Doctor Who: The Cancelled Years | Season 37 (2000)

At the dawn of the 21st century, Doctor Who was in an interesting place. After four years in time & space with Hugh Bonneville’s Ninth Doctor, audiences had become accustomed to the shows’ current status quo. But, like all things, it had to end eventually. Not only was Bonneville stepping down, but so were the creatives that had guided his era. The time had come for a new team to step in & continue the legacy with the Tenth Doctor. And whilst audiences were excited to see the new Doctor in action, they were unaware about the radical changes that were to precede…

DOCTOR WHO: SEASON 37 - 2000

Season 37 of Doctor Who would've starred Aidan Gillen as the Tenth Doctor, along with Helen Baxendale as Jean Robinson, with Russell T Davies acting as showrunner.

Season 37 would've marked the beginning of a brand new era & a soft reboot for Doctor Who, with the debut of a new Doctor & new production team, led by head writer, Russell T Davies. Davies, while immensely respecting the outgoing era, wished to move the show away from the heavy Star Trek inspired tales of the Bonneville era & wanted to shift more focus on the characters, something which had slowly been integrated into the show since the McCoy era, while also introducing a sense of edginess, which was present in similar shows that caught the attention of young adults, such as the immensely popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which was now being seen as the main rival to Doctor Who.

This would also be the first season for the new Doctor, Aidan Gillen. Davies had recently worked with Gillen on his own show, Queer as Folk, which is what eventually led to him being cast as the new Doctor. The new Doctor would be a much more human Doctor than his recent predecessors. He would often drop pop culture references & would often crack jokes. In an attempt to further explore his more human persona, it was also decided by Russell that a potential relationship could be formed with the new Doctor & his current companion, Jean Robinson. When news of this potential development was announced, there was a swarm of anger & disapproval from the fanbase, who believed this totally went against the Doctor's asexuality.

Another radical departure would be the new Doctors costume. Gone was the classic Edwardian silhouette of the Doctor. In its place was arguably the most ordinary outfit the Doctor had ever worn. A white t-shirt, with a dark navy blue leather jacket & grey jumper, denim trousers & brown shoes, this Doctor's outfit was arguably the most down-to-earth outfit ever worn by the eccentric Time Lord. Like the change in character, this also caused major backlash from fans.

Behind the scenes, further extensive changes were made for the new Season. A new logo was commissioned for the first time since 1993. This would be the first non-stacked logo & would instead be a single line, although a stacked version would be used on certain merchandise. To go alongside this new logo would be a new title sequence. This time, the titles would feature a mix of both space travel & vortex travel, with a consistent colour scheme of green. A new arrangement of the theme tune would be made to go alongside these new titles. In an attempt to make the new titles extra special, the production team reached out to film composer, David Arnold, and offered him the job of creating the new title music. Composing the rest of the music for the series would be Murray Gold - the only composer commissioned for the season, who’d recently worked with Russell on Queer as Folk.

The show's format & episode count had been majorly tweaked. The episode count was slightly increased from 12 to 13. However, there would now be 10 stories per season; with 7 single-parters & 3 two-parters. Also, the show’s previous 4:3 aspect ratio was changed to a more modern 16:9 aspect ratio.

With single 45-minute adventures being the norm now, Russell decided that he needed a way to stop the episodes from slowing down. A complaint he had with the 45-minute rule during seasons 32-36 was that it often resulted in stories having awkward pacing whenever the Doctor was either stuck in a tricky situation, such as being accused of being a spy. Therefore, he decided to reintroduce the Sonic Screwdriver to the show. The sonic, while still retaining its original silhouette, was given a noticeable redesign. Another addition to the script would be the Psychic Paper, which allows the Doctor to get past the whole "accused of being a spy" trope, as it makes people see the Doctor's identity as whoever they want to see.

A major change behind the scenes was how / who was producing Doctor Who. After five years having the show being produced by Carnival Films, and with the heads at Carnival losing interest in the property, it was decided that the series would go back to being produced by the BBC themselves. From 2000 onwards, the show would now be produced in-house by BBC Wales, with the production now filming in Cardiff. For the production team, we'd see Russell T Davies, Mal Young & Matthew Robinson (Head of Drama at BBC Wales) credited as the Executive Producers, with Ann Harrison-Baxter, who would later work with Russell on The Second Coming, as the producer, and Matt Jones as the script editor.

Season 37 would air between the 2nd of September, 2000, and the 25th of November, 2000. It would consist of 13 episodes across 10 stories, with seven single-parters & three 2-parters, and would go out weekly on Saturday Night.

THE BLOOD WARRIORS
Written by: Russell T Davies
Directed by: Brian Grant

We begin with a shot of Earth in space. The camera begins to crash to Earth, before settling on a typical estate, where we see the TARDIS landing behind some bins. The doors open & out steps the new Doctor, who hops outside & excitedly examines everything in his surroundings. Jean tries to calm the Doctor down, telling him that she thinks something's gone wrong. The Doctor tells her that he's fine now, before he feels another zap of pain in his chest & falls to his knees. Not knowing what to do, Jean brings the Doctor back inside the TARDIS, where she rests him on a chair.

The Doctor soon recovers, where he tells Jean that his mind is still healing & that he needs help. He then tells Jean to contact UNIT on the TARDIS console, telling her to get through to Brigadier Winifred Bambera & tell her it's Code Palingenesis. Jean turns to the console & makes contact with Bambera, who tells Jean to stay inside the TARDIS & that a squad is on their way. However, when Jean turns back round, the Doctor has vanished.

