Jump to content

Survival (Doctor Who): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
 
(27 intermediate revisions by 9 users not shown)
Line 39: Line 39:
}}
}}


'''''Survival''''' is the final serial of the [[Doctor Who (season 26)|26th season]] of the British [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which was first broadcast in three weekly parts on [[BBC1]] from 22 November to 6 December 1989. It is also the final story of the series' original 26-year run; it did not return regularly until 2005. It marks the final regular television appearances of [[Sylvester McCoy]] as the [[Seventh Doctor]] and [[Sophie Aldred]] as [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]], and is also the final appearance of [[Anthony Ainley]] as [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]], the latter appearing alongside McCoy's Doctor for the only time.
'''''Survival''''' is the final serial of the [[Doctor Who (season 26)|26th season]] of the British [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', which was first broadcast in three weekly parts on [[BBC1]] from 22 November to 6 December 1989. It is the final story of the original 26-year run; the show did not return as a series until [[Doctor Who (series 1)|2005]]. The story marks the final regular television appearances of [[Sylvester McCoy]] as the [[Seventh Doctor]] and [[Sophie Aldred]] as [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]], and the final television appearance of [[Anthony Ainley]] as [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]], appearing alongside McCoy's Doctor for the only time.


In the story, the Doctor brings Ace home to [[Perivale]], where her friends have been transported to the planet of the Cheetah People.
Journalist [[Matthew Sweet (writer)|Matthew Sweet]] has described ''Survival'' as "a parable about [[Thatcherism]]" that shares multiple characteristics with the later [[Tenth Doctor]] era of ''Doctor Who''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/just-what-the-doctor-ordered-how-david-tennants-time-lord-saved-auntie-1842753.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/just-what-the-doctor-ordered-how-david-tennants-time-lord-saved-auntie-1842753.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Just what the Doctor ordered: How David Tennant's Time Lord saved Auntie|website=[[The Independent]]|first=Matthew|last=Sweet|date=20 December 2009|access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> The Doctor brings Ace home to [[Perivale]], where her friends have been transported to the planet of the Cheetah People.


==Plot==
==Plot==
The [[Seventh Doctor]] brings [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]] back home to [[Perivale]] in west London. Ace becomes worried when most of her old friends seem to have disappeared, but the Doctor is more preoccupied with the black cat he sees skulking about. The cat appears to be selecting people and transporting them to another dimension. Ace finds herself being hunted down by a creature on horseback, which seems to be half-human, half-cheetah, which hunts with the black cat. Later the Doctor and a fitness instructor called Paterson are teleported to another world, where the Doctor is greeted by his nemesis [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]].
The [[Seventh Doctor]] brings [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]] back home to [[Perivale]] in [[west London]]. Ace becomes worried when most of her friends seem to have disappeared, but the Doctor is preoccupied with a [[black cat]] he sees skulking about. The cat appears to be selecting people and transporting them to another [[dimension]]. Ace finds herself being hunted down by a creature on horseback, which seems to be half-human, half-cheetah, which hunts with the black cat. The Doctor and a fitness instructor called Paterson are teleported to another world, where the Doctor is confronted by [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]].


The Master explains the complex situation: they are on a sentient planet, which has the power to transform the inhabitants into animals. The formerly human inhabitants, which have since evolved into Cheetah People, originally bred the black cats as pets. The Master himself shows signs of transformation and needs the Doctor's help to escape from the planet.
The Master explains the situation: they are on a sentient [[planet]], which has the power to transform the inhabitants into animals. The originally human inhabitants, which have since evolved into Cheetah People, used the black cats as pets. The Master shows signs of transformation and needs the Doctor's help to escape from the planet.


Ace finds her friends, Shreela and Midge hiding in the woods with a young man called Derek. A Cheetah pack attacks and during the fight Midge kills one Cheetah while Ace injures another, called Karra. She begins to form an attachment to Karra and nurses her, tending her injuries, which worries the Doctor greatly. Ace's eyes change and she begins to transform into a Cheetah.
Ace finds her friends Shreela and Midge hiding in the woods with a young man called Derek. A Cheetah pack attacks, and during the fight Midge kills one Cheetah while Ace injures another, called Karra. She begins to form an attachment to Karra and treats her injuries, which worries the Doctor greatly. Ace's eyes change and she begins to transform into a Cheetah.


