Doctor Who: The Cancelled Years | Season 32 (1995)

For the past few years, Doctor Who had slowly been dragging itself out of the mud - going from a show that was once seen by those within the BBC itself as an embarrassing relic, to one that, despite still having flaws, was much more respectable & gathered a healthy audience of fans.

But as 1995 was underway, big changes for the show were about to commence, as the show was about to undergo one of its biggest behind-the-scenes shuffles in its long history…

DOCTOR WHO: SEASON 32 - 1995

Season 32 of Doctor Who would've starred Richard Griffiths as the Eighth Doctor, along with Lisa Bowerman as Bernice Summerfield & Robert Bathurst as Chris Hector. It would also see Stephen Garwood acting as Producer & Colin Brake as Script Editor.

Season 32 marked both new beginnings & final ends. Between seasons, several radical changes had taken place, which would seriously change the short . Firstly, this was the first season for the new Producer, Stephen Garwood. Like his script editor, Garwood wished to try & bring Doctor Who into the 1990s, while also trying to make the show a worthy opponent to shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation & its recently launched sister series, Voyager.

This would also be Griffiths' fifth & final year as the Eighth Doctor. Feeling that five years was enough, along with the actor's fear of being typecast, Griffiths' announced that he would be departing at the end of the season in order to give someone else a chance at being the Doctor.

However, a much more radical change had taken place between seasons. Since the early 1990s, the government had been encouraging the BBC to have their shows be produced by independent companies, with more & more shows heading in that direction. Since 1992, the BBC had been looking for the right company to produce Doctor Who for them, but all of them were either uninterested or unsuitable. By the end of 1993 however, and with the slight resurgence in Doctor Who, more companies began to show interest in the property.

By 1994, it was agreed that Doctor Who beyond 1995 would no longer be produced in-house, but instead by production company Carnival Films. Initially, Carnival weren’t interested in Doctor Who, as they were put off by the idea of doing a sci-fi show. However, by 1993, they were willing to take the gamble. & so, from Season 32, Carnival Films would produce Doctor Who for the BBC.

With Carnival now running the show, numerous changes were implemented. Brian Eastman, the founder of Carnival, would join the show an Executive Producer. Although he wouldn’t be heavily involved in the production, he would keep his eye on the show & make some suggestions to the main production team.

However, the biggest change would come in the format change. As another means of trying to compete with glossy, American imports, the show's format was radically changed. The episode runtime was increased from 25 minutes to 45, with stories now consisting of only 1 or 2 parts. With this longer runtime, the episode count was decreased from 20 to 12, resulting in 2 single-parters & 5 2-parters.

Season 32 would air between the 8th of July, 1995, and the 23rd of September, 1995. It would consist of 12 episodes across 7 stories, with two single-parters & two 2-parters, and would go out weekly on Saturday Night.

KNIGHT FALLS
Written by: Ben Aaronovitch
Directed by: Brian Farnham
Parts: 2

The story begins with the TARDIS being pursued by a ship belonging to a race of cyborgs known as the Knights of Tarjan, after the Doctor stole one of their deadly weapons known as an Anti-Heart. We see the Doctor strutting around the console room, operating the controls as quickly as he can as the Knights fire lasers at the TARDIS. The Doctor attempts to dematerialise into the time vortex & pulls down the main flight lever. However, as the TARDIS begins to dematerialise, the Knights fire a weapon of mass destruction at the TARDIS just as it begins to fade. When the missile strikes mid-dematerialisation, this results in a giant supernova that swallows the TARDIS & Tarjan ship.

After a flash of light, we see the Tarjan ship alone in space. We cut to the bridge of the ship, where the Knight Captain tracks the TARDIS to Earth. We then cut to what appears to be 1920s America, where we see the TARDIS phasing in-and-out as it struggles to land. The Doctor hoists the flight lever up, resulting in the console overloading & the TARDIS shutting down.

The trio exit the TARDIS, finding themselves in what appears to be 1920s America. However, after picking up a newspaper, Chris discovers it to be dated to the year 1954. Using a gadget, the Doctor is able to boot up the TARDISes scanner, where he works out that the result of the explosion & the TARDIS dematerialising at the same time has resulted in the TARDIS & Tarjan ship being sent sideways into a parallel universe - one where technological advancement appears to be much slower. He also discovers that the Tarjan knights are on their way to Earth & have roughly 48 hours to either send the knights back to their correct universe or, if it comes down to the worst, prepare the planet to fight back.

