Editing Dimensions in Time

{{Short description|1993 Doctor Who / EastEnders charity crossover}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}{{italic title}}
{{Infobox Doctor Who episode
| serial_name        = Dimensions in Time
| show               = DW
| type               = serial and charity crossover with ''EastEnders''
| image              = 
| caption            = 
| 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 (Doctor Who)|Ace]]
* [[John Leeson]] – Voice of [[K9 (Doctor Who)|K9]]
* [[Bonnie Langford]] – [[Melanie Bush]]
* [[Nicola Bryant]] – [[Peri Brown]]
* [[Sarah Sutton]] – [[Nyssa (Doctor Who)|Nyssa]]
* [[Lalla Ward]] – [[Romana (Doctor Who)|Romana]]
* [[Louise Jameson]] – [[Leela (Doctor Who)|Leela]]
* [[Elisabeth Sladen]] – [[Sarah Jane Smith]]
* [[Richard Franklin (actor)|Richard Franklin]] – [[Mike Yates|Captain Mike Yates]]
* [[Caroline John]] – [[Liz Shaw]]
* [[Nicholas Courtney]] – [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]]
* [[Deborah Watling]] – [[Victoria Waterfield]]
* [[Carole Ann Ford]] – [[Susan Foreman]]
| guests             = 
*[[Kate O'Mara]] – [[The Rani]]
*[[Samuel West]] – [[Cyrian (Doctor Who)|Cyrian]]
*[[Deepak Verma]] – [[Sanjay Kapoor (EastEnders)|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 (actor)|Mike Reid]] – [[Frank Butcher]]
*[[Adam Woodyatt]] – [[Ian Beale]]
*[[Steve McFadden]] – [[Phil Mitchell]]
*[[Ross Kemp]] – [[Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)|Grant Mitchell]]
*[[Jane Slaughter (actress)|Jane Slaughter]] – [[Tracey (EastEnders)|Tracey]]
* Rachel Hiew – [[List of EastEnders characters (1993)#Sylvia Weng-Chung|Sylvia Weng-Chung]]
| director           = Stuart McDonald
| writer             = [[John Nathan-Turner]]<br/>David Roden
| producer           = John Nathan-Turner
| composer           = [[Keff McCulloch]]
| production_code    = C280X<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/dimensionstime/detail.shtml |title=BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Dimensions in Time - Details |access-date=27 May 2023 |archive-date=12 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312172455/https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/dimensionstime/detail.shtml |url-status=deviated }}</ref>
| length             = 2 episodes, 7 minutes and 5 minutes
| started            = {{Start date|1993|11|26|df=y}}
| ended              = {{End date|1993|11|27|df=y}}
| preceding          = ''[[Survival (Doctor Who)|Survival]]''
| following          = ''[[Doctor Who (film)|Doctor Who]]''
}}
'''''Dimensions in Time''''' is a charity [[Television special|special]] [[fictional crossover|crossover]] between the British [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and the [[soap opera]] ''[[EastEnders]].'' The special was broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 and was filmed on location at [[Greenwich]] and the ''EastEnders'' [[Albert Square]] set.

''Dimensions in Time'' featured all of the surviving actors to have played [[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]] as well as many of the character's [[Companion (Doctor Who)|companions]] and several of the ''EastEnders'' stars of the time. The special was produced for ''[[Children in Need]]'' following ''Doctor Who'''s cancellation in 1989 and was the only original story broadcast in celebration of the show's 30th anniversary.

==Plot==

The [[Rani (Doctor Who)|Rani]] has opened a hole in time, allowing her access to the Doctor's timeline. She uses this to cycle through the Doctor's lives, causing him and his companions to jump back and forth between past and present incarnations. Her plan is to capture all of the Doctor's selves in a time loop, trapping him in the [[East End of London|East End]] of London; she has already captured the [[First Doctor|First]] and [[Second Doctor]]s. This causes the [[Fourth Doctor]] to send a message to his remaining selves, warning them of the Rani's plan:

{{blockquote|Mayday! Mayday! This is an urgent message for all of the Doctors. It's vitally important that you listen carefully to me, for once. Our whole existence is being threatened by a renegade Time Lord known only as the Rani! She hates me. She even hates children! Two of my earlier selves have already been snared in her vicious trap. The [[First Doctor|grumpy one]] and the [[Second Doctor|flautist]], do you remember? She wants to put us out of action, lock us away in a dreary backwater of London's East End, trapped in a time-loop in perpetuity. Her evil is all around us! I can hear the hearts beat of a killer. She's out there somewhere. We must be on our guard and we must stop her before she destroys all of my other selves! Oh... Good luck, my dears!|sign=|source=}}

The [[Seventh Doctor]] and [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]] are confused when the [[TARDIS]] lands in [[Greenwich]], near the [[Cutty Sark]], thanks to the Rani's attack on the TARDIS. The Doctor finds a [[newspaper]] showing the year to be 1973, but before he can make any more conclusions, the Rani causes time to jump. Ace finds herself in [[Albert Square]] in 1993 with the [[Sixth Doctor]]. Local resident [[Sanjay Kapoor (EastEnders)|Sanjay]] tries to sell Ace some new clothes from his stall, and when his wife [[Gita Kapoor|Gita]] tells the Sixth Doctor that the clothing is going to be all the rage in 1994, the Rani jumps time again.