Midge submits to the power of the planet and begins to transform. The Master seizes on this and uses Midge to [[Teleportation|teleport]] them both back to Earth. Ace helps the Doctor get back to Perivale, also enabling Paterson, Derek and Shreela to flee the strange planet. The Doctor and Ace return to Perivale, where they find Midge and the Master have killed Paterson for sport. Midge is killed in the Master's machinations. Karra's arrival brings comfort to Ace, whose transformation is continuing, but the Master kills Karra too.
Midge submits to the power of the planet and begins to transform. The Master uses Midge to [[Teleportation|teleport]] both of them back to Earth. Ace helps the Doctor get back to Perivale, enabling Paterson, Derek and Shreela to flee the planet. The Doctor and Ace return to Perivale, where they find Midge and the Master have killed Paterson for sport. Midge is killed in the Master's machinations. Karra's arrival brings comfort to Ace, whose transformation is continuing, but the Master kills Karra.


The Master transports the Doctor with him back to the Cheetah Planet for a final conflict, but the Doctor resists the pull of the planet, turning away from violence, and is transported away from the dying world. However, the Master is trapped on the planet as it begins to break up. The Doctor has gone back to the [[TARDIS]] and Earth, where he finds Ace, whose metamorphosis has reversed.
The Master transports the Doctor with him back to the Cheetah Planet for a final conflict, but the Doctor resists the pull of the planet, turning away from violence, and is transported away from the dying world. However, the Master is trapped on the planet as it begins to break up. The Doctor has gone back to the [[TARDIS]] and Earth, where he finds Ace, whose [[metamorphosis]] has reversed.


==Production==
==Production==
Line 62: Line 62:


===Recording===
===Recording===
''Survival'' was one of only a handful of ''Doctor Who'' serials to be recorded completely on BBC Outside Broadcast video, instead of the mix of OB and studio video that was more common during the late 1980s, and the mix of film and video that was usual before them. The other stories to be recorded solely on OB video were ''[[The Sontaran Experiment]]'' (1975), ''[[Delta and the Bannermen]]'' (1987), ''[[Silver Nemesis]]'' (1988) and ''[[The Curse of Fenric]]'' (1989).
''Survival'' was one of only a handful of ''Doctor Who'' serials to be recorded completely on BBC Outside Broadcast video, instead of the mix of OB and studio video that was more common during the late 1980s, and the mix of film and video that was usual before. The other stories to be recorded solely on OB video were: ''[[The Sontaran Experiment]]'' (1975), ''[[Delta and the Bannermen]]'' (1987), ''[[Silver Nemesis]]'' (1988) and ''[[The Curse of Fenric]]'' (1989).


It was almost {{convert|38|C|F}} on the shooting days for the scenes on the planet of the Cheetah people. One of the extras removed her costume (revealing that she was wearing very little underneath) and simply walked off the set, causing delays while a replacement was found.<ref>Interview with Sylvester McCoy on the Survival DVD</ref> The battle at the climax of the story was recorded and set on the site of the ancient [[hill fort]] at [[Horsenden Hill]], Perivale. The majority of location recording was done in and around Perivale, with small sections shot at nearby [[Ealing]], outside and near [[The Drayton Court]] pub.
It was almost {{convert|38|C|F}} on the shooting days for the scenes on the planet of the Cheetah people. One of the extras removed her costume and simply walked off the set, causing delays while a replacement was found.<ref>Interview with Sylvester McCoy on the Survival DVD</ref> The battle at the climax of the story was recorded and set on the site of the ancient [[hill fort]] at [[Horsenden Hill]]. The majority of location recording was done in and around Perivale, with small sections shot at nearby [[Ealing]], and outside and near [[The Drayton Court]] pub.