Cut to the TARDIS wardrobe, where we see the Doctor throwing his old coat & waistcoat off & digging through rows of hanging clothes in search of a new outfit. He eventually settles on a leather jacket, denim trousers & a plain t-shirt. He whips the coat on & feels inside his pockets, where he finds a black ID paper in a leather casing. He identifies it as a 'Psychic Paper' & says it could be useful.

Then cut to the outside world, where we see a UNIT jeep, with Bambera at the wheel, driving around London in search of the TARDIS. The ground begins to tremble a little; then it begins to tremble more. Then suddenly, the ground violently trembles. Then.... *CRASH* - every window & mirror shatters into shards. We cut to a shot of the sky, where we see a spaceship, looking like a giant chunk of rock, entering Earth's atmosphere.

Cut back to the TARDIS interior, where we see the Doctor enter the console room, delighted to see Jean. Jean slaps the Doctor & says he had her worried. The TARDIS scanner begins to blare, warning the Doctor that an unidentified ship has entered Earth's atmosphere. Jean tells the Doctor that UNIT is on their way, with the Doctor saying "good! they'll be useful in a time of crisis like this." The Doctor pulls the lever to open the TARDIS door, before the TARDIS gives the Doctor a brand new Sonic Screwdriver. The Doctor is thrilled to finally have a new Sonic, before he pockets it & he & Jean exit the TARDIS.

Upon exiting the TARDIS, they're greeted by 2 UNIT Jeeps, with Bambera coming out to greet them. The Doctor says that he's sorry for wasting her time, as he's recovered from his post-regeneration quicker than he expected, but says that it looks like he'll still need her help, before looking up into the sky at the alien ship.

We then see the Doctor & Jean taken to UNIT HQ where they work with UNIT to identify the ship & the aliens onboard. Through some character interactions, we see that Bambera approves of the Doctor's new face, as well as learning that she's been promoted to Major General. We also see that Jean feels comfortable trusting the new Doctor, although she's unsure on what type of man he is now & how he'll react differently to the old Doctor, as well as directly comparing the new Doctor to the old one.

Eventually, the Doctor is able to identify the ship as a Mortem Carrier, and identifies the invaders as the Mortem - a race of Vampire-esque Viking Warriors. The Mortem make contact with UNIT, with their leader, Great King Maxwell XIV, demanding that Earth surrender to the Mortem. Despite the Doctor's insistence that he handle this, Bambera replies to Maxwell, stating that the planet is armed & will fight the Mortem. Maxwell says he accepts their challenge, before communications go down. Then suddenly, we see armies of Mortem being zapped down to Earth, where they proceed to try & fight the humans, as well as bite some of their necks & convert them into Mortem.

The Doctor tells Bambera off, before saying that he only knows of one way to defeat the Mortem. He re-establishes communications with Maxwell, where he speaks in an alien language (translated by a UNIT Scientist using a device) & challenges Maxwell to a duel of the minds. Maxwell laughs & strikes his staff into the ground. We then see a blue glow encase the Doctor, Jean & Bambera, as they're teleported aboard the Mortem Carrier.

The Doctor explains to Jean & Bambera that the only way to defeat the Mortem is to banish them from Earth, which can only be done by a warrior mightier than them. However, the only way to prove that one is more powerful than a Mortem King is through a duel of the minds - where the minds of the King & the challenger are joined together & thrown into a sword fight to the death. We see the Doctor & Maxwell rest their heads on a machine, where their minds are plugged in & connected.

We then see the Doctor & Mortem King standing alone in a black void. Two swords materialise from thin air. They grabbed their swords & ready themselves. The chime of an ancient Gong echoes through the void & the fight commences. We see the two of them thrown into a big sword fight. Initially, Maxwell appears to be better than the Doctor, to the point where he nearly gets his head chopped off. However, the Doctor is eventually able to overpower Maxwell & pin him down to the ground. The Doctor tells Maxwell that he will spare his life, but on the condition that his Battalion leave Earth & never return. Maxwell ultimately agrees & surrenders his life to the Doctor.

With the fight won, we cut back to reality, where the Doctor & Maxwell are disconnected from the machine. The Mortem army are then teleported back onto the Carrier, where the Doctor addresses the entire Battalion. He says that by the Order of the Red Gods (the Mortem religion which is baked into every warrior), their King has been defeated by a mightier warrior. The Battalion of Great King Maxwell XIV are hereby banished from Earth; never to return. He then orders the Battalion to warn the rest of the universe about Earth, to tell them that it is protected.

We then see the Doctor, Jean & Bambera being zapped back down to Earth, before the ship flies off back into the stars. The story ends with the Doctor & Jean arriving back at the TARDIS. The Doctor checks in with Jean to see how she's holding up & if she still wants to keep travelling with him. Jean says yes, and we end with the two of them entering the TARDIS & taking off in search for another adventure.

PLANT MATTER
Written by: Mark Gatiss
Directed by: Richard Stroud

The story sees the Doctor taking Jean to Freeland - one of the largest colony worlds to exist. Specifically, he takes her to Freeland's Interstellar Market - a giant trade hub at the centre of the planet. We see the two of them exploring local shops & Jean buying weird alien tat. We also see the Doctor & Jean joking about this being their first "date" - the first hint that the relationship between the Doctor & Jean is about to be taken into new territories.

However, their date is shortly interrupted by the sound of a scream echoing through the Market, as the Doctor & Jean rush to the scene. Pushing past the local police, they find the body of a young woman, whose veins are beginning to turn green. Realising that an unusual, possibly extraterrestrial, killer is loose, the Market is put into lockdown, leading the Doctor & Jean to investigate.

