Season 27 - 1990
As production on Season 26 was taking place Nathan-Turner had meetings between Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred and Nathan-Turner had stated that Season 27 would be his final season and McCoy and Aldred later agreed that they would leave
when the showrunner left, Andrew Cartmel had also planned to leave as he felt he should exit when Nathan-Turner, McCoy and Aldred left.
Production wrapped on Season 26 in August 1989 and thus Cartmel and Nathan-Turner started planning for Season 27 and it was at this point Nathan-Turner contacted Wearing to ask the story count be extended from 4-6, but Wearing explained the only way that could happen is if Doctor Who’s ratings went up even though the show was putting a good fight against soap opera’s like Coronation Street. After a few weeks of planning they eventually settled on Earth Aid as the first serial, Ice Time as the second, Crime of The Century as the third and a yet undecided regeneration story, the two most popular suggestions were Alixion by Robert Mukherjee and Animal by Andrew Cartmel. It was later decided that Ben Aaronovitch would write Earth Aid, Marc Platt would write Ice Time, Andrew Cartmel would write Crime of The Century and Ian Briggs would write Seven’s regeneration story.
At first Nathan-Turner felt that Ace should leave in Crime of The Century and they could introduce a new companion in that very same story, but Cartmel then suggested that Ace leave in Ice Time and Crime of The Century would be a companion introduction story, Cartmel then created the character of Raine Creevy, an upper class cat burglar, Nathan-Turner liked the idea but had one request change the name to Kate Creevy to which Cartmel agreed. A few actresses were considered and among them were Julia Ormond, Julia Sawalha and Elizabeth Hurley, Sawalha was not keen on taking it as she considered the role of a Doctor Who companion as an ‘actress graveyard’, Ormond also declined as she didn’t feel committed to taking a role on Doctor Who, so in the end Elizabeth Hurley was approached and after a superb audition she was given the role of Kate Creevy, Cartmel said that for the character of Kate he wanted ‘a posh English-rose type of actress’ to play her and many fans and the press would dub her ‘an Emma Peel for the nineties’.
Even though Cartmel had commissioned Ian Briggs to write Seven’s regeneration story Briggs wasn’t sure whether he could write it at first but the backup writer would be Kevin Clarke if he couldn’t write it, he and Cartmel then had a conversation on the phone and Cartmel told Briggs that “Write something to do with an apocalypse, you k
now that sort of thing.” Briggs then wrote the story ‘The Outbreak’ which originally was supposed to be written by Platt for Season 28 however Platt was still promised a place for Season 28, but it meant production on Season 27 could start.
Production began in April 1990, the season may have looked like Earth Aid, Ice Time, Crime of the Century and The Outbreak but due to production logistics Ice Time would be produced first as a location/studio 4 parter, Earth Aid entirely in studio as a three parter, Crime of the Century was an all-location three parter and The Outbreak being a Studio/location four parter. Alan Wareing would direct Earth Aid, Nicholas Mallet would direct Crime of the Century and Chris Clough would direct Ice Time and The Outbreak.
Nathan-Turner and Wearing were now trying to find a successor and Nathan-Turner suggested production manager Ian Fraser, Wearing however was not particularly favourable to Nathan-Turner’s choice and tried to find an experienced producer but Wearing was out of luck as anybody he approached were unsuitable, unavailable or uninterested. It wasn’t until late May when Wearing agreed to Nathan-Turner’s idea and appointed Ian Fraser as Doctor Who’s new producer.
For this season, and the resulting new era, a new TARDIS interior was designed, this interior is quite unique as nothing like it had come previously in the show. This interior consisted of a large hexagonal room and the Console hung from the ceiling, with the console’s rounded bottom being off the ground with no support.
Earth Aid
Written By Ben Aaronovitch
Aired: 5th - 19th September
This story would be set in space and would see Ace as the captain of the Vancouver with the Doctor as the Medical Officer, the story would’ve been about the Vancouver transferring a shipment of food known grain to the planet Safensthome, however an alien race known as the Metatraxi attack the ship as they try to steal the grain.
The Metatraxi would be an unusual villain as they would taunt their enemies into picking up a weapon so that they could attack them, however the crew the Doctor and Ace push back the Metatraxi and deliver the shipment to Safensthome.
Ice Time
Written By Marc Platt
Aired: 26th September - 17th October
This story would feature the return of the Ice Warriors last seen in Season 11’s The Monster of Peladon,
it would’ve been set in late 60’s Moscow and would’ve been about an Ice Warrior name Hhessh who’s trying to resurrect the Ice warrior warlord Sezhyr, by retrieving ancient Martian technology from the Soviet Government who’d found 40 years prior.
During the adventure the Doctor and Ace get accompanied with a gangster named Sam Creevy and his partner Raina Kerenskya who is a Soviet lieutenant,
sometime in the story she reveals to Ace that she’s pregnant with Sam’s child but he doesn't know yet. Then later on when they’ve retrieved the artefacts and Sezhyr’s old suit, Raina would’ve given birth to her child and her birth speed would’ve sped up when she put on Sezhyr’s helmet.
Throughout the story we would’ve the more manipulative side of the Doctor, however it’s all a test for Ace set up by the Doctor and the Timelords as the Doctor wants to enrol into her into the academy on Gallifrey, at the end of part three Ace discovers the Doctor’s plans and loses all trust in him and goes rogue.
The day is saved when Ace defeats the resurrected Sezhyr in combat and this act impresses the Timelords and they give her the option to join the academy and the story ends with the Doctor and Ace saying their goodbyes on Gallifrey and the two leave on mild terms.
Crime of The Century
Written By Andrew Cartmel
Aired: 24th October - 7th November
This three part story would introduce the new companion Kate Creevy, a grown up version of Sam and Raina's baby from Thin Ice, who is now a cat burglar. The story would open with Kate cracking open a safe behind a painting during a fancy party, but after cracking open the safe, she finds the Doctor inside. It turns out the Doctor had secretly gotten her to steal several items that originally belonged to Sam, but they were taken off him, we also learn that Raina died some time before the events of this story. The rest of the story would feature the Doctor and Kate travelling to the fictional kingdom of Kefiristan and battling the Metatraxi. Eventually the Doctor defeats the Metatraxi and at the end of the story, the Doctor asks Kate if she would like to come travelling with him, to which she happily accepts.
The Outbreak
Written By Ian Briggs
Aired: 14th November - 5th December
This would be the final story for Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor.
The story would see the Doctor and Kate land in London 2003, the story would see the Doctor and Kate investigating a university and helping UNIT with their investigations as they are investigating a woman named Amanda Richardson who is wanted for several crimes committed and it turns out she’s running a cult known as ‘The Seekers of Doom’ , we find out they have made a virus which can make a fatal virus that can make all humans extinct.
The Doctor later finds out that he can destroy the virus but there will be a price to pay, eventually the Doctor destroys as he lets it absorb him which destroys his immune system and the cult tries to escape but the university explodes, killing them all. Kate helps the dying Doctor and he eventually regenerates after great difficulty due to the virus, the Doctor’s face is then covered in a bright light and then the light glows like a radiant fireball as the Doctor’s face becomes distorted and the light soon fades away as we see the Eighth Doctor - Richard Griffiths.
And that concludes Season 27 of Doctor Who, this season was considered weaker then Season 26 but did quite well in the BBC’s eyes. The next season will be Season 28, until then thank you for reading and goodbye.
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