Doctor Who: The Cancelled Years | Season 27 (1990)

As the 1980s came to a close, Doctor Who’s future was uncertain. The past few years had been challenging times for the show, as viewing figures continued to decline & the higher-ups at the BBC viewed the series with utter disdain.

With the end of the 1980s, and as a new decade began, it was almost an unspoken secret by everyone that there was surely no way Doctor Who could survive for much longer. With audiences no longer interested in a show that they, and the powers that be, considered to be woefully outdated compared to newer, glossier American imports, there was no chance of this old, rickety, British sci-fi series would survive into the 1990s... Could it?

DOCTOR WHO: SEASON 27 - 1990

Season 27 of Doctor Who would've starred Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, along with Sophie Aldred as Ace & Julia Ormond as, new companion, Raine Cunningham. It would also see John Nathan-Turner acting as Producer, with Ben Aaronovitch as Script Editor.

In this alternate timeline, despite the low viewing figures & disregard from the BBC Higher ups, Doctor Who was greenlit for a 27th Season at the end of 1989. However, it was common knowledge to the general public that the BBC were keen to cancel the show the first chance they could get.

This would be the final season for both Sylvester McCoy &  Sophie Aldred as the Doctor & Ace. Whilst McCoy would stay on until the end of the season, Aldred would be departing midway through the season, with her replacement joining on in the following story.

The new companion would be Raine Cunningham - a cat burglar from a posh, upper class background from the (then) modern day. Cast in the role of Raine would be actress Julia Ormond, who would join the Seventh Doctor for his final two adventures.

This would also be the final year for Producer John Nathan-Turner, who was finally allowed to step down after 10 years. Nathan-Turner would still be in charge for Season 27, as well as being responsible for finding the Eighth Doctor & a new Script Editor, after Andrew Cartmel had left the show between seasons. Although he initially considered writer Colin Brake, Nathan-Turner offered the job to Ben Aaronovitch, as he wanted someone already familiar with the show's production.

The last notable change was that the TARDIS set was given a revamp after the set walls were accidentally junked in previous years. Although an early idea was to build a brand new interior, it was decided to just build new walls & keep the current Mike Kelt console prop in order to save money.

Season 27 would air between the 12th of September, 1990, and the 12th of December, 1990. It would consist of 14 episodes across 4 stories, with two 3-parters & two 4-parters, and would go out weekly on Wednesday Night…

EARTH AID
Written by: Ben Aaronovitch
Directed by: Alan Wareing
Parts: 3

This story would've been set onboard a Star Trek-esque spaceship known as The Vancouver, with Ace acting as the captain & the Doctor as the medical officer. The ship is assigned with delivering food known as Grain to the planet Safenesthome. However, the vessel comes under attack from insectoid aliens known as the Metatraxi, whose religion prevents them attacking their enemy unless they pose a threat to the Metatraxi.

We see the Doctor, Ace & the crew try to fend off the Metatraxi as they travel to Safenesthome. However, another problem soon emerges for the Doctor. It turns out that the grain supplies have been infiltrated by a hatching of Grubs - worm-like creatures with voracious appetites & capable of eating nearly everything they wish.

Eventually, The Vancouver arrives at Safenesthome, where the Doctor discovers that the planet is sentient & intelligent. The planet reveals that the Grub were the original inhabitants of the planet but they treated the planet poorly, consuming anything & everything. Because of this, the planet created the warrior-like Metatraxi in order to counteract the Grubs and eventually drive them off the planet. However, now that the planet has had time to rebuild itself, it forgives the Grubs & orders the Metatraxi to live with the Grub in peace.

THIN ICE
Written by: Marc Platt
Directed by: Nicholas Mallett
Parts: 4

This story would've been set in 1960s London, where we see the Doctor & Ace working with a gangster named Sam Cunningham, an MI6 agent named Northwade & an Ice Warrior named Hhessh to retrieve a set of ancient martian artefacts, that belonged to an Ice Warrior Warlord named Sezhyr, from the government. We also see the team working with Sam's partner, Sharon Graves - an agent of MI6, who also happens to be pregnant with Sam's child.