The story sees the Doctor & Jean working with the local law enforcement to try & track down the killer. We see the Doctor analysing the blood of the victim, a woman named Isabella, where he discovers that their DNA is being rewritten into plant matter. We also see tensions rising between the humans & a race of plant-like aliens named the Triff, with the humans accusing the Triff of the murders.

The Doctor leaves Isabella's body with the local police. However, when he returns, he finds that not only are the police now dead, and also infected with the same plant matter, but that Isabella has moved. The Doctor checks the CCTV footage, where he sees Isabella rising to her feet & attacking the police officers using her green veins, which shoot out of her arm like webs.

The story then turns into a horror / zombie survival story, where we see the trapped population slowly being picked off by the infected, which the Doctor dubs as the Plantated, while the Doctor attempts to try & find a cure, as well as the source of origin. He eventually discovers that the source of this plant virus came from a mutated vegetable product in a food stall, which was consumed by Stephen. Using a sample of this mutated plant matter, however, the Doctor is able to develop an antivirus, which should restore everyone back to normal.

The story ends with the Doctor infecting the Market's water output with the Anti-virus, before activating the sprinklers. The sprinklers begin to shoot out water, which is infected with the anti-virus, onto the Plantated, which eventually returns everyone back to normal.

NIGHT OF THE SCARECROWS
Written by: Steven Moffat
Directed by: Sandy Johnson

The story would’ve been set in the fictional village of Fincher. The story would be told through the found-footage format. The story primarily follows a woman named Catherine Darlington, who has come to Fincher on holiday with her mum & dad, Bradley & Jess, her brother, Charlie, and her boyfriend, Andy.

The story initially sees Catherine & her family arriving in Fincher, where they unpack in their rented cottage, before exploring the local scenery. We’d also have some internal family drama, with Catherine & Andy being madly in love, despite her dad’s disapproval. We then cut to night time, where we see the group heading out to the local pub for some drinks & grub.

We initially see them walking along the pathway, where we see some conflict breaking out between Bradley & Jess. However, before Bradley can take a swing at Andy, the group’s attention is caught when they spy a group of scarecrows stumbling their way into town. Everyone in the area watches & starts filming the scarecrows, wondering whether this is some form of practical joke. Suddenly, one of the scarecrows reaches inside its body & pulls out a futuristic device. It aims it at an old lady & squeezes the trigger down, which fires a laser that disintegrates the lady into ash.

The story then turns into a typical alien invasion story, where we see Catherine & her family running & trying to escape the scarecrows. They try to flee the area in Bradley’s car, only to discover that the battery is dead. They then try phoning for help, only there’s no signal. Realising they’re on their own, the group makes their way to the local pub, where they barricade all the doors, leaving them trapped.

We then have more character drama, with Bradley & Andy making peace. However, this moment is interrupted by the sound of a scarecrow breaking through the main doors. Then suddenly, out of the back door, a strange man & a young woman enters the scene - The Doctor & Jean. The Doctor uses his sonic to turn the scarecrow into a pile of straw, before using the sonic to seal the door for good.

The Doctor explains who he & Jean are, before explaining that the scarecrows are being controlled by a race of aliens known as the Koravians. He further explains that Catherine’s family are the only survivors & that the only way to defeat the Koravians is to blow up their ship, which would in-turn blow up the entirety of Fincher. He then orders Catherine’s family into the TARDIS, but Catherine turns back to the Doctor & offers to help him.

We then see the Doctor, Jean & Catherine storming out of the pub & pushing past the Scarecrows, as they make their way to the nearby fields, where the Koravian spaceship lays. The trio enter the spaceship, where the Doctor throws Catherine the sonic & asks her to help Jean to deactivate the ship's safety protocols. We then see Jean & Catherine working together to deactivate the safety protocols, while they watch the Doctor on a monitor, as he confronts a group of off-screen Koravians. The Doctor gives a usual “stand down or i will stop you” threat, which of course goes nowhere.

With the safety protocols disabled, the ship begins to go into meltdown. The Doctor dashes out of the main door, with Jean & Catherine following close behind, sprinting towards the entrance ramp as the ship prepares for takeoff. The Doctor & Jean roll off the ramp & onto the ground. However, Catherine is grabbed mid-air by a Koravian - a typical bug-eyed monster, which Catherine’s camera gets a good view of. Catherine is able to break free of its grip & successfully escapes the ship, while also dropping the camera in the process.

Catherine attempts to retrieve her camera, but Jean grabs her arm & tells her to leave it, as we see the trio dash off-screen. We stay in the camera’s POV - lying in some grass, with a view of the Koravian spaceship taking off in the distance. We hear the TARDIS dematerialising off-screen, followed by the spaceship exploding. We see a giant shockwave filling the area, hurtling straight towards the camera. The wave hits, and the footage cuts to a glitchy error screen, before ending the episode by suddenly cutting to black

THE HOLY TERROR
Written by: Robert Shearman
Directed by: Richard Stroud
Parts: 2

This story sees the Doctor & Jean arriving in what appears to be a mediaeval castle, after the crowning of its new emperor, Pepin VI. Wanting to learn more about the place they’ve arrived in, the Doctor visits a man named Eugene, who is responsible for writing the new bible. However the Doctor notices that all the old bibles of previous emperors appear to have been written by Eugene.

Interacting with some of the locals, the Doctor & Jean find them to be odd - like poorly written characters. This leads the Doctor to investigate, where he discovers a secret room underneath the castle. He finds that where a man named Childeric has his son locked in a small room, cut off from human interaction, as he hopes by raising a person who's never interacted with someone or even heard someone speak, he’ll become a god, who speaks the language of the gods. Eugene is terrified of the boy, as he believes he’s seen the face of the boy before.