The story would then see the Doctor, Bernice & Chris having to convince the leaders of the world about the upcoming invasion & prepare the planet for a potential war. However, the leaders initially refuse to believe the trio & have them arrested after seeing their advanced technology. It turns out that the governments of the world have deliberately banned any technology beyond the year 1925 in fear that it could be turned into a weapon. When they initially see the trio possessing technology which is way beyond the 1950s, they’re deemed to be terrorists & executed. However, the Doctor is eventually able to convince them that they’re strangers from a parallel universe when he gets them to examine the TARDIS.

The story then sees the governments of the world uniting to prepare the planet for the Tarjan attack. Meanwhile, the Doctor & Bernice successfully restore the TARDISes power & attempt to find a way to stop the Tarjan’s from wiping out the Earth. The Doctor theorises that by connecting the Anti-Heart to the TARDIS, he could generate an EMP which would completely shut down the Knights forever. However, unless it was carefully programmed to only knock out Tarjan technology, the Anti-Heart would also wipe out human technology.

The Doctor begins to reprogram the Anti-Heart, but runs out of time. The Knights battleship arrives on Earth and full war kicks off between humans & the Knights. The Doctor tries his best to finish reprogramming the Anti-Heart, but soon realises that by the time he finishes the job, most (if not all) of the human population) would be slaughtered. So, realising he has no other choice, he activates the Anti-Heart. We then see every Knight across the planet suddenly stop & collapse to the floor, as well as all machinery & lights going out across Earth.

The story would then end with the Doctor apologising to the leaders of the world, before suggesting that they may be able to rebuild their world using the remains of the Tarjan technology. We then end with the Doctor, Bernice & Chris returning to the TARDIS, where the Doctor successfully pilots the TARDIS back to their universe.

WORLDWIDE WEB
Written by: Marc Platt
Directed by: Andrew Grieve

The story sees the Doctor, Bernice & Chris investigating the New World University - an institution of higher education run by a posh, rich woman named Rebecca Campbell. We see the Doctor & his companions discovering that the NWU has no instructors or tutors; as all instructions come from computers. They also find the students of the NWU, known as Chillys, to appear almost empty & hypnotised.

It turns out that the NWU is actually controlled by the Great Intelligence. We discover that the Intelligence, which has possessed the corpse of Professor Travers, manipulated Rebecca, who we learn to be Travers’ niece, to take her family’s fortune & establish the NWU. The Intelligence is using the university's computer systems in order to control the Chilly’s. It then plans to spread throughout the Internet & create a "World Wide Web of Fear". Eventually however, the Intelligence is defeated when the Doctor, Bernice & Chris are able to destroy the NWU’s generators, which destroys most of the Intelligence, as well as finally putting Travers to rest.

The story then ends with the trio saying goodbye to Rebecca, who announces that she plans to shut down the NWU for good. The trio then quickly enter the TARDIS & take-off just as UNIT begins to arrive on the scene.

LORDS OF THE STORM
Written by: David A. McIntee
Directed by: Kevin Davies
Parts: 2

The story sees the Doctor, Bernice & Chris arriving on Raghi, a moon in the Unukalhai system, where they find that the population of the lower class system are being struck down by a strange new disease. Furthermore, they discover that several scientists are vanishing without a trace.

It turns out that the Sontarans are responsible for both problems. It turns out that the disease was designed by the Sontarans to make all people infected with it to register as Sontarans on Rutan scanning devices, which would prompt the Rutans to avoid that area of space & give the Sontarans unrestricted access to the Unukalhai system.

However, the Doctor is able to stop the Sontarans by contacting Rutan Command & warning them about the Sontarans. Speaking with the Rutans, the Doctor is able to come to an agreement with them, offering to trade the strategic data he downloaded from the Sontarans’ computer net, in exchange for the Rutan’s promise to leave the human colonists alone. The Rutans agree &, knowing the Sontarans plans, are able to push the Sontarans off-world.

THE ROMANCE OF CRIME
Written by: Gareth Roberts
Directed by: Alan Wareing
Parts: 2

This story sees the TARDIS arriving on the Rock of Judgement - an asteroid prison used by the natives of the Uva Beta Uva system. There, the team encounter a police officer named Frank Spiggot, who initially claims to be looking into anomalies in the computer system.