===The final ''Doctor Who'' episode in the original series===
===The final ''Doctor Who'' episode in the original series===
Having already surmised that episode three of ''Survival'' was likely to at least be the last episode of ''Doctor Who'' for some time, and possibly the last ever, the show's producer John Nathan-Turner decided close to transmission that a more suitable conclusion should be given to the final episode.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} To this end, script editor [[Andrew Cartmel]] wrote a short, melancholic closing monologue for actor Sylvester McCoy, which McCoy recorded on 23 November 1989, the day after episode one was broadcast and, by coincidence, the show's twenty-sixth anniversary:
Having already realized that episode three of ''Survival'' was likely to be the last episode of ''Doctor Who'' for some time, and possibly the last ever, the show's producer [[John Nathan-Turner]] decided close to transmission that a more suitable conclusion should be given to the final episode.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} Script editor [[Andrew Cartmel]] wrote a short, melancholic closing monologue for Sylvester McCoy, which McCoy recorded on 23 November 1989, the day after episode one was broadcast and, by coincidence, the show's twenty-sixth anniversary:


''"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there’s injustice, and somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace – we've got work to do!"''
''"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there’s injustice, and somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace – we've got work to do!"''


This was dubbed over the closing scene as the Doctor and Ace walked off into the distance, apparently to further adventures. Although ''Survival'' was the last ''Doctor Who'' serial of the original series to be transmitted, it was not the last to have been produced; that was ''[[Ghost Light (Doctor Who)|Ghost Light]]'', which had been broadcast some weeks earlier, as the antepenultimate story of the original run. The ''Doctor Who'' production office at the BBC finally closed down in August 1990, having been in continuous operation since 1963.
This was dubbed over the closing scene as the Doctor and Ace walked off into the distance, apparently to further adventures. Although ''Survival'' was the last ''Doctor Who'' serial of the original series to be transmitted, it was not the last to have been produced; that was ''[[Ghost Light (Doctor Who)|Ghost Light]]'', which had been broadcast some weeks earlier, as the second story of the original run. The ''Doctor Who'' production office at the BBC finally closed down in August 1990, having been in continuous operation since 1963.


This story is the last to feature Anthony Ainley as the Master. Ainley was not asked to return as the Master for the [[Doctor Who (film)|1996 ''Doctor Who'' television movie]]. Instead, Gordon Tipple was cast as the Master for the prologue and [[Eric Roberts]] played the Master for the rest of the movie. Ainley reprised the role of the Master for the 1997 computer game ''[[Destiny of the Doctors]]''. He continued to be active in ''Doctor Who'', attending conventions and recording a commentary track for the DVD of the 1981 serial ''[[The Keeper of Traken]]''. Ainley died in May 2004.
This story is the last to feature Anthony Ainley as the Master. Ainley was not asked to return as the Master for the [[Doctor Who (film)|1996 ''Doctor Who'' television movie]]. Instead, Gordon Tipple was cast as the Master for the prologue and [[Eric Roberts]] played the Master for the rest of the movie. Ainley reprised the role of the Master for the 1997 computer game ''[[Destiny of the Doctors]]''. He continued to be active in ''Doctor Who'', attending conventions and recording a commentary track for the DVD of the 1981 serial ''[[The Keeper of Traken]]''. Ainley died in May 2004.


McCoy and Aldred would reprise their roles onscreen on a number of occasions: first in a 1990 episode of the educational series ''Search Out Science''; and again in 1993, along with many other former ''Doctor Who'' actors, for the [[Children in Need]] special ''[[Dimensions in Time]]''. McCoy would briefly return to the role for the [[Doctor Who (film)|1996 ''Doctor Who'' television movie]] which saw the Seventh Doctor regenerate into the [[Eighth Doctor]], played by [[Paul McGann]], and once more in 2021 for a webcast trailer promoting the blu-ray release of [[Doctor Who (season 24)|Season 24]] alongside [[Bonnie Langford]] as [[Mel Bush]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLb-rlZQA9k&ab_channel=DoctorWho |title=A Business Proposal for Mel! The Collection: Season 24 Announcement Trailer Doctor Who |publisher=BBC Studios |access-date=2022-10-22}}</ref>
McCoy and Aldred would reprise their roles onscreen on a number of occasions: first in a 1990 episode of the educational series ''Search Out Science''; and again in 1993, along with many other former ''Doctor Who'' actors, for the [[Children in Need]] 30th anniversary special ''[[Dimensions in Time]]''. McCoy would briefly return to the role for the [[Doctor Who (film)|1996 ''Doctor Who'' television movie]] which saw the Seventh Doctor regenerate into the [[Eighth Doctor]], played by [[Paul McGann]], and once more in 2021 for a webcast trailer promoting the [[Blu-ray]] release of [[Doctor Who (season 24)|Season 24]] alongside [[Bonnie Langford]] as [[Mel Bush]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLb-rlZQA9k&ab_channel=DoctorWho |title=A Business Proposal for Mel! The Collection: Season 24 Announcement Trailer Doctor Who |date=21 January 2021 |publisher=BBC Studios |access-date=2022-10-22}}</ref>