The [[Third Doctor]] and [[Mel Bush]] appear from the time jump, and question an older [[Pauline Fowler]] and [[Kathy Beale]] on ''when'' they are. When Pauline and Kathy reply that it is 2013, another time jump occurs. In 1973, Pauline and Kathy remember the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]], while Kathy tells off a young [[Ian Beale]]. The Sixth Doctor and [[Susan Foreman]] appear, but she wonders what has happened to the First Doctor and her other companions [[Ian Chesterton]] and [[Barbara Wright (Doctor Who)|Barbara Wright]].

After another time jump to 2013, Susan changes into [[Sarah Jane Smith]] and after chatting to [[Sharon Watts]] she meets up with the Doctor who changed from the Sixth to the Third Doctor. They start to piece together what is happening to them, but the Rani releases her menagerie of specimens, including a [[Cyberman]], Fifi, a [[Sea Devil (Doctor Who)|Sea Devil]], an [[Ogron]] and a [[Time Lord]] from [[Gallifrey]] in the next time jump. In 1993, the [[Fifth Doctor]], [[Nyssa (Doctor Who)|Nyssa]] and [[Perpugilliam Brown|Peri]] are attacked by the Rani's menagerie, and after trying to warn [[Pat Butcher]] of the danger, the Rani stops them outside the [[Queen Vic]].

In 1993, after the Fifth Doctor changes to the Third Doctor in the next time jump, along with Nyssa and Peri changing into [[Liz Shaw]], the Rani takes control of Liz's mind. As [[Mandy Salter]] tries to stop the Rani, [[Mike Yates|Captain Mike Yates]] of [[UNIT]] arrives in Bessie to save the Third Doctor and take him to [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]] who is waiting for them.

After another time jump, the Doctor changes to the [[Sixth Doctor]] and after he says goodbye to the Brigadier time jumps again. In 1993, at the Arches, [[Phil Mitchell|Phil]] and [[Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)|Grant Mitchell]] find [[Romana (Doctor Who)|Romana]] looking for the Doctor, but they point her to [[Harold Legg|Dr Legg]]. As Romana walks past the [[Queen Vic]], the Rani captures her in front of [[Frank Butcher]].

Back in 1973, the Third Doctor explains to [[Victoria Waterfield|Victoria]] who the Rani was and thinks that her control is breaking down, as they return to the TARDIS.

After the Seventh Doctor lands the TARDIS in 1993, [[Leela (Doctor Who)|Leela]] escapes from the Rani, after being cloned in the form of Romana. This results in an additional [[Time Lord]] brain imprint being left on the computer inside the Rani's TARDIS instead of the human one she needed, which gives the Seventh Doctor, Ace, and [[K-9 (Doctor Who)|K9]] the edge needed to rig up a device to overload it, sending the Rani into the time tunnel where she had trapped the First and Second Doctors and freeing the Doctors' other selves from the loop. As the Seventh Doctor and Ace leave in the TARDIS, the Doctor observes "Certainly, I – I mean, we – are difficult to get rid of."

==Episodes==
{{Episode table
   |background =
   |series = 6 |title = 20 | aux1=6 | airdate = 10 | viewers = 6 | country = UK
   |seriesT    = Episode
   |aux1T      = Run time
   |viewersR   = {{citation needed|date=December 2018}}
   |episodes   =
  {{Episode list/sublist|Dimensions in Time
   |EpisodeNumber      = 1
   |Title              = Part One
   |RTitle             =
   |OriginalAirDate    = {{Start date|1993|11|26|df=y}}
   |Viewers            = 13.8
   |Aux1               = 7:34
   |LineColor          =
  }}
  {{Episode list/sublist|Dimensions in Time
   |EpisodeNumber      = 2
   |Title              = Part Two
   |RTitle             =
   |OriginalAirDate    = {{Start date|1993|11|27|df=y}}
   |Viewers            = 13.6
   |Aux1               = 5:27
   |LineColor          =
  }}
  }}

==Continuity==
The array of aliens summoned to Walford by the Rani included: an Aldeberian (Zog), an Argolin, a biomechanoid dragon, a [[Cyberman]], a Mawdryn mutant, Lord Kiv, a Mogarian, an [[Ogron]], a Plasmaton, the Sandminer robot D84, a [[Sea Devil (Doctor Who)|Sea Devil]], a Stigorax (Fifi), a Tetrap, a [[Time Lord]], a Tractator, a Vanir and a Vervoid.