However, they soon discover that he’s really looking into the murders of a mining team on Planet Eleven. He says that the environmental engineer had been crushed to death, and that the only person he knows who killed in that manner was Xais - a dangerous, psychic mutated human. However, it was reported that Xais had been executed on the Rock three years prior, and so Spiggot is trying to find out if she might be alive.

It turns out that, although she had been executed, Xaix’s consciousness lives on through a death mask. We learn that just before her execution, an artist made a mask of her face out of helicon, and she was able to imprint her mind in the mask, allowing it to survive. With this death mask, it allows Xais to possess those who wear it, with Xais planning on killing hundreds of people - which she refers to as “normals” to avenge her fellow mutants who were killed by the normals.

We see Xais taking control of the Rock’s chief of security named Margo, where she proceeds to sabotage the Rock's computer system to deactivate the defences, allowing her criminal allies on board. We’d also discover that a High Archon on the Rock, named Pyerpoint, is actually the head of a large criminal empire & plans to use Xais to set himself up as ruler of the system. Partway through the story, when Margo is killed, Pyerpoint forces Xais’s mask onto Bernice, allowing her to be possessed. However, the Doctor is eventually able to help free her from the mask.

Xais convinces Pyerpoint to put on the mask so she can give him the secret of her immortality. However, whilst struggling for control, he is killed by one of the station's robots, which Pyerpoint had ironically programmed earlier to kill any intruders. Then, deprived of a body, Xais would be defeated when the Doctor & Frank create a formula that renders Xais’ helicon mask inert, eliminating any remnants of her mind from it.

DAMAGED GOODS
Written by: Russell T. Davies
Directed by: Graeme Harper
Parts: 2

The would’ve been primarily set in 1980s London, where we see the Doctor investigating a new drug named Smile, which is being sold by a dealer named the capper, who apparently died many years ago. It turns out that a Gallifreyan machine named N-Form has bonded with the Cappers corpse & took on his identity. We find that the N-form was created for the war against the Great Vampires & is looking for a vampiric waveform, which it finds in a boy named Gabriel Tyler & his long lost twin brother that his mother gave away in 1977.

The mother, Winnie, sold one of her children, named Steven, to the Jericho family as money was low. However, Gabriel had a low-level Glamour, which made people view him however they wished, as well as being mildly telepathic. We find that the twins were psychically linked, and their separation damaged the connection. Which caused Gabriel to unknowingly drain energy from Steven.

After ten years, Eva Jericho brought the sickly Steven to Winnie, asking her to exchange the "damaged goods" for a healthy son. The proximity of his twin caused Gabriel to draw the remaining life from Steven, which killed him & resulted in the activation of N-from. The N-form eventually merges with Stevens mother, Eva, & Gabriel & goes out on a killing spree. However, the doctor is able to deactivate N-Form by causing Eva's death, which leaves Gabriel in a vegetative state.

PLANET OF THE NESTENE
Written by: Jim Mortimore
Directed by: Andrew Grieve

The story sees the Doctor, Bernice & Chris being summoned to Little Caldwell by Bernice's Father, Isaac, who explains that he needs their help in his investigation into a tech company named Purasuch. He explains that the company has gone from being practically non-existent to one of the biggest companies in the world within a matter of months, thanks to their cheap but highly advanced plastic mobile phones. The Doctor initially seems confused as to why he needs his help investigating Purasuch, but after seeing just how advanced the phones are - being composed of tech which is at least 50 years ahead of its time, he agrees to help.

The story would see the Doctor, Bernice & Chris working alongside Isaac & The Pyramid to investigate & possibly uncover a potential alien invasion which is operating under the disguise of Purasuch. The Doctor eventually discovers that the CEO of Purasuch, Jill Kramer, is actually under the control of the Nestene Consciousness. We find that the Nestene has been forcing Jill & Purasuch to produce these Mobile Phones as they act as transmitters, which’ll bring the Nestene down to Earth - the phones being sold at a cheap price in order to increase the amount of active transmitters.

When Jill realises that the Doctor is onto them, Nestene forces Jill to begin the invasion. We see every phone across the Earth screeching out an ear-piercing sound, as it pulls the Nestene closer & closer to Earth. We also see hundreds of shop window dummies coming to life, with a full-blown Auton assault commencing.

