Doctor Who: The Animated Series

[Landshark]

In this thread the proposed Nelvana Dr Who cartoon of the 1980's is discussed, but apparently the BBC considered creating their own Dr Who animated series just a few years ago.

The concept art for it can be seen here.

The BBC had already trialled various animated Dr Who specials such as Scream of the Shalka, The Infinite Quest and the CGI Dreamland which later tied into The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Judging from the concept artwork this series would be different, possibly featuring all the Doctors then extant with either new or redesigned companions. So how would this go? Would it explore "missing" adventures that took place between the live action ones or would it be set in it's own parallel continuity with it's own take on the Doctor, his companions and his enemies?

Given that the idea was for it to be the gateway drug to hook younger children on the show before getting them into the live action original I think the former is more likely, though I think the latter would be more interesting.

 

[DG Valdron]

I agree that you've got an interesting subject there. For what it's worth, I think you should run with it and try and develop it into a full thread.

If I had to guess, I think that they might take advantage of the animation format, especially the new opportunities afforded by computers and Asian animation factories to do a new take on the Doctor. After all, you can do things and show things that would be beyond any television budget - the Doctor cloud surving on Meglos Ten, riding the crest of a supernova, playing chess with a being the size of cthulhu, or relating to insectoids who couldn't possibly be depicted in a live show. You could do action sequences that would rip your budget in to confetti.

There are other considerations. Most modern animation for instance is produced in 13 or 22 minute episodes, with very little serial continuity. So that's going to affect the kind of stories you'd be able to tell. Compare this to the modern series with its story structure which ranges from a minimum of 1 television hour to 2 or 3 in serial, or the Colin Baker era of two 45 minute serials for a 90 minute story, or the previous format of 25 minutes with stories ranging from two or three episodes to ten or twelve. The classic Doctor who was able to tell very elaborate sprawling stories with lots of characters and layered subplots. A lot of that has been reproduced in the new series. But it would be tough to reproduce that kind of storytelling in 13 to 22 minutes. So the stories would probably be different, simpler, and their internal rhythms quite different.

With less time to work with, and perhaps with less reliance on continuing continuity, you'd also have to simplify characterizations and relationships, particularly with supporting and guest characters. The Doctor would probably be more broadly drawn.

But, and this is a big but, it's absolutely your thread. Go wild with it. Do something interesting. Research the hell out of it and follow your vision.

 

[Orville_third]

They could have been able to bring back some older companions.
And, if they wanted, they could try bringing back the dead companions- after all, Tom Baker recorded every sound in the English language for a BT promotion a while back in which you could make him say anything you wanted. (Sadly, the site is offline.)