Dimensions in Time

Dimensions in Time is a charity television special crossover between the science fiction series Doctor Who and the soap opera EastEnders, broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 for Children in Need. In celebration of Doctor Who's 30th anniversary, it featured all of the surviving actors to have played the Doctor as well as several of the character's companions and the contemporary cast of EastEnders.

Dimensions in Time
Doctor Who serial and charity crossover with EastEnders
20 November 1993 Radio Times cover promoting the special
Cast
Doctors Sylvester McCoy – Seventh Doctor Colin Baker – Sixth Doctor Peter Davison – Fifth Doctor Tom Baker – Fourth Doctor Jon Pertwee – Third Doctor
Companions Sophie Aldred – Ace John Leeson – Voice of K9 Bonnie Langford – Melanie Bush Nicola Bryant – Peri Brown Sarah Sutton – Nyssa Lalla Ward – Romana Louise Jameson – Leela Elisabeth Sladen – Sarah Jane Smith Richard Franklin – Captain Mike Yates Caroline John – Liz Shaw Nicholas Courtney – Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Deborah Watling – Victoria Waterfield Carole Ann Ford – Susan Foreman
Others Kate O'Mara – The Rani Samuel West – Cyrian Deepak Verma – Sanjay Kapoor Shobu Kapoor – Gita Kapoor Wendy Richard – Pauline Fowler Gillian Taylforth – Kathy Beale Letitia Dean – Sharon Watts Pam St. Clement – Pat Butcher Nicola Stapleton – Mandy Salter Mike Reid – Frank Butcher Adam Woodyatt – Ian Beale Steve McFadden – Phil Mitchell Ross Kemp – Grant Mitchell Jane Slaughter – Tracey Rachel Hiew – Sylvia Weng-Chung
Production
Directed by	Stuart McDonald
Written by	John Nathan-Turner David Roden
Produced by	John Nathan-Turner
Music by	Keff McCulloch
Production code	C280X[1]
Running time	2 episodes, 7 minutes and 5 minutes
First broadcast	26 November 1993 (1993-11-26)
Last broadcast	27 November 1993 (1993-11-27)
Chronology
← Preceded by Survival Followed by → Doctor Who

Doctor Who was put on hiatus in 1989. A 30th anniversary "multi-Doctor" special, The Dark Dimension, began development in mid-1992 but fell through by July 1993. In May 1993, producer John Nathan-Turner was asked to produce a Doctor Who sketch for the charity Children in Need. The script, co-written by Nathan-Turner and David Roden, went through many iterations due to the changing availability of the cast.

The special was filmed in 3D (using the Pulfrich effect) on location at Greenwich and the EastEnders Albert Square set in September 1993. None of the cast or crew were paid for their work due to an agreement with Equity. Dimensions in Time was universally panned by both critics and fans, with criticism aimed at the plot, special effects and EastEnders cameos. Due to Children in Need's high licensing fees, it is unlikely to ever receive a commercial release. It is not considered "canon" to the Doctor Who universe.

Plot

The Rani (Kate O'Mara) plans to trap the Doctor in a time loop in London's East End; she has already ensnared his first and second incarnations in a time tunnel. The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) warns his other incarnations.

The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) are confused when the TARDIS lands near the Cutty Sark in 1973. Time jumps and Ace finds herself in 1993 Albert Square with the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker). They speak to local resident Sanjay (Deepak Verma) and his wife Gita (Shobu Kapoor).

Following another time jump, the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford) learn from an older Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) that it is 2013. Another time jump occurs. In 1973, the Sixth Doctor tells Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) he feels he is being pulled backwards in time, with his companions being drawn back with him.

In 2013, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) finds the Third Doctor after chatting with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean). He deduces that an operator is utilising time distortion to trap him in a 20-year time loop of the years 1973, 1993 and 2013. The Rani releases her menagerie of alien specimens to distract the Doctor. The menagerie attack the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and Peri (Nicola Bryant) in 1993, and after failing to warn Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement) of the danger, the Rani stops them outside the Queen Vic.