Had the series continued, Aldred would have remained in her role until the expiry of her contract midway through the following season. Ace was to be written out of the series in ''Ice Time'', an [[Ice Warrior]] story written by [[Marc Platt (writer)|Marc Platt]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://home.earthlink.net/~qstnmark/melted/ice_time.htm |title=Ice Time |publisher=Home.earthlink.net |access-date=2016-08-15 |archive-date=12 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312082137/http://home.earthlink.net/~qstnmark/melted/ice_time.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Aldred returned as Ace in 2019 for a webcast trailer promoting the blu-ray release of [[Doctor Who (season 26)|Season 26]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgHRLi02JAc&ab_channel=DoctorWho |title=Ace Returns! The Collection: Season 26 Announcement Trailer Doctor Who |publisher=BBC Studios |access-date=2022-10-22}}</ref>
If the series continued, Aldred would have remained in her role until the expiry of her contract midway through the following season. Ace was to be written out of the series in ''Ice Time'', an [[Ice Warrior]] story written by [[Marc Platt (writer)|Marc Platt]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://home.earthlink.net/~qstnmark/melted/ice_time.htm |title=Ice Time |publisher=Home.earthlink.net |access-date=2016-08-15 |archive-date=12 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312082137/http://home.earthlink.net/~qstnmark/melted/ice_time.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Aldred returned as Ace in 2019 for a webcast trailer promoting the [[Blu-ray]] release of [[Doctor Who (season 26)|Season 26]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgHRLi02JAc&ab_channel=DoctorWho |title=Ace Returns! The Collection: Season 26 Announcement Trailer Doctor Who |date=3 September 2019 |publisher=BBC Studios |access-date=2022-10-22}}</ref>


In 1999, McCoy agreed to reprise his role as the Doctor in officially-licensed ''Doctor Who'' audio adventures produced by [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]], with Aldred also returning the following year. As of 2022, both McCoy and Aldred continue to make regular appearances in ''Doctor Who'' audio releases and associated spin-offs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/contributors/v/Sylvester-McCoy-7110 |title=Sylvester McCoy - Contributions |publisher=Big Finish |access-date=2022-10-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/contributors/v/Sophie-Aldred-898 |title=Sophie Aldred - Contributions |publisher=Big Finish |access-date=2022-10-22}}</ref> The pair also returned in 2001 for the BBC [[webcast]] production, ''[[Death Comes to Time]]''.
In 1999, McCoy agreed to reprise his role as the Doctor in officially licensed ''Doctor Who'' audio adventures produced by [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]], with Aldred also returning the following year. As of 2022, both McCoy and Aldred continue to make regular appearances in ''Doctor Who'' audio releases and associated spin-offs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/contributors/v/Sylvester-McCoy-7110 |title=Sylvester McCoy - Contributions |publisher=Big Finish |access-date=2022-10-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/contributors/v/Sophie-Aldred-898 |title=Sophie Aldred - Contributions |publisher=Big Finish |access-date=2022-10-22}}</ref> The pair also returned in 2001 for the BBC [[webcast]] production, ''[[Death Comes to Time]]''.


