A Matter of Time: The Mark of the Rani

(09/02/1985)

DESCRIPTION: ‘The Mark of the Rani’ was the third story of Season 22 of Doctor Who, and starred Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.

FACT: John Lewis was originally hired to compose the score but suddenly became ill and died before work was complete, so Jonathan Gibbs became the composer.

A Matter of Time: The Rescue

(09/01/1965)

DESCRIPTION: ‘The Rescue’ was the third story of Season 2 of Doctor Who, and starred William Hartnell as the First Doctor.

FACT: During the scene where Jacqueline Hill fires a gun at Vicki’s pet, she was injured when the explosion from the gun was bigger than expected.

A Matter of Time: Waris Hussein

(09/12/1938)

DESCRIPTION: Waris Hussein directed the first ever broadcast episode of Doctor Who, ‘An Unearthly Child’.

FACT: He was crucial to the casting of William Hartnell as the First Doctor, and he felt that Hartnell had the eccentric quality that they needed for the part.

A Matter of Time: The Happiness Patrol

(09/11/1988)

DESCRIPTION: ‘The Happiness Patrol’ was the third story of Season 25 of Doctor Who, and starred Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor.

FACT: The characer of Helen A was intended to satirise Margaret Thatcher, with her character saying “I like your initiative, your enterprise”.

Doctor Who - A Dedication to Barry Letts

(26th March 1925 – 9th October 2009)

Today is one year on from the death of Barry Letts, a British actor, director, writer and producer of the twentieth century, who is best known for his work on Doctor Who. He served as an executive producer for Jon Pertwee’s long era on the show, and became a father figure in the family atmosphere that had developed during this time.

Letts’ first involvement with Doctor Who was in 1967 when he directed the Patrick Troughton story ‘The Enemy of the World’, which saw Troughton play both the Second Doctor and the Mexican dictator Salamander. This proved a tough challenge for the entire team, and one which Barry Letts achieved brilliantly.

He became the show’s producer in 1969 when Derrick Sherwin left the role, and formed a strong friendship with the script editor Terrance Dicks. Together they produced many classic stories for the show, which are still highly regarded today. Letts also directed numerous stories during this time, including the popular ‘Terror of the Autons’ and ‘Carnival of Monsters’.

His love for the show continued throughout his lifetime, and he recorded many commentaries and interviews for DVD releases of his Doctor Who episodes up until his death in 2009. The 2009 Doctor Who episode ‘The Waters of Mars’ was dedicated to his memory, and his huge part in making the show what it is today.

A Matter of Time: Mission to the Unknown

(09/10/1965)

DESCRIPTION: ‘Mission to the Unknown’ was broadcast in Season 3 of Doctor Who as a standalone episode, and did not feature the regular cast.

FACT: Terry Nation wrote this episode partially as an attempt to create a story just about the Daleks, so that he could develop and sell the idea of a Dalek series.

A Matter of Time: The Ribos Operation

(09/09/1978)

DESCRIPTION: ‘The Ribos Operation’ was the first story of Season 16 of Doctor Who, and starred Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor.

FACT: This story marks the beginning of the quest for the Key to Time, with all stories in Season 16 being linked around this theme.