Eventually the boy is released. However when he is, he’s like an evil god & wants to kill everyone. He begins to look for his father. & after scanning Childeric, he discovers that Childeric isn’t his father, and this results in the boy using his powers to destroy Childeric.

The boy then begins shifting around the castle, searching for his father. & anyone who isn’t ends up being killed. & we eventually learn from the Doctor & Eugene that Eugene is the boy’s father. It turns out that the entire castle is a prison created by Eugene for himself after he murdered his son. He made the castle & filled it with generic stereotype characters in an attempt to escape his guilt for murdering his son. However, his son has become a part of the dream & we learn that Eugene has been reliving the same events for a long time, where his son goes in search for his father, before Eugene is forced to kill him again, which would restore everything back to normal & everything repeats over & over again.

Eventually, the Doctor helps Eugene break free of the cycle by convincing him not to kill his son, but instead Eugene lets the son kill him, which results in everything around them fading from existence, leaving only the Doctor & Jean

WRONG LIVES
Written by: Russell T Davies
Directed by: Brian Grant

The story begins with the Doctor & Jean in the TARDIS, where we see them having a laugh at an off-screen adventure. However, they're interrupted when the TARDIS scanner warns them about an incoming Wavestorm. The Doctor jumps to his feet & begins working at the console, carefully piloting the TARDIS through the storm. Then suddenly, the TARDIS is caught in a pocket of the storm, causing the console to spark & knocking the Doctor & Jean unconscious.

We then cut to a POV shot from Jean's perspective, where we hear her asking if JEAN's fine. We see them stand up & look at the Doctor. The Doctor looks at Jean & starts freaking out, asking what the hell he's doing... outside her body. We then cut to a shot of the Doctor & Jean, as the two of them realise... they've somehow body swapped. Somehow, the Doctor's mind has been transferred into Jean's body, and Jean's mind has been transferred into the Doctor's body.

We then see the Doctor (played by Baxendale) piloting the TARDIS to a space station hospital named St. Lambert's. There, the Doctor meets with a Doctor named Wilson, who can help put the Doctor & Jean's minds back into their rightful bodies. However, before the operation can be performed, the hospital's power is drained & the hospital is raided by a group of fish-like space pirates known as the Premu. The Leader of the Premu, named Gatail, hijacks the intercom system & announces that he knows Whiles is here & that he's here to kill him.

The story sees the Doctor & Jean trying to find out who this Whiles is & what he's done to upset the Premu, as well as trying to find a way to get rid of the Premu & restore the power. Throughout the story, we see Jean (played by Gillen) becoming weaker & weaker. It turns out that Jean's mind is too weak & small for the Doctor's brain, which is slowly killing her. The Doctor realises that they must restore the power & get Jean's mind back in her rightful body, otherwise she'll die & the Doctor will forever be stuck in Jean's body.

Eventually, the Doctor discovers that Whiles is actually Doctor Wilson. It turns out that Wilson was originally a Premu, who, like his former brothers, robbed & killed. However, it eventually dawned on Whiles that what he was doing was wrong, just wrong. So, in an attempt to escape from his old life, he faked his death & proceeded to transfer his mind into a human clone body.

The Doctor then works with Wilson to try & find a way of tricking the Premu into thinking he’s dead. Wilson then reveals that he has, in storage, a backup robotic body which he could transfer his mind into. However, without any power, they can’t make the transfer. The Doctor then comes up the risky plan of transferring some backup energy, that’s keeping Life Support in Wilson’s ward active, into the transfer machine, which’ll provide just enough energy for Wilson to transfer his mind. After some setting up & emptying the Ward, everything is ready. The Doctor then uses her Sonic to transfer the last of the Ward’s energy from Life Support to the Transfer Machine. Although it nearly kills the trio, the Doctor is able to complete the transfer & re-re-direct power back to Life Support just before he & Jean run out of air.

The Doctor checks on Wilson, where she finds the transfer to have been a success, with Wilson’s mind now inhabiting a robot body. However, Jean’s mind is starting to decay as she passes out. Time is running out. Presenting Wilson’s old body to the Premu, they officially declare Whiles to be dead & stick to their word. They return to their shuttle, where they restore power & blast off into space. We then end with the Doctor carrying Jean onto the transfer device, where Wilson is successfully able to restore the Doctor & Jean back to their rightful bodies in time.

OLD FRIENDS
Written by: Alan Barnes
Directed by: Euros Lyn

The story sees the Doctor & Jean investigating the fictional Crimson Creek College by posing as a couple of investors. We learn that the college has invited a bunch of potential investors to the college in the hope of gaining financial backing for a new IT wing. We also learn that the Doctor & Jean are investigating the college for anything alien, after finding reports of students vanishing without a trace.

Whilst secretly investigating the college, the Doctor recognises one of the investors as his old companion, Bernice Summerfield. The Doctor makes light conversation with Bernice, while keeping his identity a secret, as well as explaining to Jean who Bernice is.

We then cut to night, where we see both the Doctor & Jean landing the TARDIS inside the college, as well as Bernice Summerfield breaking into the building. We see the two groups using their tracking devices (the sonic screwdriver for the Doctor, and a random tracker for Bernice), which brings the two parties to the lower levels. There, the Doctor bumps right into Bernice, where she works out that this man is the Doctor. After a quick reunion scene, as well as Bernice & Jean getting to know each other, the trio enter a nearby lift, where the Doctor hacks it & they descend to the lower levels.