''Doctor Who'' eventually returned to television as a [[BBC Wales]] production in 2005, helmed by [[Russell T Davies]]. In 2022, Aldred made a special guest appearance as Ace in the revived series, alongside [[Janet Fielding]] as [[Tegan Jovanka]], for the BBC's centenary – "[[The Power of the Doctor]]" – which saw the end of [[Jodie Whittaker]]'s tenure as the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] and was the last story produced entirely by [[BBC Studios]] before entering a co-production deal with [[Bad Wolf (production company)|Bad Wolf]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dhsb |title=BBC One - Doctor Who,The Power of the Doctor |publisher=BBC |access-date=2022-10-23 |archive-date=12 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012171039/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dhsb |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/russell-t-davies-to-return-as-doctor-who-showrunner |title=Russell T Davies to return as Doctor Who showrunner |publisher=doctorwho.tv |access-date=2022-10-23}}</ref> McCoy also made a surprise cameo as a manifestation of the Seventh Doctor.
''Doctor Who'' eventually returned to television as a [[BBC Wales]] production in 2005, helmed by [[Russell T Davies]]. In 2022, Aldred made a special guest appearance as Ace in the revived series, alongside [[Janet Fielding]] as [[Tegan Jovanka]], in [[The Power of the Doctor]], which saw the end of [[Jodie Whittaker]]'s tenure as the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] and was the last story produced entirely by [[BBC Studios]] before entering a co-production deal with [[Bad Wolf (production company)|Bad Wolf]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dhsb |title=BBC One - Doctor Who,The Power of the Doctor |publisher=BBC |access-date=2022-10-23 |archive-date=12 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012171039/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dhsb |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/russell-t-davies-to-return-as-doctor-who-showrunner |title=Russell T Davies to return as Doctor Who showrunner |publisher=doctorwho.tv |access-date=2022-10-23}}</ref> McCoy also made a surprise cameo as a manifestation of the Seventh Doctor.


===Cast notes===
===Cast notes===
Line 141: Line 141:
===In print===
===In print===
{{Infobox book
{{Infobox book
|name = Survival
| name = Survival
|image =
| image =
|caption =
| caption =
|author = [[Rona Munro]]
| author = [[Rona Munro]]
|cover_artist = [[Alister Pearson]]
| cover_artist = [[Alister Pearson]]
|series = ''[[Doctor Who]]'' book:<br />[[List of Doctor Who novelisations|Target novelisations]]
| series = ''[[Doctor Who]]'' book:<br />[[List of Doctor Who novelisations|Target novelisations]]
|release_number = 150
| release_number = 150
|release_date = 18 October 1990
| release_date = 18 October 1990
|publisher = [[Target Books]]
| publisher = [[Target Books]]
|isbn= 0-426-20352-6
| isbn = 0-426-20352-6
|italic title = no
| italic title = no
}}
}}

A novelisation of this serial, written by [[Rona Munro]], was published by [[Target Books]] in October 1990, making Munro the third woman to write a ''Doctor Who'' novelisation. A reprint edition was one of several possible books included with a 2008 issue of [[Doctor Who Magazine]].
A novelisation of this serial, written by [[Rona Munro]], was published by [[Target Books]] in October 1990, making Munro the third woman to write a ''Doctor Who'' novelisation. A reprint edition was one of several possible books included with a 2008 issue of [[Doctor Who Magazine]].


Latest revision as of 11:29, 16 July 2024

155[1] – Survival
Doctor Who serial
Sylvester McCoy in a still frame for Survival
Cast
Guest
Production
Directed byAlan Wareing
Written byRona Munro
Script editorAndrew Cartmel
Produced byJohn Nathan-Turner
Music byDominic Glynn
Production code7P
SeriesSeason 26
Running time3 episodes, 25 minutes each
First broadcast22 November 1989 (1989-11-22)
Last broadcast6 December 1989 (1989-12-06)
Chronology
← Preceded by
The Curse of Fenric 		Followed by →
Dimensions in Time (special)
Doctor Who (TV movie)
List of episodes (1963–1989)

Survival is the final serial of the 26th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts on BBC1 from 22 November to 6 December 1989. It is the final story of the original 26-year run; the show did not return as a series until 2005. The story marks the final regular television appearances of Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace, and the final television appearance of Anthony Ainley as the Master, appearing alongside McCoy's Doctor for the only time.