Eventually however, the Doctor, with help from Isaac & Bernice, is able to stop the Nestene’s arrival by intersecting the transmission signal & replacing it with a wave that’ll instead expel the Nestene from Earth’s atmosphere. This signal also makes all Autons harmless & destroys all of the Purasuch phones. We then end with the trio saying their farewells to the Pyramid team, before leaving in the TARDIS.

NERVE GAS
Written by: Paul Cornell
Directed by: Stuart McDonald
Parts: 2

This story begins with the Doctor, Bernice & Chris arriving in what they initially believed to be 1990s London in the middle of the night. However, after a few minutes, the trio are surrounded by Nazi officers & arrested for breaking curfew. As they’re being taken to a small prison, they start to see Nazi symbolism scattered across the city, leading them to realise that the unthinkable has happened: Somehow, the timeline has changed and Nazi Germany has won the Second World War.

Once in jail, the Doctor, Bernice & Chris begin theorising exactly how & when history changed in order to create this timeline. Chris wonders whether any of their previous adventures have anything to do with it, but the Doctor believes that whatever or whoever caused this has nothing to do with them. Theorising that the TARDIS might be able to tell them where history went wrong, the trio proceed to break out of jail, subdue the guards & make a sprint back to the TARDIS. However, before the trio can re-enter the TARDIS, the Doctor is grabbed & held at gunpoint by a Nazi High Commanding Officer, who orders the Doctor & Chris to surrender. The two are forced to comply & then arrested again, with the commanding officer telling them that the Führer wishes to meet them. Confused as to how the Führer knows who the Doctor is, but suspecting he’ll get proper answers from him, the Doctor allows himself to be dragged away.

The group are taken to a giant government building, where they’re taken to stand before the Führer - and to the Doctor’s horror, the Führer is none other than The Master. The Master orders his men to leave him to talk to the Doctor, and they all exit the room. The Doctor, filled with boiling rage, confronts the Master, asking him what the hell he thinks he’s doing. The Master then reveals his motives behind changing the timelines, saying that he believes with the right guide & the right man in charge, the Nazi’s had the potential to be one of the greatest warrior races in history, comparing them to the likes of the Daleks.

The Master then reveals to the Doctor exactly how he changed the timeline. He reveals that in the original timeline, the Nazi’s created a deadly weapon which was lost & completely destroyed towards the end of war. Fortunately for the Master, he knew all about this deadly weapon, and so went back in time to find & return the weapon to the Nazi’s. From there, he helped the Nazis fight back & eventually win WW2, as well as slowly climbing up the ranks into the position of the new Führer. The Doctor asks what exactly this deadly weapon was, to which the Master says he’s about to find out, as he signals for his guards to take away the Doctor & his companions to “The Cage”.

The Doctor & companions are then tossed into a stone chamber & the doors are sealed behind them. A few moments later, the sound of old pipes creaking echoes through the chamber, followed by the faint sound of gas escaping. The trio notice a strange, green chemical gas slowly seeping into the room through a ventilation shaft… a nerve gas. The Doctor sniffs the air & tells Bernice & Chris to keep well back, saying that if this is what he thinks it is, then they’ll be dead if they even inhale a molecule of it. As the group backs into a corner The Doctor rummages through his pockets & pulls out a box of matches from his pockets. He proceeds to strike a match & throw it into the gas, causing the gas to ignite & burn out.

Seeing the Doctor’s survival on a CCTV camera, the Master barks at his men to shoot them dead. Two armed guards then enter the chamber, but are knocked unconscious by Bernice & Chris. As they snatch their rifles off their bodies, the alarms are raised. The trio sprint through the prison & break out through a back door. As they dash back to the TARDIS, we see what looks like the entire army chasing after them. Arriving at the TARDIS, three Nazi officers are waiting for the trio. However, Bernice & Chris gun them down. They then make their way into the TARDIS & take off.

 Once in-flight, the Doctor uses the TARDISes data banks to identity the nerve gas, as well as locating where & when the Master acquired it. He eventually identifies the gas as Gastron 7, just as the Doctor had suspected - one of the most dangerous experimental weapons conducted by the Nazis during World War 2. From there, he’s successfully able to track down its source of origin, which is onboard a Nazi cargo ship which was last located in the South Pole in July of 1945.