The Fifth Doctor summons his remaining selves and becomes the Third Doctor. Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton) helps Liz Shaw (Caroline John) run from the Rani. Mike Yates (Richard Franklin) arrives in the Doctor's car Bessie to take him to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). The Third Doctor becomes the Sixth Doctor after another time jump, and farewells the Brigadier. At the Arches in 1993, Phil (Steve McFadden) and Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) find Romana (Lalla Ward) looking for the Doctor. The Rani captures her in front of Frank Butcher (Mike Reid). In 1973, the Third Doctor returns to the TARDIS with Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling), explaining that the Rani's control is breaking down.

The Seventh Doctor meets Leela (Louise Jameson), who has escaped from the Rani's menagerie. Alongside Ace and K9 (John Leeson), the Doctor overrides the Rani's computer by harnessing the time tunnel's power, sending the Rani into the time tunnel and freeing all the Doctor's incarnations. As Ace and the Doctor leave in the TARDIS, he observes "Certainly, I – I mean, we – are difficult to get rid of."

Production

Background

Doctor Who was put on hiatus after the broadcast of season 26 in 1989,^[2] but its producer, John Nathan-Turner, continued to work on various Doctor Who-related BBC projects on a freelance basis.^[3][4][5] According to Nathan-Turner's memoir, as early as 1990 he pitched a direct-to-video Doctor Who special to mark the series' 30th anniversary in November 1993. Nathan-Turner continued pitching throughout 1991 and 1992, and on two occasions costed the project to prove it could be produced economically.^[6] In a memo to Penny Mills (Head of Video Production for BBC Enterprises) on 18 February 1992, he mentioned the special alongside other proposed video releases which could commemorate the 30th anniversary year.^[7]

The Dark Dimension

Further information: List of unmade Doctor Who serials and films § Lost in the Dark Dimension

During the production and launch of the VHS release of Shada in February 1992, Tom Baker expressed his willingness to return for a new Doctor Who story.^[8] Doctor Who video sales were a regular source of profit for BBC Enterprises, and on 28 May 1992 a meeting was chaired to examine a "long-term strategy for the continual exploitation of the programme". It was noted that producing an original special would "be giving something back to the fans and not just extracting money from them". Writer Adrian Rigelsford was approached and hired to develop the rough story, which at that time involved a dying Fourth Doctor uniting with a group of children to fight an ecological disaster.^[9]

In early June, a meeting was convened to discuss production of an 90-minute direct-to-video Doctor Who special, with Tom Baker being the sole actor to return as the Doctor. Within a short period of time, it was suggested that the incumbent Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) could be involved; Tom Baker then proposed the involvement of all surviving actors who played the Doctor in supporting roles.^[9][a] Rigelsford completed his outline of the special, titled Timeflyers, by 21 July.^[9] Graeme Harper, who previously directed the serials The Caves of Androzani (1984)^[12] and Revelation of the Daleks (1985),^[13] was excited by the script and met with the production team.^[14] Pre-production was planned to run from October 1992 to January 1993.^[14] Budget and script discussions were held through August and September 1992, and a location recce was held on 8 September.^[14] However, budget issues and BBC Enterprises' lack of production experience caused major setbacks.^[15][11] The other Doctor actors were unenthusiastic about the script, retitled The Dark Dimension. Colin Baker criticised the other Doctors' lack of screen time, and Jon Pertwee and Sylvester McCoy later commented that a more experienced writer should have been involved. Pertwee and Peter Davison were unhappy that the production team contacted them directly instead of through their agents.^[16][11] Nathan-Turner pitched his proposed Doctor Who special again in late 1992, apparently unaware of The Dark Dimension. In early 1993 he declined the role of script consultant on The Dark Dimension.^[5]

On 10 June 1993, BBC Enterprises formally confirmed the upcoming production of The Dark Dimension starring Tom Baker, with Harper to direct.^[3][5] The shooting script was finalised on 21 June, and with the special now aimed for broadcast instead of video, Alan Yentob greenlit the special with a delivery date of 27 November.^[17] Budget issues continued to plague the production, and on 9 July^[18] The Dark Dimension was cancelled for "financial and logistical reasons".^[11]

Writing

John Nathan-Turner produced the charity special.

