamous for causing the cancellation of many shows (see Series 3 of the original Star Trek, Series 4 of Knight Rider & Firefly).

On BBC1, the show received slightly more healthy numbers, with the series going out on a Monday Night instead. However, many viewers, especially the already existing Who fanbase, weren’t happy with how Americanized the show had become & disliked the “will they / won't they” back and forth between the Doctor & Grace.

NOTES / CREDITS

Hey everyone, hope you all enjoyed the first part of this series.

First off, some people to give thanks to. First off is Robert Morrison, who was able to come into the project & help improve upon what we'd already had, as well as making some good suggestions / changes & cast nearly every UNIT & Time Lord character. Secondly is The Dalek Hunter / TimeLordMaster108, who I've worked with for several years now on Cancelled Years & has also helped in developing Unwildered.