==Production==

===Cast notes===
*This was the final official appearance of [[Jon Pertwee]] as the [[Third Doctor]]; Pertwee died three years later. 
*[[Tom Baker]] returned to the role of the [[Fourth Doctor]] on television for the first time since leaving 12 years previously, though he had recorded links for the video release of the incomplete ''[[Shada (Doctor Who)|Shada]]'' the year before. Baker would later return to the series in 2013's "[[The Day of the Doctor]]" in which he appears as "The Curator".
*This special marks the first time that [[Peter Davison]] returned as the [[Fifth Doctor]]. He would later reprise the role in the 2007 mini-episode broadcast for Children in Need, "[[Time Crash]]", alongside his future son-in-law [[David Tennant]] as the [[Tenth Doctor]]; in 2022 as a "Guardian of the Edge" in "[[The Power of the Doctor]]"; and in 2023 in "[[Tales of the TARDIS]]" alongside Janet Fielding as Tegan.<ref>''The Power of the Doctor'', 2022</ref>
*This was the final appearance of [[Colin Baker]] as the [[Sixth Doctor]] until 2022, when he appeared as a “Guardian of the Edge” to the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] alongside the First, Fifth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors, and in 2023 in "[[Tales of the TARDIS]]" alongside [[Nicola Bryant]] as [[Peri Brown]].  
*This is the last appearance on television of [[Caroline John]] as [[Liz Shaw]] (John died in 2012) and [[Deborah Watling]] as [[Victoria Waterfield]] (Watling died in 2017).
*In February 1993, [[Sophie Aldred]] had guest-starred in a two-episode arc on ''EastEnders'' as Suzi.<ref>''EastEnders'' episodes dated 2 February 1993 and 4 February 1993</ref> She appears in ''Dimensions in Time'' as [[Ace (Doctor Who)|Ace]], her character from ''Doctor Who'' and the final [[Companion (Doctor Who)|companion]] of the classic era. The character would not appear on television again until 2022 in "The Power of the Doctor" as the Thirteenth Doctor's companion alongside former companion Tegan, although Ace would appear in a [[YouTube]] video on the official ''Doctor Who'' YouTube channel made to promote the [[Blu-ray]] re-release of [[Doctor Who (season 26)|Season 26]]. Aldred later reprised her role as Ace in Tales of the TARDIS in 2023 alongside Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor.
*This marked the only time that [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart|the Brigadier]] appeared with the [[Sixth Doctor]] on-screen; they also met in the [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]] audio drama "[[The Spectre of Lanyon Moor]]".
*This marked the second time [[Carole Ann Ford]] returned as [[Susan Forman]]. The first was ten years previously in twentieth anniversary special ''[[The Five Doctors]]''. It was Ford's last onscreen appearance as Susan until she reprised the role thirty two years later in 2025 episode [[The Interstellar Song Contest]].
*This marks the most recent on-screen appearances of [[Sarah Sutton]] as [[Nyssa of Traken|Nyssa]], [[Lalla Ward]] as [[Romana (Doctor Who)|Romana]] and [[Louise Jameson]] as [[Leela (Doctor Who)|Leela]].
*This marked the final appearance of [[Kate O'Mara]] as [[The Rani]]. O'Mara died in 2014.
*[[Samuel West]] would later play the renegade Time Lord ''[[The Brain of Morbius|Morbius]]'' in the [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]] audio drama "[[Vengeance of Morbius|The Vengeance of Morbius]]"
*''The Dimensions of Time'' and ''3-Dimensions of Time'' were the working titles for this story.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} David Roden convinced producer John Nathan-Turner not to use either title, and instead settled on ''Dimensions in Time''. 
*This was David Roden's first professional script. Roden's original draft featured the Seventh Doctor meeting the Brigadier on route to a UNIT reunion – and becoming involved in a battle with a crashed spacecraft full of Cybermen. The script was entitled ''Destination: Holocaust'', and featured the Seventh Doctor and Brigadier trapped in a burning church, trying to fight off the advancing damaged Cybermen. This original idea, written by David Roden, was vetoed by Nathan-Turner after it became apparent that Children in Need wished for the story to be a crossover with ''EastEnders''. Despite loving the originally proposed script, Nathan-Turner also had concerns about the cost, which would have included several lengthy night-shoots and a much larger special effects budget.
* Allegedly, [[Anthony Ainley]] was approached by Nathan-Turner to play the part of the Master in this story, but he turned it down. Ainley, however, denied this, insisting that if he were asked, he would have had no hesitation in appearing. [[Michael Gough]] was later approached to reprise the role of the [[Celestial Toymaker]], and again Nathan-Turner was turned down. Finally, Kate O'Mara was asked if she would like to reprise her role of the Rani – a request to which she agreed. O'Mara was joined by [[Samuel West]], who played her companion [[Cyrian (Doctor Who)|Cyrian]] (named after the original intended actor, Sir [[Ian McKellen]]).
*The special was one of several special [[3D television|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.
*The [[Dalek]]s were supposed to appear, but the segment was scrapped after a disagreement with Dalek creator [[Terry Nation]] over payments. The Dalek segment would have seen [[Peter Davison]] facing up against them again in the streets seen in the 1984 serial ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]''.
*All actors and crew gave their services especially for Children in Need, and waived their fees on the condition that ''Dimensions in Time'' would never be repeated or sold on [[home video]] for profit. For the same reason, the story has and never will be released on [[DVD]] or appear as an extra on home video. Nevertheless, a short clip of Kate O'Mara from this special was used in the 2025 television episode ''[[Wish World]]''.