In May 1993, Children in Need editor Nick Handel invited Nathan-Turner to make a five-minute 3D Doctor Who sketch for the organisation's annual telethon broadcast.^[5] Nathan-Turner thought of turning down the offer but was persuaded by his agent to make the sketch his "swansong", since he didn't have the chance to leave Doctor Who on his own terms in 1989.^[19][5] Nathan-Turner sought a "talented, yet relatively inexperienced co-writer" who could enthusiastically adapt to the myriad of requests typical of Children in Need productions.^[20] He approached David Roden, a 22-year-old aspiring writer with no professional experience, with an open brief to write the charity special.^[21] Roden's initial concept, Destination: Holocaust, which involved the Seventh Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart battling Cybermen in a church, was considered too expensive for the allocated budget.^[22][23] Another low-cost concept was set entirely in the TARDIS featuring the Seventh Doctor and Ace facing an alien which fed off nightmares. One underdeveloped story idea involved Easter Island heads.^[6]

Nathan-Turner wanted the charity special to feel nostalgic. It was originally thought that only the Seventh Doctor would appear, but in recognition of the upcoming 30th anniversary, Nathan-Turner and Handel decided to involve as many of the Doctor's incarnations as possible.^[23] Doctor Who traditionally celebrated its past anniversaries with "multi-Doctor" stories.^[24] The Three Doctors (1972–1973) and "The Five Doctors" (1983) featured past incarnations of the Doctor interacting with the incumbent incarnation.^[25][26] A concept involving the Celestial Toymaker in an amusement park was considered.^[6] Roden suggested that the Toymaker could facilitate a multi-Doctor storyline by plucking the various Doctors from their timestreams, but there were concerns it would be too similar to "The Five Doctors".^[27] Roden was also requested to involve as many companions and monsters from the series as possible.^[28] Per Nicholas Courtney's request, the Brigadier was depicted interacting with the Sixth Doctor, as Colin Baker was the only Doctor Who lead Courtney hadn't shared a scene with on the series.^[29]

It just wasn't achievable... I'm incredibly proud of having been involved with it. I'm also deeply embarrassed by the end result. I mean, it is just a mess.^[30]

—screenwriter David Roden in 2015

In a 2015 interview, Roden discussed the difficulty of shouldering the numerous requests made on the script, stating that he felt "heavily pressured" by Nathan-Turner's demands.^[31] Nathan-Turner suggested that the special could crossover with popular BBC soap opera EastEnders to satisfy Handel's request to guarantee press attention. Nathan-Turner had many connections with the show; his partner Gary Downie was a regular member of its production team. EastEnders producer Leonard Lewis was not amenable to the idea as the filming would disrupt the soap opera's production schedule.^[23]

The EastEnders production team wanted to contribute in Children in Need's 1993 fundraising appeal by crossing-over with another production; as a result, characters and settings from the show had to be worked into Dimensions in Time's plot. The production team later pulled out of the project, then became involved again.^[32] Nathan-Turner suggested using EastEnders' Albert Square set as a location, and using as many of the EastEnders cast as possible.^[19] Scheduling issues meant that the actors playing the Doctor's incarnations could not all film on the same days.^[33][20] 32 of the 34 actors involved had other acting jobs during filming.^[20][34]

Noel Edmonds wanted to be part of "3D week" and the team behind Noel's House Party offered money to broadcast an installment of Dimensions in Time during their show, so another episode was added.^[35][19]

Nathan-Turner wanted to call the special 3-Dimensions of Time, but Roden talked him out of it.^[20]

Special effects

Handel suggested that the sketch could be shot for 3D viewing, as Children in Need wanted to feature prominently in BBC1's planned "3D week".^[19]

Visual effects artist Mike Tucker was contacted by Nathan-Turner in late August 1993. Initially the First and Second Doctor's floating heads would be depicted with existing footage of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton. However those clips would look two-dimensional when composited into the newly shot 3D footage. Head props were specially sculpted by Sue Moore and Steve Mansfield, who previously created Kane's melting head in Dragonfire (1987). It was planned for the Rani's TARDIS set to be constructed in miniature, with Kate O'Mara and the console composited in with CSO. Again, the 3D filming process made compositing too difficult, so a replica of the console room walls recently constructed for the convention PanoptiCon was used.^[36] The Rani's console was newly cast in black fibreglass from the original moulds used for the 1983–9 console.^[37] The space station exterior of the Rani's TARDIS was depicted with a model adapted from BBV's The Stranger series.^[37][38]

A post-production meeting for Dimensions in Time was held on 10 September.^[37]

