Gerry Anderson's Doctor Who - a thought exercise

As a result of seeing an ad for the official Gerry Anderson channel on YT and Fireball XL5 already featuring on Telefantasy Time Jump, and looking for connections of which there are a few, got to thinking what Gerry Anderson getting to produce Doctor Who would have looked like.

Probably his live-action era, UFO and Space: 1999 and others (so we know what his Star Trek would look like) or later in the Wilderness Years.

I’d imagine lots of monsters, spaceships and miniature sets that get destroyed in great detail.

Maybe something like the UNIT era but with more futuristic and merchandisable vehicles.

But maybe with some of the Thunderbirds focus on rescue fiction in amongst alien invasions like Captain Scarlet and more?

An observation caused by an adventure

Modern Doctor Who character meeting Daleks: “Oh no, Daleks! They invaded Earth a bunch of times!”

Modern Doctor Who character meeting Cybermen: “They invaded Earth a couple times and went emotional and gave up after a day. Let’s see if they’re ready to negotiate.”

Eight plots from David Bowie's Let's Dance

For David Bowie’s birthday and now monthly, adventures based on his studio albums’ song titles, working backwards.

After album titles, ★, The Next Day, Reality, Heathen, Hours, Earthling, Outside The Buddha Of Suburbia, Black Tie White Noise, Never Let Me Down, Labyrinth. Tonight...

Or is it more than eight?

Let’s Dance is a big crossover pop hit with songs to dance to and songs about dancing.

I could go for a season throughline here, but I'll mostly swerve dance plots. I did one last time, and having the travellers appear on Strictly might be a bit too much like The Interstellar Song Contest.

Modern Love

Internet dating, can you trust what you see on screen? Buffy and Angel did this with demons. Did Doctor Who do it with aliens?

China Girl

Why is there a beautifully made figurine of the Stranger in the window of that antique shop?

Let’s Dance

An alien diplomatic envoy and entourage arrive in modern London and they expect the reception to include (a) representatives of other alien visitors in the area like the Stranger and (b) formalities. And then there’s a murder attempt.

Without You

A few years before a companion’s home time and she bumps into - or gets a chance to see - a lost love.

Or, a sequel to Within You from Labyrinth?

Ricochet

The travellers in the Wild West face another time machine crew, here to steal precious metals ahead of a Gold Rush mining disaster. Cybermen optional.

Or, slingshot around a sun.

Criminal World

The Galactic Federation has just outlawed an entire planet? Crime planets appear in a lot of space opera settings, but does this one deserve it?

Cat People (Putting Out Fire)

Hollywood, 1942, and the travellers have to get help from filmmaker Val Lewton against, well, you can guess.

Shake It

An artificial earthquake threatening a future colony.

Or, the travellers have to staff a malt shop in 1950s California.

The Daleks' Master Plan

Now streaming the recovered and restored first and third episodes along with the second.