On the bottom floor, we see the trio doing some investigating, before the Doctor discovers a locked, heavily fortified door. He sonics it open, which reveals a giant room filled with computers & a giant, floating box in the centre of the room. Entering the room, the trio discover hundreds of students wearing different versions of the Crimson Creek College uniform from throughout the college's history. Each student is trapped in a glass box, sat down on a chair &, seemingly hypnotised, rapidly typing a form of alien code onto a computer.

Not knowing the origin of this alien tech, the Doctor concludes that he'll have to steal some of its code & use the TARDIS to scan it. Bernice pulls out some sort of futuristic USB & plants it into a computer, which downloads the code onto the USB. Then suddenly, a loud alarm begins blaring throughout the college & the exit doors close behind the Doctor, Jean & Bernice. & then, out of the shadows, emerges the teachers from the college, led by the Headmaster, Mr Hughes. The teacher's eyes suddenly turn into a yellow-green colour & the teachers announce in unison "you shouldn't be here", as they begin to close in on the Doctor's group.

The Doctor sonics the door open & he & his companions sprint back to the Lift, while the teachers chase after them. The trio successfully escape into the Lift just in time & they travel to the ground floor, where they quickly dash out of the college. The Doctor then says that he needs to get back into the college in order to retrieve the TARDIS. However, the building is put into lockdown, leaving the Doctor separated from the TARDIS.

We then see Bernice taking The Doctor & Jean in an SUV to Cardiff, initially to the Doctor's confusement. Bernice explains to the Doctor that, several years ago, the rift that was previously located in Little Caldwell drifted from Berkshire to Cardiff, and so the team moved with it. Bernice parks the SUV in a private garage, before taking the Doctor & Jean to a Coffee / Book shop that looks like a more modern design to the original Pyramid exterior in Little Caldwell. She pulls a hidden lever, disguised as a book on a bookshelf, which reveals a hidden elevator behind some stairs. Boarding the elevator, the trio are taken underground to The Pyramid's new main base of operations. Bernice explains to the Doctor that since taking over from her father, she's managed to turn his little railroad operation into something much bigger with a much grander facility. We see the new Pyramid Headquarters to be a sleek & modern looking room, filled with highly advanced computers & alien technology.

Bernice then introduces the Doctor & Jean to her colleagues: Jennifer Ward, a Zygon suffering with Defimorphia - a disease that prevents them from shapeshifting, played by Keeley Hawes, and Jack Afton, a human mind in an Auton body, played by David Oyelowo. Once everyone has been introduced, the Doctor works with Bernice to decipher the alien code on her USB stick, which reveals that the technology is of Gryllotin origin - the Gryllotin being a race of mighty warriors that were thought to be extinct.

The next day, we see the Doctor, v Jean & Bernice returning to the college, where the Doctor confronts Mr Hughes, who reveals what he & the rest of the Gryllotin are planning. It turns out that the giant, floating box in the basement is actually a prison which houses the Grakross - the ancient God of the Gryllotin. He also reveals that for over 200 years, the Gryllotin have controlled Crimson Creek College & have been kidnapping & hypnotising the smartest pupils every year to a machine. They then use the minds of the children to decode thousands of lockdown sequences built within the prison to free the Graknoss.

The story then sees the Doctor & Jean working with Bernice, Jennifer & Jack to defeat the Gryllotin & stop them from releasing the Graknoss. Eventually, the Gryllotin are defeated when the Doctor trips the security on the Graknoss prison, which sets the prison box to self destruct. They then proceed to free all of the students & escape the college before it explodes, which in turn kills the Gryllotin.

The story then ends with the Doctor saying his farewells to Bernice & The Pyramid, before he & Jean return to the TARDIS.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT
Written by: Steve Lyons
Directed by: Sheree Folkson

The story sees the Doctor & Jean arriving on an Earth spaceship in the far future named the Revelation. At first, we follow the high ranking crew of the ship, where we learn that the ship was designed to experiment with new ways of travelling through space. We also learn that one of these experiments is about to begin, as they plan to test a new engine variant named Star Drive, which, if successful, will allow for Earth ships to break the faster-than-light barrier.

We then see the Doctor & Jean in the TARDIS, where we see the Doctor piloting the TARDIS through an Artron storm. However, the TARDIS is struck by a meteorite & is forced to make an emergency landing on the Revelation, mere minutes before their Star Drive test begins. The Doctor then proceeds to duck under the console & do some quick repairs. However, after a few moments, the crew of the Revelation become aware of the TARDISes arrival, which the Doctor & Jean discover over the TARDIS monitor. The pair step out of the TARDIS to greet the crew & explain their arrival. However, before they can properly explain the TARDIS, the Revelation enters Star Drive.

At first, the Star Drive appears to work. The ship's engines power on & the Revelation is shot across space. Then suddenly, one of the thrusters explodes & the ship goes to red alert. Following this, the TARDISes Cloister Bell begins - something really bad is happening. However, before the Doctor can try to fix the TARDIS, a blinding light fills the Revelation, blinding everyone & the camera.

Once the light dies down, we see the Doctor & the crew un-covering their eyes only to discover something majorly wrong. The ship's lights have turned a strange green colour. But more concerning, half of the ship's population has vanished - including Jean & the TARDIS. Furthermore, as the cast look out of a window, they see that they're no longer in space, but a strange, trippy spiraling vortex. We then cut to the same location onboard the ship... only it's not the same. Here, we see the green lights replaced with purple & the cast has been replaced with the missing crew, including Jean & the TARDIS. The only thing that remains the same is the strange world outside of the ship.