Eventually, the group are able to recover Sezhyr’s armour & helmet from The London Dungeon, which is passing said items off as exhibitions. However, during their escape, their escape vehicle is captured by a Martian spaceship & brought onboard. Onboard the ship, Sharon begins to feel as though Sezhyr is somehow talking to her, tempting her to put on his helmet. However, when Sharon puts on his helmet, her consciousness is replaced with that of Sezhyr's. During this sequence, the Doctor discovers that her birth acceleration rate has sped up, resulting in her quickly going into labour & the Doctor helping to deliver the baby. With the baby now born, the Doctor gives Ace the baby to look after, before he & Sam enter the TARDIS & leave her behind. Ace believes the Doctor has a cunning plan up his sleeve to save the day as always. However, there is more going on in this story than Ace initially suspects.

It turns out that the events of this story are a part of a test setup by the Time Lords. The Doctor wishes to enrol Ace in the Prydonian Academy in order for her to become a Time Lord. Throughout the story, we'd see the Doctor making mental contact with a Time Lord Adjudicator discussing Ace’s future. Part of the test is that Ace must have no help from the Doctor, however the Doctor can't help but meddle. However, after being picked up by the martian spaceship, the Adjudicator warned the Doctor that if he interferes again, the test will be abolished, so the Doctor has been forced to abandon Ace & let her solve things out on her own.

With Sezhyr resurrected, the spaceship returns to the Ice Warriors hide-out, a cold storage warehouse, where we learn about why Hhessh & his fellow Ice Warriors on Earth. It turns out that they fled from Mars as rival factions of Ice Warriors begin to emerge, and that the militaristic force on Earth are the last "true" Ice Warriors. Sezhyr is disgusted by the Ice Warriors for working with humans, even if it did result in his resurrection, as well as discovering that the humans have been using Ice Warrior technology & relics for their own purposes. With that, he pretends to make an alliance with Northwade, who's been using said Ice Warrior technology, to take over the Earth, although Sezhyr would end this alliance much later on, as he only worked with Northwade in an attempt to retrieve some energy cells .

During this, Northwade betrays Ace by locking her in a freezer. However, she is freed by a strange man named Valentin, who we know, and Ace eventually discovers to be the Time Lord Adjudicator, who accidentally reveals the Doctors plan to Ace, unaware that she wasn’t aware of his Master Plan. This angers Ace & causes her to lose all trust in him. Once again, he’s tricked & manipulated her & she is tired of it. Later on in the story, when Ace is eventually reunited with the Doctor, she refuses to listen or trust him. With this, Ace goes rogue from her basic morals & challenges Sezhyr to combat. Ace ends up winning the fight, resulting in the defeat of Sezhyr, Sharon being returned back to normal & the Ice Warriors leaving Earth.

After the fight, the Doctor goes to find Ace, but fails to find her, believing that she’s been taken to Gallifrey. He makes contact with the Adjudicator, who reveals that Ace has passed the test & has been accepted into the academy. The story would then end with the Doctor travelling to Gallifrey to say goodbye to Ace. The two of them are able to make some amends, with Ace agreeing to give the Academy a try, before they hug & the Doctor returns to the TARDIS.

CRIME OF THE CENTURY
Written by: Colin Brake
Directed by: Michael Kerrigan
Parts: 4

This story would've been set on Earth in the (then) modern day. The story begins by following a safe cracker named Raine Cunningham at a posh, upper class house. We see her breaking into a safe & finding the Doctor inside it, seemingly waiting for her. There, the Doctor helps Raine steal a necklace & escape. However, Raine chooses to abandon the Doctor at the last moment & escape by herself.

The following night, we see the Doctor & Raine reuniting in a dark alley, where we see Raine hold a bag of valuable items. Raine explains to the Doctor that she's been hired by a client to steal these items. Then, shortly afterwards, we see a figure entering the alley & approaching the duo, and, to Raine's surprise, it turns out to be her father, Sam Cunningham.

