Doctor Who: What the Show Could Have Been
By David Hill
Ever wonder about the original concepts for Doctor Who, and what the show would have been like had they come to fruition? Let’s look at some of those ideas.
When Doctor Who first came into being — spawned by the BBC — it had very little in common with other shows on television. Featuring a vagabond extraterrestrial who would go on adventures through time and space with his granddaughter and her teachers, it was in a category all its own.
Understandably, the BBC was not entirely certain of what to do with the show. It was intended to be a soft science fiction program, with the Doctor and his companions, through their adventures, helping to teach history to an audience of children. It gradually became more expansive in its scope, en route to becoming what it is today — an immersive epic that appeals to all ages.
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However, according to Digital Spy, there were also some major changes during the conception of Doctor Who. When looking through the original pre-production notes, one of the biggest changes that came to be was in regards to the beloved TARDIS. Not only was it not originally intended to be the iconic police box we have come to know, but it would be an invisible sphere — a transparent plastic bubble. Would it have even been bigger on the inside?
That was not the only drastic deviation. Could you imagine the Doctor hating inventors and scientists, when he himself is one? Or, instead of saving the future and protecting those who could not protect themselves, that he would want to destroy the future? Those ideas make the Doctor witnessing the birth of Jesus Christ seem tame by comparison… which they planned.
Suffice it to say, the changes made to Doctor Who from these original concepts were strokes of genius. It is hard to imagine someone who travels through time and space also hating inventors and scientists, let alone trying to destroy the future when those travels are such an important part of who he is. Although, it would have been interesting to see if the Doctor was presented as the protagonist, or the antagonist of his own program.
Next: Could July 6th be Considered Doctor Who Day?