In the story, the Doctor brings Ace home to Perivale, where her friends have been transported to the planet of the Cheetah People.

Plot

[edit]

The Seventh Doctor brings Ace back home to Perivale in west London. Ace becomes worried when most of her friends seem to have disappeared, but the Doctor is preoccupied with a black cat he sees skulking about. The cat appears to be selecting people and transporting them to another dimension. Ace finds herself being hunted down by a creature on horseback, which seems to be half-human, half-cheetah, which hunts with the black cat. The Doctor and a fitness instructor called Paterson are teleported to another world, where the Doctor is confronted by the Master.

The Master explains the situation: they are on a sentient planet, which has the power to transform the inhabitants into animals. The originally human inhabitants, which have since evolved into Cheetah People, used the black cats as pets. The Master shows signs of transformation and needs the Doctor's help to escape from the planet.

Ace finds her friends Shreela and Midge hiding in the woods with a young man called Derek. A Cheetah pack attacks, and during the fight Midge kills one Cheetah while Ace injures another, called Karra. She begins to form an attachment to Karra and treats her injuries, which worries the Doctor greatly. Ace's eyes change and she begins to transform into a Cheetah.

Midge submits to the power of the planet and begins to transform. The Master uses Midge to teleport both of them back to Earth. Ace helps the Doctor get back to Perivale, enabling Paterson, Derek and Shreela to flee the planet. The Doctor and Ace return to Perivale, where they find Midge and the Master have killed Paterson for sport. Midge is killed in the Master's machinations. Karra's arrival brings comfort to Ace, whose transformation is continuing, but the Master kills Karra.

The Master transports the Doctor with him back to the Cheetah Planet for a final conflict, but the Doctor resists the pull of the planet, turning away from violence, and is transported away from the dying world. However, the Master is trapped on the planet as it begins to break up. The Doctor has gone back to the TARDIS and Earth, where he finds Ace, whose metamorphosis has reversed.

Production

[edit]

Writing

[edit]

Writer Rona Munro approached script editor Andrew Cartmel at a BBC scriptwriting workshop and said that she'd "kill to write for Doctor Who."[2] The story Munro developed incorporated themes including the morals of hunting (personified by the Cheetah People and signposted by Ace's friend Ange collecting for hunt saboteurs).[2] The title Survival was chosen by Cartmel.[2] Munro was disappointed by the realisation of the Cheetah People:

[They] should have just had cheetah eyes and a very faint pigmentation round of cheetah spots, and big canine teeth. And in fact, I think the actors that were cast, from what I was told, were doing all this wonderful expressive facial work, and then these 'Puss in Boots' things were dropped on them – and so then you can't see what they're doing under there. Particularly Karra and Ace, there were whole amazing scenes between them and for me, that was supposed to be my lesbian subtext – and you can't see it!

— Rona Munro, 2007 interview[2]

Recording

[edit]

Survival was one of only a handful of Doctor Who serials to be recorded completely on BBC Outside Broadcast video, instead of the mix of OB and studio video that was more common during the late 1980s, and the mix of film and video that was usual before. The other stories to be recorded solely on OB video were: The Sontaran Experiment (1975), Delta and the Bannermen (1987), Silver Nemesis (1988) and The Curse of Fenric (1989).

It was almost 38 °C (100 °F) on the shooting days for the scenes on the planet of the Cheetah people. One of the extras removed her costume and simply walked off the set, causing delays while a replacement was found.[3] The battle at the climax of the story was recorded and set on the site of the ancient hill fort at Horsenden Hill. The majority of location recording was done in and around Perivale, with small sections shot at nearby Ealing, and outside and near The Drayton Court pub.

The final Doctor Who episode in the original series

[edit]

Having already realized that episode three of Survival was likely to be the last episode of Doctor Who for some time, and possibly the last ever, the show's producer John Nathan-Turner decided close to transmission that a more suitable conclusion should be given to the final episode.[citation needed] Script editor Andrew Cartmel wrote a short, melancholic closing monologue for Sylvester McCoy, which McCoy recorded on 23 November 1989, the day after episode one was broadcast and, by coincidence, the show's twenty-sixth anniversary:

"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there’s injustice, and somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace – we've got work to do!"