It turns out that Raine's client was the Doctor, who hired Raine to steal these items on behalf of Sam. We learn that these items used to belong to Sam, however he was forced to sell them due to a financial meltdown. Sam is overjoyed to see his items again, before the Doctor reveals that there is still one item missing: a Fabergé egg. The Doctor explains that the Fabergé egg is actually an alien device, which is now in the hands of a private military group. He explains that, with help from Sam & Raine, he plans to steal & recover the egg, but there will be great difficulties along the way.

We then see the Doctor taking Raine to Russia, where she must pretend to be a soviet agent. We learn that Soviet Leader, Vadim Senkin, has recently been in contact with an alien race known as the Shandos. The Shandos claim to be rightful owners of the egg, known as a Warpstorm, which they lost thousands of years ago, & that it's a part of an elaborate machine. They ask Senkin to find a way to retrieve the egg in exchange for materials that will make Russia the most powerful force on the planet.

The story would see Raine, with help from the Doctor & Sam, pretending to work with Senkin to infiltrate the private military in the UK & steal the Warpstorm. However, Raine is eventually found out & is taken prisoner by Senkin. The Doctor is able to retrieve the Warpstorm before Senkin however, meaning that he has a bargaining chip.

Senkin makes contact with the Shandos, explaining the current situation. However, when he asks about how powerful Russia will be in the future, the Shandos reveal themselves as the real villains of the story, as they reveal the Warpstorm is indeed a part of a machine that'll destroy the cosmos. They then use their energy powers to attack Senkin senses & take over his mind.

We then see the Doctor successfully tracking down Raine’s location to a soviet warehouse. There, he & Sam attempt to rescue Raine but are captured by Senkin & his men, who, seemingly unknowing to the Doctor, are also now possessed by Shandos. The Doctor confronts Senkin, revealing that he knew the Shandos were behind this from the beginning, having seen the egg in the past & recognising the technology. With Raine now being held directly at gunpoint, the Doctor is forced to exchange the Warpstorm in return for Raine’s safety. With the Warpstone now at their disposal, the Shandos leave their host bodies as they collapse on the ground.

We then cut to the Shando ship in orbit around the Earth. On the bridge, we see the captain planting the Warpstone into their machine & powering on, before announcing that the first target will be Earth. On Earth, we see the sky slowly turning orange. In the warehouse, we see Sam & Raine coming to realise that the end of the world is now. The Doctor, meanwhile, remains still, seemingly waiting. Then cut back to the Shando ship & we see it explode in space.

The Doctor then explains to Raine & Sam that the Warpstone was indeed a part of a weapon. However, with the Warpstone being lost for thousands of years & several Shando generations, the facts slowly got twisted. The Warpstone wasn’t a Sharando weapon. The Warpstone was a weapon for the Shandos.

The story would then end back at Sam’s house, with the Doctor preparing to say goodbye to Sam & Raine. However, before leaving, Raine asks the Doctor if she could come with him. Sam says it’s alright with him, before the Doctor says he’d be delighted to have her onboard. Raine then runs back into the TARDIS, before the Doctor tips his hat at Sam, closes the door & we see the TARDIS take off.

ALIXION
Written by: Robin Mukherjee
Directed by: Alan Wareing
Parts: 3

The story sees the Doctor & Raine landing on the planet Alixion, where they find two humanoid races co-existing with each other; the Aylex's & the Akrons. We learn that the two races have a long history of war but now co-exist with each other, even if there is still tension in the air.

Through some exploration, the Doctor & Raine learn about a great Aylex scientist that goes by the title of 'The Abbot'. Curious, the Doctor decides to meet with the Abbot in his public workshop, where he learns about his newest discovery: an elixir of life. Using a farm of Alixion Beetles, the Abbot has produced an elixir of life known as the Rejuvinator, which rapidly slows down the aging process & improves immunity against diseases. However, after further analysing the Abbot's Beetle farm, the Doctor discovers that the Rejuvinator is produced by the Beetles telepathically consuming the minds of Akrons.

Disgusted with what he has discovered, the Doctor meets with the council of Alixion to try & shut down the Abbot's work. However, due to their lack of evidence & the Abbot being a respected citizen in their society, their claims aren't taken seriously. Needing evidence that the Abbot is dangerous, the Doctor plans to analyse a sample of the Rejuvinator to try & find traces of Akron DNA within it. The Doctor sends Raine back to the TARDIS to retrieve his scientific equipment. However, whilst waiting for Raine, the Doctor is knocked out & abducted by the Abbot's assistant, who takes him away to the Abbot's private laboratory.