The story sees the two groups of people in their separate worlds trying to figure out where they are, what's going on, where everyone else went & how to fix it. Eventually, the Doctor & Jean discover a way to communicate with each other. Travelling to the ship's diner, they spot a strange, glowing circle in the centre of the room, which allows the two groups to talk to each other. Although the two parties can exchange conversation, neither party can step through the portal to the other side without dying. The only things that can go through are non-living things, such as shoes, gadgets & food.

It turns out that the arrival of the TARDIS affected the Star Drive test. Giving Jean his sonic screwdriver & getting her to scan the TARDIS, the Doctor discovers that the TARDIS is coated in an invisible energy known as Excelsior waves, which was transmitted to the TARDIS when it smashed into the meteorite. Scanning the Revelation's engines, the Doctor determines that the combination of the Star Drive fuel & the Excelsior waves caused the ship to split into two different dimensions at once, whilst also existing in the main dimension.

The story then sees the two groups working together to try & bring the ship out of the two dimensions & return them whole to the main dimension. We also see the cast working against a ticking clock, as both parties discover that by staying in these other dimensions, the Revelation is slowly beginning to deteriorate. Eventually, they're able to escape the two dimensions by combining the TARDISes engines with the one remaining thruster to reverse-Star Drive both ships out of their dimensions, which returns the two ships & parties back to normal. The story then ends with the Doctor & Jean departing in the TARDIS, and we end with the crew of the Revelation successfully carrying out the Star Drive experiment.

SEASONS OF FEAR
Written by: Paul Cornell & Caroline Symcox
Directed by: Sheree Folkson
Parts: 2

The story begins with the Doctor & Jean at a party in 1930. There, the Doctor meets a man named Sebastian Grayle, who seemingly knows who the Doctor is. Grayle reveals to the Doctor that they're mortal enemies. He goes on to say that he is immortal & that his masters have taken control of the world & created an alternative timeline. Grayle also claims to have killed the Doctor in his future, which happened in Grayle's past. We then see the Doctor & Jean return to the TARDIS, where they plan to stop Grayle from meeting his Masters &, possibly, save the Doctor's life.

After learning that the first recorded instance of the surname Grayle originate in 305 AD, the Doctor & Jean travel to the Roman empire, where they meet Grayle, who's going by the name of Decurian Graylisle. There, they find Grayle in possession of an alien communicator. The Doctor discovers that Grayle is planning on sacrificing her men to his Masters in exchange for immortality. The Doctor is able to save Grayle's men, but couldn't stop a partial release of power — enough to keep Grayle alive for centuries.

Realising that Grayle will attempt to gain immortality again, but realising that he seems to only be able to do so at certain times, the Doctor & Jean return to the TARDIS. After doing some quick research, the Doctor figures out that Grayle's masters can only make contact with him again when the stars are properly aligned. He works out that the next possible time in history will be in 1055, so he sets the TARDIS coordinates to the court of Edward the Confessor in 1055.

Arriving in 1055, the Doctor meets with Edward, who is already acquainted with the Doctor) & finds & confronts Grayle, now going by the name Leofric of Exeter. There, the Doctor learns that Grayle is determined to execute his plan. Eventually, the Doctor discovers that Grayle's plan is to take over Edward's throne and use holy metal (which the Doctor identifies as plutonium) to bring his masters to Earth and gain immortality. However, the Doctor is able to thwart Grayle's plans & return to the TARDIS.

We then see the TARDIS taking the Doctor & Jean to the year 1806, after the TARDIS detects Grayle's presence. After doing some exploring, they find themselves in Wickham caves, home of the Hellfire club, where they meet a man named Richard Martin. Martin reveals that the club was founded by Grayle & takes the Doctor & Jean to meet him. Grayle challenges him to a duel, which he accepts. Grayle slightly injures the Doctor, but the Doctor reveals his sword to be able to suck out alien energy, the one keeping Grayle young and immortal. Grayle then kidnaps his fiancee, Lucy, & plans to use her as a sacrifice for his masters, as they need organic matter to feed on as passing through the black hole starves them.The Doctor & Jean eventually find Grayle, but it is too late as the gate has opened & Grayle's Master's reveal themselves - the Nimon.

We learn that the Nimon require the psionic oscillator, a horned goblet, from Grayle. However, when Grayle can't find it, Lucy reveals herself & Martin, who is actually her father, to be a thief who was only planning on marrying Grayle to steal his fortune. Grayle chases after Martin, leaving the Doctor, Jean & Lucy alone. Then, after coming up with a plan, the trio escape back to the TARDIS, while Grayle retrieves the oscillator, kills Martin, frees Martin & perseus after them.

The Doctor gives Lucy instructions while inside the TARDIS, but Grayle & the Nimon manage to get inside. Suddenly, the Doctor opens the doors & throws himself & most of the Nimon into the vortex. Grayle continues his plan, but Lucy delivers the Doctor's message to Jean: "Fast return switch, three times fast".

Lucy activates the Fast return switch three times, which brings the Doctor back to the year 305 AD, where he warns some Roman soldiers about the Nimon, telling them to be ready to fight the demon bulls. The Doctor then finds Decurian Graylisle, where he learns that Grayle only agreed to help the Nimon & become immortal so that he could afford to marry his fiancee. The Doctor then agrees to give Graylisle an inheritance, therefore giving Graylisle no reason to side with the Nimon.