This was dubbed over the closing scene as the Doctor and Ace walked off into the distance, apparently to further adventures. Although Survival was the last Doctor Who serial of the original series to be transmitted, it was not the last to have been produced; that was Ghost Light, which had been broadcast some weeks earlier, as the second story of the original run. The Doctor Who production office at the BBC finally closed down in August 1990, having been in continuous operation since 1963.

This story is the last to feature Anthony Ainley as the Master. Ainley was not asked to return as the Master for the 1996 Doctor Who television movie. Instead, Gordon Tipple was cast as the Master for the prologue and Eric Roberts played the Master for the rest of the movie. Ainley reprised the role of the Master for the 1997 computer game Destiny of the Doctors. He continued to be active in Doctor Who, attending conventions and recording a commentary track for the DVD of the 1981 serial The Keeper of Traken. Ainley died in May 2004.

McCoy and Aldred would reprise their roles onscreen on a number of occasions: first in a 1990 episode of the educational series Search Out Science; and again in 1993, along with many other former Doctor Who actors, for the Children in Need 30th anniversary special Dimensions in Time. McCoy would briefly return to the role for the 1996 Doctor Who television movie which saw the Seventh Doctor regenerate into the Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann, and once more in 2021 for a webcast trailer promoting the Blu-ray release of Season 24 alongside Bonnie Langford as Mel Bush.[4]

If the series continued, Aldred would have remained in her role until the expiry of her contract midway through the following season. Ace was to be written out of the series in Ice Time, an Ice Warrior story written by Marc Platt.[5] Aldred returned as Ace in 2019 for a webcast trailer promoting the Blu-ray release of Season 26.[6]

In 1999, McCoy agreed to reprise his role as the Doctor in officially licensed Doctor Who audio adventures produced by Big Finish, with Aldred also returning the following year. As of 2022, both McCoy and Aldred continue to make regular appearances in Doctor Who audio releases and associated spin-offs.[7][8] The pair also returned in 2001 for the BBC webcast production, Death Comes to Time.

Doctor Who eventually returned to television as a BBC Wales production in 2005, helmed by Russell T Davies. In 2022, Aldred made a special guest appearance as Ace in the revived series, alongside Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, in The Power of the Doctor, which saw the end of Jodie Whittaker's tenure as the Thirteenth Doctor and was the last story produced entirely by BBC Studios before entering a co-production deal with Bad Wolf.[9][10] McCoy also made a surprise cameo as a manifestation of the Seventh Doctor.

Cast notes

[edit]

The part of Karra in this serial is played by Lisa Bowerman, who is now more familiar to fans as the voice of Bernice Summerfield in the Big Finish Productions audio dramas. She is also a director of many Big Finish productions, and also returned to the Doctor Who series proper when she provided voice-acting work for the animated special Dreamland in 2009.

This serial features guest appearances of the comedians Gareth Hale and Norman Pace, and actress Adele Silva (as an 8-year-old, in her first television role). See also Celebrity appearances in Doctor Who.

Broadcast and reception

[edit]
EpisodeTitleRun timeOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [11]
1"Part One"24:1422 November 1989 (1989-11-22)5.0
2"Part Two"24:1329 November 1989 (1989-11-29)4.8
3"Part Three"24:206 December 1989 (1989-12-06)5.0

There was no direct indication given to the public that this was to be the final regular instalment of Doctor Who; however, unlike previous years' final episodes, this one featured no announcement in the closing credits that the programme would return the following year.