Waking up in the Abbot's laboratory, the Doctor is interrogated by the Abbot, who asks about the Doctor's TARDIS. Realising that the Abbot is after the TARDIS's powers & the how dangerous he would become if he possesses said powers, the Doctor refuses to reveal the TARDIS's secrets. The Abbot then tries extracting the Doctor's knowledge through force in a mind battle. However, the Doctor's mind is stronger & Abbot loses. Finally, the Abbot plans to turn the Doctor's knowledge & Time Lord DNA into a new Rejuvinator. He proceeds to connect the Doctor to one of his machines & activates it, which allows his farm of Alexion Beatles to begin absorbing his mind.

Meanwhile, Raine, believing the Doctor to be in danger, works with an Akron scientist named Dekkrin to finish the Doctor's work & find traces of Akron DNA within the Rejuvinator. After finding said traces & presenting their evidence to the council of Alixion , the council agrees that the Abbot has violated the peace act & must be arrested. Raine & select members of the council make their way to the Abbot's public workshop, only to find it burnt down & abandoned. However, after finding the Abbot's assistance & interrogating him for the Abbot's location, they eventually discover the location of the Abbot's private laboratory.

Arriving at the Abbot's laboratory, which is located in a castle, Raine & the council members push through the Abbot's assistants & close in on the centre of the castle, where the Abbot & Doctor are located. Eventually, the council members surround the Abbot & join hands with each other. They proceed to chant a strange ritual as their eyes begin to glow. The Abbot begs for them to stop, but they proceed to continue chanting. Then, in a flash of light, the Abbot vanishes into thin air.

Meanwhile, we see Raine finding the Doctor, who is still connected to the Abbot's machine - his mind still being consumed by the Beetles. Raine disconnects the Doctor from the machine & the Doctor screams in pain, before collapsing to the ground. Raine rushes over to the Doctor, who tells her that "it's coming to an end" & that he needs to get back to the TARDIS. Raine slings the Doctor's arm over her shoulder & begins carrying him out of the Abbot's lab.

Arriving at the TARDIS, the Doctor uses his remaining energy to set the ship into flight before collapsing to the ground. Raine rushes over, scared & confused. The Doctor tells her that he'll be going soon, but that she mustn't worry. He says that he can fix himself, but it won't be easy & that he'll need Raine's help to get through it. Raine says she'll help him, not entirely sure as to what he means.

The Doctor breathes in heavily one final time & says "a pity... there was so much more I was meant to do... so much more..." before shutting his eyes one final time. Then suddenly, a white swirl of energy begins to surround the Doctor's face. We see the thoughts of the Doctor's mind presented before him, as he imagines the faces of his companions - Mel, Ace & Raine. They smile at the Doctor, before declaring “thank you, Doctor”, before transitioning into the face of the next companion. The final face fades away, leaving us looking at nothing but the swirling energy. It engulfs the screen more & more, with the music & noise building & building until finally, it ends. The music stops, the noises stop & the swirling energy dissolves into the air, and the episode ends with the unveiling of the Eighth Doctor - Richard Griffiths.

The new Doctor awakens & lifts himself up from the ground. He looks over at Raine & says "Morning, Raine... Sorry about that. Regeneration. Not the easiest thing to go through". Raine asks the new Doctor who he is. The Doctor replies with "Ah, now that's an interesting question… i think.. I am the Doctor".

Cue end credits.

CONCLUSION

Season 27, whilst not reaching the heights of popularity as seen in the early 1980s, was considered enough of a success by the BBC. Although viewing figures were still down, they were slightly better than those from Season 26. These figures were helped by a small boost the series gained during its broadcast, with BBC2 beginning the first UK broadcast of Star Trek: The Next Generation an hour before Doctor Who & those viewers switching to BBC1 for Doctor Who after TNG concluded. With these more successful figures, and seeing the potential in a new Doctor & production team, the show was ultimately greenlit for a new season in 1991…