Suddenly, the TARDIS arrives & out steps Grayle, Jean, Lucy & the remaining Nimon. The Nimon attempt to attack the soldiers but are easily killed, with the Doctor having provided them with special weapons. Grayle then attempts to kill the Doctor, but Graylisle kills his future self, feeling disgusted with what he became. The Doctor then works with Graylisle to destroy his machine & stop the Nimon from landing on Earth, thus correcting the timeline. The story then ends with the Doctor returning Lucy to her rightful time & the Doctor giving Graylisle a massive inheritance.

THE LAND OF THE DEAD
Written by: Stephen Cole

Directed by: Sandy Johnson

The story sees the TARDIS landing in Alaska in 1964, where the TARDIS detects the presence of a strange, unknown energy. Using the scanner, the Doctor spies smoke rising from the ice. However, before the Doctor & Jean can investigate, the TARDIS almost crashes into an aircraft, which throws the TARDIS 30 years into the future, but in the exact same place.

Landing in 1994, the Doctor & Jean exit the TARDIS to investigate. However, after a few moments of exploration, the Doctor & Jean find themselves being chased by a deadly creature. They take cover in a nearby building, where they meet a small party - including a Multi-millionaire named Shaun Brett.

Here, we learn a bit about Shaun - how he made a fortune in Alaskan oil, but at the cost of his father's death in 1964. He's now building & furnishing the house, sourced from local materials, as a shrine to his father's memory. He is matched with Tulung, a half-Koyukon native hired by Brett to liaise with the locals, whose father died in the same incident as Bret t's father. Shaun is assisted by Gaborik, another Kolyukon, who is secretly sabotaging the work in order to ensure his own continued employment & is also stealing pelts from the house to sell. Also on site is Monica Lewis, an interior designer who has been working at the site for three years, crafting the interior of the house.

The bone creatures are found to consist of only bone, & ancient, mostly-fossilised bone at that. They are held together by a bio-electric field, which seems also to be their weapon, as it exerts damaging effects on the minds of those around it - especially Jean, who seems to be particularly harmed, although not controlled by the effect. The Doctor determines that the creatures are much older than the dinosaurs, although still somehow living; they date, in fact, to the Permian era, & thus he nicknames them "Permians". Further, they consume sources of energy, including living beings, as revealed when one of them manages to kill & devour Gaborik.

The story then sees Brett & Tulung trying to confirm their own version of history, where they discover that Jean, somehow, was there, when she identifies the plane she witnessed in 1964. With the Permians' electric field affecting his mind, Tulung believes Jean to be supernaturally powerful, & kidnaps her to protect himself & Brett from the Permians as they make their way to the site of their fathers' deaths. Once there, Tulung discovers the truth: That their fathers unearthed a Permian & were attacked—but that Brett's father fled in the plane Jean witnessed & left Tulung's father to die. He defeated the Permian but died in the process, & his remains are still on the ground inside the dig site. Meanwhile, the Doctor & Monica are forced to battle the monsters in the house & escape via a shortcut, arriving at the dig site.

Brett refuses to believe the truth about his father & attempts to destroy the Permians with dynamite, sacrificing himself in the process. However, the attempt reveals that they are vulnerable to fire. The story then ends with the Doctor & the others rigging the house to burn, then trap the creatures inside & burn it to the ground.

With the Permians defeated, Monica & Tulung, who are now free of the field's influence, leave in the site's transport, & the Doctor and Jean depart in the TARDIS.

UTOPIA
Written by: Russell T Davies
Directed by: Euros Lyn
Parts: 2

The story sees the Doctor being summoned to Earth by Bernice Summerfield & Winifred Bambera, asking for the Doctor's help. They explain that 24 hours ago, UNIT found a wounded man on the run, who wouldn't stop repeating the phrase "Utopia is coming". The man was taken to The Pyramid to recover, as well as to scan his brain, only to be murdered by an unidentifiable assassin several hours later.

The Doctor asks what the man might've meant by "Utopia". Bambera explains that the best theory she & her team have come up with is that it has something to do with The Utopia - a highly advanced strap you wear on your head. Utopia scans your brainwaves & allows you to communicate with anyone you want, provided you have them added as a friend. Bernice also explains that in two days time, Utopia is going to be taken to the next level. Soon, Utopia will be connected to a satellite in space known as 'The Cloud' which'll allow anyone to learn anything about the human race at any time. However, both UNIT & The Pyramid have already investigated the company behind Utopia, Edensgate, only to come up clean.

Deciding to investigate themselves, the Doctor & Jean travel to Edensgate's factory, where they pose as a couple of buyers & receive a guided tour of the factory, along with a group of legitimate buyers. They too find nothing obviously malicious, so they decide to break into the factory at night time. However, unbeknownst to them, the Doctor & Jean are being monitored by a man at a desk in a grand office.

That night, we see the Doctor & Jean breaking into Edensgate to do further investigation. The Doctor is able to find & tear apart a prototype Utopia device, where he discovers a strange, alien micro-circuit buried deep within the Utopia. Then suddenly, the Doctor & Jean are surrounded by a swarm of armed guards. They handcuff the Doctor & Jean, before they proceed to escort them away.

They're taken to this big, vast hall. Inside the hall are rows upon rows of Utopia's, ready to be shifted around the world. The room also contains several monitors around the room, playing radio waves of some kind, as well as advertisements for the Utopia devices. We also see a man sitting at a desk with his back to the Doctor. The Doctor greets the man by saying "I presume you're the boss here. Now tell me - what is Utopia? really?". The man swivels around the chair, revealing the CEO to be The Master. The Doctor, with a look of anger on his face, says "you... I should've known". The Master, with a grin of mischief on his face, responds with "Why, my dear Doctor! It is good to see you again.".