The TARDIS then lands in the South Pole, where the Doctor, Bernice & Chris are greeted by the sight of the Nazi cargo ship, trapped within the ice but slowly sinking. As they approach the ship, they’re suddenly surrounded & held at gunpoint by a group of Russian soldiers, who question the trio about their presence. The Doctor manages to convince them that they’re secret agents on behalf of His Majesty’s Secret Service, before questioning what the Russians are doing here. Their Captain, Mikhaylov explains that they’ve received intel from a Nazi POW that the cargo ship contains a deadly nerve gas & the Russians are here to destroy it, believing that no army on Earth - not even Mother Russia - should possess such a deadly weapon. However, he also explains that they need to be quick with their mission, as the POW also revealed that a small group of Nazi’s led by a strange, shady man, is also in the area & are hoping to reclaim the nerve gas.

Agreeing to work with the Russians, with the Doctor choosing to believe Mikhaylov, the trio join the Russians on their expedition through the vessel. The group enters the bowels of the Cargo Ship, & proceed to make their way towards the heart of the ship where the Gastron is being explored. As they venture deeper, they come across numerous corpses of Nazi officers - their faces smothered in cuts, rashes & exploded pockets of skin - presumably, the victims of some kind of accident involving a leak. The crew also navigate through several obstacles & blockages, pushing through the rubble of the collapsing ship & carefully balancing across a part of the ship that is close to collapsing.

Eventually, the group make it to the heart of the ship. They enter a large laboratory, containing several testing chambers & huge tanks containing Gastron 7. The Doctor looks around the room in disgust - taking in the sights of the worst of humanity, before stating that they need to destroy this ship once and for all. However, before anyone can act, Mikhaylov announces in a clear, and all too familiar english voice that he’ll be taking over from now on. Hearing his voice, the Doctor turns around as Mikhaylov begins to pull the fake skin off his face… The Master. Three of the Russian soldiers hold the Master at gunpoint, before their guns are shot out of their hands by the three other Russian soldiers, revealing themselves to be working for the Master. And as the Doctor’s party attempts to back out of the room, the doorway is blocked by two Nazi officers.

The Master then reveals to the Doctor that he is the same version of the Master he met in 1995. Knowing that the Doctor would likely try & stop him, the Master simply followed the Doctor back to 1945 & sent a telepathic message to his younger self, telling him to wait for two more hours before retrieving the Gastron - giving the older Master time to dispose of the Doctor & keep his timeline intact. The Doctor tells the Master that he won’t get away with this. The Master chuckles & tells him that he already has - he’s already won, before ordering his men to grab the Doctor’s group & lock them away, saying that they might as well test the Gastron while they’re here.

The Doctor, Bernice & Chris, and one of the Russians, Pvt. Kuzmin, are locked in a chamber, whilst the remaining two Russians are thrown in a chamber opposite them. A Nazi operates a control panel & the sound of pipes creaking & gas travelling begins to echo throughout the room. The Gastron begins to pump into the cell containing the Russians. As the gas enters the room, their lungs breathe in the deadly agent. Their skin begins to crack, boil, burn, melt - almost every imaginable horrifying way to die. The chamber echoes with blood-crawling screams, before their now lifeless bodies slowly drift to the ground. Bernice, Chris & Kuzmin stare into the other room with horror & stress written over their faces.

The Master looks into the Doctor’s chamber & tells him farewell, before pulling down a second switch. And a few seconds later… nothing. The control panel alerts the Master of a fault deeper within the ship which is blocking the Gastron from entering the Doctor’s chamber. The Master takes the Nazi soldiers with him to locate the fault, while he orders the other two to check for any more faults on the control panel, giving the Doctor & his group a small window of time to save their skin.

The Doctor quickly turns to Kuzmin & orders him to radio into High Command to tell them to sink the ship. Kuzmin explains that they’ll all die this way, but the Doctor tells him to just do it, with a hint of anger under his breath. Kuzmin fumbles with his radio & tells High Command to destroy the ship, citing it as a Code Black - no survivors. A few seconds later, the whole ship begins to rumble. Suddenly, the entire room is hit with a mighty force, which blows the doors off the chambers. Bernice, Chris & Kuzmin dash out the chamber & knock the three Russians out cold.

