The Doctor Who animations are coming thick and fast! With a whole pile of missing stories waiting to receive the cartoon treatment, which classic Doctor Who adventure should the BBC choose next?
Marco Polo
Interestingly, the Doctor Who animations have, so far, avoided the Time Lord’s historical adventures. It’s unclear why this is; certainly, these stories tend to be less popular with long-time Doctor Who fans, and indeed weren’t as popular at the time of transmission. Viewers were hungry for hardcore science fiction adventures, and in fact the BBC dispensed with the purely historical stories at the start of Patrick Troughton’s tenure.
But there is one adventure that every Doctor Who fan would love to see again, and that’s the seven part epic ‘Marco Polo‘ from the first season. By all accounts, this was a visual spectacle, with the famous traveller’s exploits across the Himalayas to Cathay lovingly recreated within the absurdly tight confines of the BBC’s Lime Grove studios. Plus, it was a gripping yarn, as the surviving soundtrack attests.
But why have no Doctor Who animations appeared before now? Well, at seven episodes, it would be a costly endeavour, and the BBC wouldn’t be able to use as much ‘artistic licence’ as it did with stories such as ‘Fury from the Deep.’ It would have to be historically accurate, and that would take research, and that would cost money.
Well, we’re only guessing that money is one of the factors here – unless the BBC secretly has a copy they’re saving for the 70th anniversary…
The Crusade
Unlike ‘Marco Polo,’ the next of our Doctor Who animations would be a little cheaper to make, mainly because this story is already half complete. There are only two episodes missing from this 1964 classic and, in fact, these two episodes are the only ones missing from William Hartnell’s second season.
‘The Crusade’ is a solid historical Doctor Who story with an impressive cast. There’s Julian Glover playing Richard the Lionheart (better known to Who fans as the villainous Scarlioni from ‘City of Death‘) alongside Jean Marsh as his sister Joanna, who would return to Doctor Who several times, most memorably as the guest companion Sara in Doctor Who Season Three.
The Myth Makers
‘The Myth Makers’ would be a worthy addition to our collection of Doctor Who animations. This four part story focuses on the Trojan war and the infamous wooden horse, dreamt up by the Greek soldier Odysseus. Unlike many of the other historical Doctor Who stories, however, this adventure takes a more liberal approach when it comes to historical accuracy – partly because there isn’t much real historical information to go on when it comes to the fall of Troy, save for Homer’s epic poem The Illiad.
‘The Myth Makers’ would be a worthwhile addition to our Doctor Who animations, however, as it plays a key part in the series’ ongoing continuity. This adventure sees the departure of the Time Lord’s companion Vicki, having fallen in love with a Trojan named Troilus, son of King Priam. It also (rather hurriedly) introduces the new companion Katarina, another Trojan, whose time aboard the TARDIS would prove to be short-lived…
The Daleks’ Master Plan
Surely, if there were to be any more Doctor Who animations, this would be at the top of most fans’ wish lists. And some of the work has already been done; we currently have three episodes of ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ nestled in the BBC archives – maybe four, if someone searches William Hartnell’s attic for the legendary episode seven. (That’s a joke, before we get emails…)
Alas, of all the Doctor Who animations, this would be one of the trickiest to make owing to its length. ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan‘ is an eye-watering 12 episodes long, meaning there are some nine instalments to fill – 10, if you count its prequel ‘Mission to the Unknown’ which aired before ‘The Myth Makers.’ So it would be expensive, although it would doubtless sell well.
Moreover, ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan’ is another key adventure in Doctor Who continuity as it sees the departure of the Time Lord’s companion Katarina after just a handful of episodes. She sacrifices herself in order to help the Doctor and his friends to escape, leaving Sara Kingdom (played by Jean Marsh) to step in as the guest companion.
This story also marks the very first Doctor Who Christmas special ‘The Feast of Steven‘ which aired on Christmas Day 1965 and, surprisingly, has nothing to do with the rest of the story; it’s a standalone, somewhat comedic affair, and famously features William Hartnell breaking the fourth wall to wish all of the viewers a merry Christmas.
The Massacre
Of all the Doctor Who animations, ‘The Massacre’ is one of the most wished-for, just behind ‘Marco Polo‘ and ‘The Daleks’ Master Plan.’ This is a grim and mysterious story from 1966, centred around an obscure event which occurred in France in 1572.
The Doctor Who animations team would have their work cut out, however, as there is very little visual material to go on. All we have of ‘The Massacre’ is a couple of photographs (and the soundtrack, of course) so the animators would really have to use their creativity to bring this adventure to life.
What’s intriguing about ‘The Massacre,’ though, is that it features William Hartnell in a dual role as both the Doctor and the villainous Abbot of Amboise – the first time the series featured a doppelgänger of the eponymous hero. Seriously, this is an ongoing thing; see this article for more.
‘The Massacre‘ is also significant in that it introduces a new companion in the shape of Dodo Chaplet at the story’s conclusion, bridging another important gap in Doctor Who history.