Nathan-Turner wanted to involve multiple monsters to make use of existing costumes.^[23] Many of the monster costumes were provided to the production by fans.^[39][40] Andrew Beech, former coordinator of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, appeared as the Time Lord.^[40] Mike Fillis of Cybertech played a Sea Devil.^[38] A Dalek prop was filmed at Albert Square during Peter Davison's scene, but this was removed from the edit after Roger Hancock, Terry Nation's agent, declined to allow the Daleks' use.^[41][42]

Casting

The five surviving actors who led Doctor Who appeared in the special. Top: Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison. Bottom: Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy

Dimensions in Time features all five of the surviving actors who led Doctor Who, in addition to several actors who played companions or supporting characters.^[43] In recognition of the large cast, the revised script noted on its cover: "Due to the large number of artists involved in this project, and their availability, this script is subject to change".^[44]

The antagonist's identity changed due to cast availability. According to Roden, Michael Gough agreed to appear in the special, presumably as the Celestial Toymaker, but later turned it down, either due to unavailability or disinterest in the script. Anthony Ainley declined an offer to return as the Master, possibly due to a personal clash with Nathan-Turner,^[45] though Ainley denied this and stated he would have returned if he were asked.^{[citation needed]} Finally Kate O'Mara agreed to return as the Rani, the ruthless villain she portrayed in The Mark of the Rani (1985) and Time and the Rani (1987).^[46][47] Ian McKellen turned down the role of the Rani's assistant. Samuel West was keen to appear in Doctor Who and was ultimately cast in the role, now named Cyrian ("Sir Ian").^[48]

This was the first time that Tom Baker, Peter Davison and Colin Baker portrayed their respective incarnations of the Doctor since leaving Doctor Who.^[43][b] It marked the last time Jon Pertwee portrayed the Doctor in a BBC-licensed production.^[c] Pertwee read his lines off of boards.^[53]

The special was one of several special 3D programmes the BBC produced at the time, using a 3D system developed by American inventor Terry D. Beard that made use of the Pulfrich effect. The technology required spectacles with one darkened lens and one transparent one; these were sold in shops to the public, with the proceeds going to Children in Need.

Filming

Filming began on 21 September with the Rani and Cyrian's scenes. Tom Baker's lone scene was recorded at the end of this day.^[37][54] Though Baker initially agreed to be involved in the special, he pulled out after reading the script.^[55] Baker similarly agreed then pulled out of the 20th anniversary special "The Five Doctors".^[56] He ultimately agreed to film a small part following conversations with Roden and Nathan-Turner.^[57] Baker rewrote his lines.^[58][34] Baker was difficult during the production and had to be coaxed by Nathan-Turner into actually wearing his Doctor Who costume.^[59]

22 and 23 September were spent filming at Elstree. Small charges were let off in front of the camera as part of the "time jump" effect; visual effects were later added to this.^[37] Pertwee allegedly complained that he did not understand the plot.^[60] Many of the old monster costumes used in the special were fragile and needed maintenance throughout filming.^[61][62] The final day of exterior filming took place in Greenwich.^[61] According to Louise Jameson, Sylvester McCoy arrived to filming slightly late and slightly hung over. During his absence, the other Doctors had reassigned many of their technobabble lines to him.^[63] The sixteen-year-old K9 prop broke during filming and had to pull through the shot on a piece of line.^[61]

The monolith prop (the Rani's TARDIS in disguise) was constructed the day before filming. Tucker then had a single day to construct the miniature version. The model shots were recorded on 28 September; this included the floating heads and the Rani's space station. A scene where the Doctor's TARDIS is caught in an asteroid field was filmed but cut.^[61]

Post-production

Roden suggested that the Pet Shop Boys, with whom he was friends, could do an arrangement of the theme music. However they were too busy. The pop duo Erasure were also asked, but Nathan-Turner and Roden did not realise that they were on tour at time. Erasure eventually agreed to do the theme music, but the band Cybertech had already been confirmed.^[20] Mike Fillis and Adrian Pack of Cybertech gave Nathan-Turner a tape of their remix during filming at Albert Square.^[38]

Promotion

The 20 November issue of Radio Times promoted the special by featuring the Doctors on the cover^[64] and coming with a free pair of 3D glasses.^[65]

Continuity

In 1994, Nathan-Turner stated that Dimensions in Time "was never intended to be part of the Doctor Who mythos".^[66] Roden reiterated in 2015 that the special "was not made to be canon".^[67] Doctor Who Magazine deemed the special to be non-canonical.^[68][69]

Both Pauline Fowler and Kathy Beale were killed off in EastEnders prior to 2013, although Dimensions in Time depicts them alive and well.^[70] Sophie Aldred guest-starred in two EastEnders episodes in February 1993.^[71] Louise Jameson and Bonnie Langford also later appeared on the soap opera as regular characters.^[70] A short clip of Kate O'Mara as the Rani from Dimensions in Time was used in the 2025 Doctor Who episode Wish World.