Reviewing Survival, David J. Howe and Stephen James Walker described it as "a very good story", with a script that contains "highly imaginative and original concepts".[12] They also expressed admiration for the special effects used for the Cheetah People's planet, calling them "superb electronic video effects". Ainley's performance was also praised, with the reviewers stating it was "deadly serious and implacably evil, but with occasional flashes of dark humour".[12] While stating that it was "deeply regrettable" that the original series of Doctor Who had to end with Survival, they added "that it went out on such a high note is, however, something to be thankful for".[12]

The serial was also positively received by Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping, who praised Anthony Ainley's performance and considered the show to be "a great end to the series" with "an epic quality".[13]

Commercial releases

[edit]

In print

[edit]
Survival
AuthorRona Munro
Cover artistAlister Pearson
SeriesDoctor Who book:
Target novelisations
Release number
150
PublisherTarget Books
Publication date
18 October 1990
ISBN0-426-20352-6

A novelisation of this serial, written by Rona Munro, was published by Target Books in October 1990, making Munro the third woman to write a Doctor Who novelisation. A reprint edition was one of several possible books included with a 2008 issue of Doctor Who Magazine.

Home media

[edit]

Survival was released on VHS in October 1995. It was released on DVD on 16 April 2007 as a 2-disc set. The serial was also released as part of the Doctor Who DVD Files collection, in issue 51, published 15 December 2010.

The story was released once more as part of the Doctor Who: The Collection Season 26 blu-ray box set released in 2020. It is the only story from season 26 not to have an alternate extended cut.

Soundtrack release

[edit]
Doctor Who: Survival
Soundtrack album by
Dominic Glynn
Released15 September 2017
GenreSoundtrack
LabelSilva Screen
Doctor Who soundtrack chronology
Doctor Who: The Daleks
(2017) 		Doctor Who: Survival
(2017) 		Doctor Who: Series 9
(2018)

The music from this serial, composed by Dominic Glynn, was first released on CD on 15 September 2017.[14]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Dominic Glynn, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Doctor Who (Opening Theme)" (Ron Grainer arr. Keff McCulloch) 
2."Car Wash, With Kitling" 
3."Tin Cans, Stray Cats And Horses" 
4."Cat Food" 
5."Where Is Everyone?" 
6."Tin Opener" 
7."Park Chase, And The Alien Planet" 
8."An Unexpected Pleasure" 
9."Planet of the Cheetah People" 
10."Two Pints" 
11."Playing With Fire" 
12."Valley of Cats" 
13."The Living Planet" 
14."We Shall Become Animals" 
15."Ace And Karra" 
16."Go Home" 
17."I Will Be Free of It" 
18."Come Hunting, Sister" 
19."Midge and the Bad Cat Man" 
20."On Horsenden Hill" 
21."Tooth And Claw" 
22."Run For Ever" 
23."...And Somewhere Else The Tea's Getting Cold" 
24."Doctor Who (Closing Theme)" (Ron Grainer arr. Keff McCulloch) 

References

[edit]
  1. ^ From the Doctor Who Magazine series overview, in issue 407 (pp26-29). The Discontinuity Guide, which counts the four segments of The Trial of a Time Lord as four separate stories and also counts the unbroadcast serial Shada, lists this story as number 159. Region 1 DVD releases follow The Discontinuity Guide numbering system.
  2. ^ a b c d Darlington, David; Rona Munro (25 November 2007). "You're Killing My Lesbian Subtext…!". Deejsaint. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  3. ^ Interview with Sylvester McCoy on the Survival DVD
  4. ^ "A Business Proposal for Mel! The Collection: Season 24 Announcement Trailer Doctor Who". BBC Studios. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Ice Time". Home.earthlink.net. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Ace Returns! The Collection: Season 26 Announcement Trailer Doctor Who". BBC Studios. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Sylvester McCoy - Contributions". Big Finish. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Sophie Aldred - Contributions". Big Finish. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  9. ^ "BBC One - Doctor Who,The Power of the Doctor". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Russell T Davies to return as Doctor Who showrunner". doctorwho.tv. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  12. ^ a b c Howe, David, Walker, Stephen James. Doctor Who : The Television Companion. London : BBC Worldwide, 1999. ISBN 0563405880 (pp. 536-37).
  13. ^ "Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Survival". BBC. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Doctor Who - Survival Original TV Soundtrack". 15 September 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017 – via Amazon.
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Seventh Doctor.

Target novelisation

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Survival_(Doctor_Who)&oldid=1234837745"