The Doctor then orders Bernice & Chris to get back to the TARDIS. The two protest to this order, before the Doctor yells at them to do as they are told. The two reluctantly & quietly agree before they dash away back to the TARDIS. The Doctor, meanwhile, tells Kuzmin to follow him - saying that they’ve got to stop the Master no matter what. The two dash down several corridors until they find the Master & his men. The Master’s men & Kuzmin are caught in a gunfight, which Kuzmin wins. The two hold the Master at gunpoint, with the Doctor telling the Master that it's over. The Master then laughs saying that it’s far from being over just yet, before swiping out a sidearm from under his coat & gunning down Kazmin with a single shot. The Doctor then throws the Master to the ground, causing him to accidentally fire his gun at a pipe in the wall.

The pipe begins to rapidly shoot out a green gas - Gastron 7. Meanwhile, Bernice & Chris who are still making their way out of the ship, hear the gunfire, gas escaping & the violent coughing of the Doctor - and dash back into the ship, fearing the absolute worst. They turn a few corners & find the Doctor - his face covered in burn marks & blisters, slowly crawling across the ground. However, there’s no sign of the Master. Chris turns the Doctor over to examine him. His hearts are slowly stopping, his coughing gets more & more drier & his voice has turned to gravel. Bernice & Chris sling the Doctor’s arms over their shoulders & begin to carry the Doctor out of the ship. However, unbeknownst to the trio, we see the Master, covered in very few blemishes from the Gastron, but clearly close to the brink of death. We see him watch the Doctor being carried away, before turning down a corridor. We then hear the familiar sounds of a TARDIS taking off...

We then see the trio emerging from the ship, with Bernice & Chris still carrying the Doctor. They steadily approach the TARDIS, as we see one final missile strike down on the side of the ship, causing it to explode even more & finally sink fully under the ice. As they approach the TARDIS, the Doctor uses his remaining strength to stand on his own. He retrieves the TARDIS key from his Doctor’s pocket & unlocks the doors. Bernice & Chris help him inside as he begins to lose his balance.

On board the TARDIS, Bernice dematerialises the TARDIS whilst Chris helps the Doctor into his chair, where he momentarily passes out. The Doctor is dying & there’s nothing they can do. The Doctor lets out a few violent coughs, as he begins to slowly reopen his eyes. Bernice dashes to his side in panic & asks the Doctor to tell her what she can do to save him. The Doctor sighs & says he’s afraid there’s nothing she can do… this old body has had it. Bernice asks the Doctor if it’s time, and the Doctor nods. Tears begin to form in Bernice’s eyes, as she puts her head into his knee.

Chris is a little taken by this remark - it’s time, asking if this means what he thinks it means. Bernice lifts her head, wiping a tear from her eye, before saying it does - regeneration - the death of one Doctor & the birth of a completely new one.

 The Doctor tells Bernice & Chris to be tough; be strong & to look after the new one. He sighs & says “It’s like i always say… Nothing lasts forever. Not even life… Take care, you two… I’ll be seeing you”. As the Doctor closes his eyes & braces himself, a burst of bright light forms around the Doctor. Bernice & Chris watch as the old man that changed their lives is engulfed by a bright light. Under the light, they can see the skin smoothing, the great beard retracting & the hair darkening, as their Doctor is replaced with a much younger man. The light snaps away & Bernice & Chris are left staring at the new Doctor, played by Hugh Bonneville. As if suddenly waking up from a nap, the new Doctor snaps to life. Taking a few moments to adjust, he realises he no longer needs his glasses & takes them off. He looks at his companions & says “So… that went about as smoothly as can be expected…”

CONCLUSION

Season 32 would be regarded as an interesting & slightly divisive season. At the time, many felt unsure on whether the 45 minute format would work with Doctor Who. It would later be discovered that stories this year started out in life as traditional 3 or 4 part stories but were mashed together for the new format. Nevertheless, most people agreed that Carnival Films were a solid pick to run Doctor Who & felt that the Eighth Doctor was given a good send-off.

Overall, Griffiths’ tenure as the Doctor would go down as both one of the best, as well as one of the most important. It’s thanks Griffiths & the likes of Ian Fraser & Ben Aaronovitch, that Doctor Who was able to survive into the 1990s - going from crawling on its knees to once again standing strong.

And so, the Eighth Doctor’s tenure came to a close, and a new, younger actor was waiting in the wings for his tenure to begin. Following on from Griffiths would be a tough act & would be a daunting task for any actor. Could Bonneville be the man to do it?