Broadcast

Episode	Title	Run time [72]	Original release date [72]	UK viewers (millions) [72]
1	"Part One"	7:38	26 November 1993 (1993-11-26)	13.8
2	"Part Two"	5:28	27 November 1993 (1993-11-27)	13.6

Part One was introduced by Noel Edmonds in a live sketch with Pertwee in character as the Third Doctor.^[73] After Part One aired, a telephone vote was held to choose which EastEnders character—Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton) or Big Ron (Ron Tarr)—would assist the Doctor in Part Two (two versions of the same scene were filmed).^[70][40][74] The voting gimmick was conceived by Children in Need.^[75] Although the version with Big Ron was expected to be broadcast,^[76] the Mandy version won out with 22,484 votes (56%) compared to 17,044 votes (44%).^[40] The £101,000 raised from phone calls went to Children in Need.^{[citation needed]} Part Two was introduced by Edmonds during his show Noel's House Party.^[40]

Dimensions in Time achieved viewing figures of 13.8 million and 13.6 million viewers for the first and second parts respectively,^[72] putting them among the most highly watched UK broadcasts of Doctor Who.^[53] For comparison, as of 2018, the highest UK audience figure for Doctor Who is 16.1 million viewers for Part Four of City of Death (1979).^[77]

Dimensions in Time has never been officially released on home media. Per a deal between the BBC and Equity, the cast (and crew) were unpaid on the condition that their work would never be re-broadcast or commercially released.^[69][34] However researcher Richard Bignell stated a commercial release is unlikely moreso due to the high cost of licensing material owned by Children in Need.^[78]

Reception

I don’t need to defend Dimensions in Time — it should be taken for what it is: a jolly romp to celebrate Doctor Who's thirtieth birthday. If you didn’t like it, fine; if you did like it, that’s equally fine. But if you can honestly say that the 30th anniversary of Doctor Who would have been better without it, without its publicity, without its Radio Times front cover, without its colossal audience figure, without its individual effect on the final amount of money raised for such a worthy charity, then I feel sorry for you.^[79]

—producer John Nathan-Turner in 1994

Contemporary fan reception was extremely negative.^{[80][69][81][82]} A few months after the special's release, the regular gag cartoon of Doctor Who Magazine, Doctor Who?, sardonically depicted "Unlikely things to hear whilst viewing the 'Dimensions in Time' story" ("These 3D effects are really convincing!" "They must have spent a fortune on this!" "Albert Square is a very effective setting").^[83] In The Discontinuity Guide (1995), Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping called it "nostalgic and camp, amusing nonsense".^[1] In the licensed reference book series Doctor Who: The Handbook, David J. Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker gave the special a 0/10 and called it "a dreadful travesty of a Doctor Who story" despite its charitable aims.^[84] Howe and Walker also criticised the plot and pacing, calling it "Doctor Who on acid" and comparing it to a sketch from The Benny Hill Show.^[85]

Nicholas Briggs, who later voiced the Daleks in Doctor Who's revived series,^[86] criticised the special's production value and plot. However he suggested that it received an unfairly high level of scrutiny because of the absence of original Doctor Who programming on television. He also suggested that the special is more accurately compared to an advert or comedy sketch rather than a standard serial.^[87]

In 2013, Oli Smith of IGN likened Dimensions in Time to the similarly maligned Star Wars Holiday Special, remarking that it "ditched the whole idea of a plot altogether".^[88] In 2016, Entertainment Weekly called it a "train wreck" and lamented "what could have been a spectacular event ended up being an embarrassing hodgepodge", criticising the special effects, plot and EastEnders cameos.^[43] Writing for Radio Times in 2023, Patrick Mulkern called it "diabolical – the best that can be said is that it was mounted in a charitable cause".^[89]