==Broadcast==
* Part One was broadcast as part of the 1993 [[Children in Need]] [[telethon]]. It was introduced by [[Noel Edmonds]] in a short live sketch with [[Jon Pertwee]], in character as the [[Third Doctor]].
* At the end of Part One, viewers were asked to phone in and vote for which ''EastEnders'' character would save the Doctor at the start of Part Two. Two versions of the scene were filmed, one featuring [[Mandy Salter|Mandy]] and the non-speaking character Sylvia Weng-Chung and the other featuring [['Big' Ron|Big Ron]]. The £101,000 raised from phone calls went to Children in Need. The result of the vote was announced prior to the screening of Part Two. The version featuring Mandy was broadcast after it won 56% of the vote.
* Part Two was broadcast as part of popular UK programme ''[[Noel's House Party]]''.

== Reception ==
''Dimensions in Time'' has received almost universally negative reviews and is often highlighted as a particular low point of the Wilderness Years: the period between ''Doctor Who's'' 1989 cancellation and [[Doctor Who (series 1)|the 2005 revival]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=DWTV |date=2013-08-22 |title=Wet Beds and Floaty Heads: Dimensions in Time in Perspective {{!}} Doctor Who TV |url=https://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/wet-beds-and-floaty-heads-dimensions-in-time-in-perspective-52638.htm |access-date=2023-08-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dimensions in Time: Solved! – The Millennium Effect |url=https://millenniumeffect.co.uk/index.php/dimensions-in-time-solved/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |language=en-US}}</ref> Criticism has been aimed towards the gimmicky nature of the ''EastEnders'' crossover and the 3D effects; Tom Baker's limited involvement; the low-budget nature of the overall production; and the special's confusing relationship with the show's main continuity. ''Dimensions in Time'' holds an average fan rating of 4.3/10 on ''Doctor Who'' ratings aggregator TheTimeScales.com.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Doctor Who - Classic TV Specials & Special Editions - Dimensions in Time reviews |url=https://thetimescales.com/Story/story.php?audioid=6101 |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=thetimescales.com}}</ref> Licensed reference book ''Doctor Who The Handbook: The Second Doctor'' gave the special a 0/10 and referred to it as ''"a dreadful travesty of a Doctor Who story".''<ref>{{Cite book |first=David J.|last=Howe|first2=Mark|last2=Stammers|first3=Stephen James|last3=Walker|title=Doctor Who The Handbook: The Second Doctor |publisher=Doctor Who Books |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-426-20516-6
 |pages=194}}</ref>

''Dimensions in Time'' has been likened to the similarly-maligned ''[[Star Wars Holiday Special]]'', due to both productions being low-budget TV specials with questionable canonicity in relation to their main series, and due to similar perceptions of overall extremely poor quality.<ref>{{Cite web  |first=Oli|last=Smith|date=2013-02-15 |title=Doctor Who: Anticipating The Anniversary |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/02/15/doctor-who-anticipating-the-anniversary |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Ratings==
''Dimensions in Time'' achieved viewing figures of 13.8 million viewers for the first part and 13.6 million for the second part, making them two of the most highly watched episodes of ''Doctor Who'' ever produced. The highest single audience figure was for Part Four of ''[[City of Death]]'', at 16.1 million viewers.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://homepages.bw.edu/~jcurtis/Scripts/DIT/intro.html Doctor Who Scripts Project page for ''Dimensions in Time'']
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312172455/https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/dimensionstime/detail.shtml ''Dimensions in Time'' at BBC Online]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060622072451/http://www.doctorwhoworld.org.uk/dimensions.htm ''Doctor Who World'' episode guide entry for ''Dimensions in Time'']
*[http://drwhoguide.com/mp3/dimens.mp3 Title music]
*[http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/toby-hadoke-s-who-s-round-128---david-roden-1337 Toby Hadoke's Who's Round - David Roden] - interview with writer
*{{IMDb title|0261655}}

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