The Master reveals to the Doctor what Utopia is all about. We learn that Utopia is a part of his plan to conquer the Earth. Tomorrow, he will activate a radio signal on every station, which'll turn every user into an obedient servant to The Master. From there, he will use his new army to enslave the remaining population & turn the Earth into his own planet to rule - his own Utopia.

The Master then has the Doctor & Jean to be taken away & locked, saying that they'll be permanent guests in his new world. They're thrown into a small prison cell, where the Doctor & Jean formulate a plan to escape. We then cut to the next day, where a guard opens the cell door to deliver some food. However, he's knocked out by the Doctor & Jean. They make their escape, while locking the guard in their cell, before they begin to sprint to the exit as the alarm is raised. The Doctor & Jean burst through the factory side doors, dash back to the TARDIS & take off, just as the guards begin to open fire on the TARDIS. The Master emerges from the factory & states "Leave him. It's too late for him now. Come - it is time for the broadcast".

The Doctor makes contact with Bernice & Bambera, telling them that they need to stop the Master's transmission. However, while they're able to disable most TV Networks & radio stations, their plan fails. The radio transmission is activated, which feeds every Utopia user's headset with signals that turns them into a mindless servant to the Master, before cutting back to the Master, laughing evilly in his chair.

The TARDIS then lands in UNIT HQ, where the Doctor & Jean reunite with Bernice & Bambera. They show the Doctor news broadcasts from around the world, where we see riots & chaos in the streets of London, New York - everywhere on Earth - with the Utopia wearers demaning & claiming the Master to be the rightful Master of Earth. The Doctor theories that if he can destroy the Master's transmitter, it will probably return everyone back to normal. However, when he tries to return to the factory in the TARDIS, he's knocked back to UNIT HQ, as it turns out the Master has set up a force field around the factory.

We then see the Doctor working with UNIT & Bernice trying to hack into the factory & disable the Master's defences. However, the Master discovers the Doctor's plans & orders his army to attack UNIT. We see swarms of people beginning to storm UNIT HQ, taking out UNIT personnel with weapons. Realising they're outnumbered, the Doctor, Jean, Bernice & Bambera are forced to flee in the TARDIS & travel to The Pyramid.

At The Pyramid, we see the group working with Jennifer Ward & Jack Afton to continue working on hacking into the Master's defences. Then suddenly, their work is interrupted by a TV broadcast from the Master, telling the Doctor & his "puny friends" to surrender or else he'll start ordering his army to commit suicide. Realising he has no choice, but also realising the Master mightn't be aware of Bernice, the Doctor, Jean & Bambera are teleported to the surface, where they're promptly captured, thrown into a black SUV & driven to the Master's factory.

Inside the factory, the Master has the Doctor separated from his companions, with the Master stating "y'know, i was wrong about your friends. I think they'll make excellent members to my Master Race after all", before proceeding to laugh evilly & ordering his men to have the Doctor imprisoned. The Doctor is then handcuffed & dragged away to another prison cell, where he's locked up behind a deadlock seal padlock. However, once the coast is clear, the Doctor is able to escape via a ventilation shaft.

Once he's escaped, the Doctor sneaks his way around the factory until he finds himself in a communications room. There, he proceeds to access a terminal, where he begins sending coordinates & instructions to The Pyramid (though these instructions are meaningless & mostly off-screen to us). However, the Doctor is once again found & taken to the Master.

The Master tuts at the Doctor saying "you really are a troublesome one, my dear Doctor. Fortunately, I have a solution for your meddling". He then reveals a Utopia machine, while explaining that this one is slightly different, and that this one will slowly destroy his mind. The Master plants the Utopia on the Doctor's head & activates it. We see the Doctor collapse to the ground & grunt in pain, as the Utopia attacks the Doctor's mind.

Suddenly, one of the Master's servants enters the room, telling the Master They've got a problem. Cutting back to The Pyramid, where we see Bernice, Jennifer & Jack rapidly typing on several computers. Bernice presses enter on a keyboard & we see an EMP laser firing out of The Pyramid building in Cardiff & shooting across the sky until it collides with the Master's factory, which lowers all of the Master's defences & destroys the Utopia transmitter, as we see people around the world throwing off their Utopia's in a state of panic &/or confusion. 

This gives the Doctor enough energy to remove his Utopia & dash to Jean & Bambera's side. The Master orders his guards to destroy the Doctor & his companions, only to have his guards turn their guns on him. The Doctor tells the Master "it's over", and the Master surrenders to his knees. 

We then cut to some time later, with UNIT personal searching & collecting evidence from the Master's factory. The Master gets handcuffed by a UNIT soldier, before being taken off the premises. We then see the Doctor thanking Bernice, who is also at the scene now, for the assist. Then suddenly... *BANG* *ZAP*! The Doctor & his companions dash outside, only to find the UNIT soldier who arrested the Master, having been shrunk down to the size of an inch. We then hear the sound of a TARDIS dematerialising & we see an old, grimy truck vanishing into thin air... 

The story then ends in UNIT HQ, with the Doctor saying his farewells to The Pyramid team & Winifred Bambera, before he & Jean leave in the TARDIS.

CONCLUSION

Season 37 proved to be the right move at the right time for the general audiences. The show's more grounded style proved to be popular & refreshing for the show. Although the press were initially against him as the Doctor, Gillen was praised for his performance, with his new on-going relationship with Jean Robinson proving to be popular with new & casual viewers. Old fans however were left feeling mostly mixed with the show, feeling that the show had been too modernised, clearly feeling the Buffy influence taking over the show somewhat. However, it was obvious that this was the direction the show was heading in, whether they liked it or not, & a new season would debut the following year...