The Smugglers
Speaking of gaps to fill, ‘The Smugglers‘ features another big one for the Doctor Who animations team. In this case, it concerns the introduction of the new companions Ben and Polly. Admittedly, they made their debut in the preceding story ‘The War Machines,’ but this adventure marks the first time they discover the TARDIS and take their first trip in time and space.
And what a trip it is. As Doctor Who animations go, this would certainly be a fun one as the Time Lord and his friends encounter a band of pirates on the hunt for treasure in 17th century Cornwall. Curiously, this is one of only two occasions in the series’ history which has featured pirates – at least, of the historical, swashbuckling kind, and it includes all of the tropes one might expect from such a story, including a pirate with a metal spike for a hand.
In terms of Doctor Who animations, this may not be the most wished-for adventure, but it’s an important one for William Hartnell as it comes just before his swansong in ‘The Tenth Planet,’ and marks the beginning of his final season.
And what’s interesting about ‘The Smugglers’ is that there is actually some surviving footage. Certain sequences were cut from the episodes sent to Australia, and the deleted sections were retained by the Australian government. So we still have the story’s most violent moments to enjoy(!) and in fact some of these have been colourised, if you want to enjoy them in all their uncensored glory.
The Highlanders
If the team at the Doctor Who animations department are nervous about historical adventures, they can breathe a sigh of relief; ‘The Highlanders’ is the very last of all time (unless you count Peter Davison’s ‘Black Orchid,’ which thankfully requires no animation!)
This is Patrick Troughton’s second Doctor Who adventure, and the very first to feature Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon. Jamie would stay throughout the entirety of the Second Doctor’s tenure, and in fact became one of the longest-serving Doctor Who companions of all time. He wasn’t originally written as a companion, though, and when ‘The Highlanders’ was produced, two endings were filmed – one in which Jamie leaves with the Doctor, and one in which he stays in Scotland. Neither, alas, have survived in the BBC archive.
So in terms of Doctor Who animations, this would be a great one to add to the collection. Story-wise, it revolves around the Battle of Culloden in 1746 (or, rather, the aftermath) and, as you might have deduced from the story’s title, is all set on the Scottish highlands.
The Wheel in Space
If you want to get more of a science fiction fix from your Doctor Who animations, then look no further: this is a classic, base-under-siege style story from the end of Patrick Troughton’s second season and sees the dreaded Cybermen trying to take over a space station in the near future – the 21st century, in fact, although the year is never actually specified.
And like some of the other stories on this list, ‘The Wheel in Space’ does partly exist in the BBC archive. Episodes three and six survived the Great Wiping, so there wouldn’t be too much work for the Doctor Who animations department. This is a six part story, however, so there are still four parts to fill, and by all accounts it (perhaps) isn’t the most gripping Cybermen story of all time, but it is the first to feature the character of Zoe Heriot, who joins the TARDIS in episode six – or, at least, thinks about it; the Doctor shows her a clip from ‘The Evil of the Daleks‘ to try and put her off!
Interestingly, the Doctor Who animations team have already done some work on this story, producing a short sequence from episode one. So is now the time for us to get the full adventure?
The Space Pirates
Rightly or wrongly, ‘The Space Pirates‘ has the reputation of being the missing Doctor Who story that nobody wants back. If there are to be any more Doctor Who animations, it may well be that ‘The Space Pirates’ comes right at the bottom of the list. But is its reputation justified?
In reality, there will be few Doctor Who fans who have actually sat down to listen to the complete soundtrack of ‘The Space Pirates.’ And visually, all we have to go on is the surviving episode two which, admittedly, isn’t the most thrilling Doctor Who instalment of all time. But then, for years ‘The Enemy of the World‘ was judged by its surviving, mediocre episode three, and it wasn’t until the complete serial was returned that fans discovered this was one of the greatest Second Doctor stories ever made.
So could ‘The Space Pirates’ turn out to be a long-lost classic? Certainly, it has a lot going for it; it’s penned by Robert Holmes, for one thing, who wrote some of the most-loved Doctor Who stories of all time. It also comes at a turning point in Doctor Who history, with the Second Doctor Patrick Troughton on the cusp of hanging up his recorder in the following story ‘The War Games.’ As such, it is also one of the last Doctor Who adventures to be shot in black and white.
But what is ‘The Space Pirates’ actually about? Well, you could probably a guess a good amount from the title. It has also been described as “space opera,” and features a wide range of interesting characters. Certainly, the Time Lord and his companions are somewhat side-lined in this story, which may contribute to its lack of popularity.
So, at the time of writing, we’re still waiting for nine Doctor Who animations to appear on our shelves. Alternatively, if you have any of the missing Doctor Who episodes lurking in your shed, do send them to us at Lovarzi headquarters.
In the meantime, which of these Doctor Who animations would you like to see next? Let us know in the comments below.
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