DOCTOR WHO CHRONICLES

Doctor Who emerged from the television

RULE THE WORLD

Two years into the series’ triumphant revival, David Tennant’s rock-star Doctor was making a serious challenge for Tom Baker’s Time Lord crown. And for an encore? How about Christmas with Kylie…

THE DIARY OF DOCTOR WHO

As this month-by-month account proves, the revived Doctor Who was firmly embedded in the national consciousness by its third year

Freema Agyeman

Shortly after meeting Freema Agyeman in 2005, Doctor Who director Graeme Harper predicted that “she was going to be exceptional.” His instincts proved correct

SMITH AND JONES

Junior doctor Martha Jones is presented with an unusual patient. ‘John Smith’ has abdominal pains… and two hearts!

THE TOTAL PACKAGE

The junior fan show Totally Doctor Who went from strength to strength in 2007. Executive producer Gillane Seaborne describes how the changes made to its second series gave it “more immediacy, more informality and a bit more fun.”

THE INFINITE QUEST

Evil Baltazar seeks his heart’s desire aboard a legendary ship, the Infinite – so he tricks the Doctor into finding it

SOUNDING OUT

A survey of the year in which Big Finish recruited a future star to its repertory company and BBC Audio embarked on an ambitious new project

SECRET SERVICE

Returning for its third series, BBC Three’s backstage companion Doctor Who Confidential was bigger than ever. Assistant producer Zoë Rushton and some of the people inspired by the programme look back on an exciting time

DISC DRIVE

The sheer number of Doctor Who DVDs scheduled in 2007 made this “the heaviest year ever” for the restoration experts entrusted with the series’ archive

GRIDLOCK

Escape from New New York! But how – when there’s something terrible lurking at the bottom of its smoggy motorway?

Getting THE PICTURE

The Series 3 production team enjoyed the luxury of a dedicated state-ofthe-art production facility and a flexible schedule that their 20th-century counterparts could only have dreamed of. But this flexibility had its limits…

DALEKS IN MANHATTAN/ EVOLUTION OF THE DALEKS

From future New New York, the TARDIS arrives in the Depression-era original, where an off-Broadway comeback is underway...

ACTION STATIONS

A sensational year brought a new companion, new monsters and a new look for an old enemy – all of them pocket-sized

SPECIAL EFFECTS

As scripts became more demanding, everyone contributing to the series’ ingenious special effects rose to the challenge

THE LAZARUS EXPERIMENT

Professor Lazarus demonstrates a device that will “change what it means to be human” – but changes only himself…

BROUGHT TO BOOK

A look at the literary highlights of a year that included a bumper crop of novels, non-fiction and gift publications

42

In 42 minutes and 27 seconds’ time, the stricken SS Pentallion will fall into an alien sun. Start the clock…

TOY STORIES

Highlights among the collectables available at a time when Doctor Who was at the height of its merchandising power

HUMAN NATURE/THE FAMILY OF BLOOD

1913: schoolmaster John Smith falls in love with school matron Joan Redfern. But Smith doesn’t know his true identity…

PAGES OF HISTORY

As if Doctor Who fans weren’t already spoiled for choice in 2007, that Christmas offered both the traditional annual and a relatively sophisticated collection of original fiction

BLINK

The Weeping Angels are coming for Sally Sparrow. Marooned in 1969 without his TARDIS, all the Doctor can do is issue the warning: “Don’t blink.”

Derek Jacobi

The Doctor’s arch-enemy made a surprise return in a tense confrontation at the end of the universe. The Master’s latest incarnation was embodied by one of the most distinguished guest stars in the series’ history

UTOPIA

In the year 100 trillion, the Doctor at last re-encounters Captain Jack. But an even unhappier reunion awaits…

John Simm

The actor chosen to play the Master opposite David Tennant’s Doctor was one of television drama’s most familiar faces. He delivered an intense performance that helped to redefine the character for a modern audience

THE SOUND OF DRUMS/LAST OF THE TIME LORDS

Returning to the 21st century, the Doctor, Martha and Jack discover that the Master has already been elected as Prime Minister…

EXCELLENT ADVENTURES

The show’s latest spin-off applied key aspects of Doctor Who’s dramatic structure to a highly unusual premise for children

TIME CRASH

There’s something very wrong with the Fifth Doctor’s TARDIS – not least the skinny idiot he finds suddenly inside it…

Bernard Cribbins

Wilfred Mott was played by one of the country’s bestloved comic actors, but Bernard Cribbins was already familiar to Doctor Who fans from a different role

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED

The Doctor lands on a space pleasure cruiser . So is he in for a relaxing Christmas break? He should be so lucky…

BREAKING NEWS

FROM TABLOIDS TO BROADSHEETS AND BEYOND, IN 2007 EVERYONE WANTED TO HAVE THEIR SAY ON A TV SUCCESS STORY

On the BOX

The success of Doctor Who gave family television viewing a new impetus in the 21st century, but science fiction and other fantasy shows remained relatively rare on terrestrial channels

FINAL SCORE

The viewing figures for 2007 indicated that Doctor Who could attract a huge audience that remained loyal to the series