Somophore Who stories – The second outings of the Doctors

This time next week… SPACE BABIES! I’ve wanted to write an article about second stories for ages, as whilst post-regeneration stories get all the attention, it’s the follow-up that’s arguably more important. Would the first time be a fluke, or a false start? With introductions out of the way, what’s this new Doctor REALLY going to be like? The audience have interest, now it’s time to maintain their attention and really get going with what the creative team want. Second stories have introduced iconic producers, villains, companions, story arcs and concepts that drive the entire rest of the run, and even the whole show. So with SPACE BABIES on the way (I love that title), let’s look at the somophore outings of Doctors past, excluding Paul McGann (obviously) and David Tennant’s second go, as with Fourteen’s episodes now past they really don’t feel like a full era at all. With those caveats out of the way, let’s take a deep dive…

The Daleks –

It’s late December 1963. The new sci-fi show is only a few weeks old, and it shows promise. Children up and down the country sit down to see an old police box arrive on a dead planet, a radiated jungle, and a mechanical city, when suddenly, the door closes and Barbara is attacked by a sink plunger…

The final thirteen Doctor Who missing storylines: The case for each

Go back in time to 1968 and tell someone who’s been watching and enjoying Patrick Troughton’s Doctor, that in fifty year’s time the majority of his stories will be given new life as animations. At the beginning of the month, The Evil of the Daleks were announced, and The Abominable Snowman is also on the way (it’s not been officially announced, but it’s next, trust me). That gives us 13 stories until every single Doctor Who story is available on DVD. Which is INSANE. So let’s break them all down and I’ll try and figure out the order they’re going to be made, because make no mistake, I can guarantee that all of them are going to be made –

The case for… Marco Polo

Marco Polo looks like he’s been sent to the principal’s office and the Doctor’s his very disappointed granddad.

The show’s first lost epic, Marco Polo is a sprawling seven part serial that’s been lost to legend. The narrated soundtrack exists of course, as does the novelisation, but the original tapes are missing even though the rest of the premier season is pretty much intact. Despite this serial’s popularity, I don’t think we’re getting this any time soon. For starters, animation is expensive, and there’s seven parts to handle. The Evil of The Daleks is based on Dalek models that already exist, plus it’s not purely historical with dozens of costumes and location changes. Marco Polo literally takes place over MONTHS. It’s a huge story. And with no surviving episodes or even any footage (unlike Evil), all we have are telesnaps and behind the scenes photographs to animate this vast adventure. That’s a pretty big hurdle. It’ll happen one day, but I think the animation team will want to tackle other historicals first before doing this, one of the crown jewels of missing serials.