David Dixon as Ford Prefect just absolutely works beautifully. As the Doctor? Yes! I could see him pulling it off. Would the BBC have gone with this idea? Well - they employed an umemployed actor working as a brickie last time...
This video is very interesting. I was just thinking about a "what if" scenario where Tom Baker left the series after four years!! If he had, I think actor David Collings(Robots of Death, Mawdryn Undead)would have been an excellent 'Doctor'!!!
Im glad you brought up david dixon i do agree he had the look for the dr. If not for the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy he might have been considered along richard griffiths for the 5th dr.
Very interesting. I'd go with Scenario 1, although I'd wonder if our Season 17's stories would still be used for the hypothetical Season 18 once JNT took over, however it would work if hypothetically he became Producer 1 year later than usual. Perhaps Graham Williams would have stayed on longer if he found David Dixon to be more agreeable to the direction he wanted to take the show, compared to Tom Baker
Nice timeline! I love exploring What If's like that with Who. I've always thought it would have been interesting to have Tom leave two years earlier, cast a slightly younger Colin Baker as a different kind of 5th Doctor. He gets three years, until the 20th when you get maybe Rowan Atkinson (I adore the David Dixon choice, so maybe he would work here?) as the 6th, give him about three or four seasons and THEN you cast Peter Davison as the 7th Doctor. Davison's appearance in DIMENSIONS IN TIME (as rough as that is) showed me a seasoned, slightly-older "Fifth Doctor" in his prime. That's a Peter Davison I would liked to have seen full time. Throw in Richard E Grant as the 8th Doctor, and Paul McGann as the 9th or War Doctor, and proceed on from there. Just some fun what-if headcanon to consider. Great video! :)
David Dixon would have been a great 5th doctor. I probably prefer your second timeline with the extra story for season 16 to introduce the 5th doctor. I think that era of the show could have been interesting. Especially that in this timeline, the third doctor Jon Pertwee would have been considered the longest running actor to play the doctor for 5 seasons in a row. And Tom Baker would have been second place to that title.
@@BillWhovian well I had that idea in 1993 when the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy first came out on VHS and I watched that 100 times as I was obsessed with it.
It makes more sense for Tom to depart at the end of Season 16, regenerating after a climactic battle with the Black Guardian over the Key to Time. That would give more importance to the Key to Time story arc, instead of the weak conclusion it currently has. The Doctor dies while preventing the Key from falling into the Black Guardian’s hands, only to be saved by the White Guardian as reward for restoring balance to the cosmos. Romana is also injured during the battle and regenerates in time for Season 17. That also eliminates the silly plot point that Romana regenerated simply because she wanted to.
Don't forget we're talking about the Graham Williams era. That era had a heavy emphasis on humour. What you're describing would be far more in line with the first RTD era's dramatic series finales rather than the Graham Williams era. I'm not saying it's impossible for Season 16 to end like that mind you. Just that it doesn't really fit the direction the show was going in at that time. So I'm very unsure whether a Season 16 that had Tom leaving at the end would have such a dramatic ending like that
@@BillWhovian Well, I assume we're just playing a fun game of hypothetical situations here. Graham Williams introduced the concept of the Guardians in Season 16, it would make sense to have the Doctor battle the Black Guardian as a finale to the season arc. It's more meaningful than dying at the end of a gun for Season 15.
@mjanovec Oh don't get me wrong. It's a great idea, and far far better than what we got. It would make the Key to Time have more stakes. I'm just not sure if I can picture Graham Williams and Anthony Read going with it. I do plan on making a video about what if Tom had left after Season 16 one day though.
I can still see The Key to Time working with David Dixon and Rodan and K9…the Doctor is erratic after regenerating and is in the TARDIS with Rodan and K9 and keeps going in and out of consciousness, with Rodan being concerned with what she is witnessing as “Regeneration is never this difficult on Gallifrey in proper conditions!” She’s never seen regeneration “in the wild” “We should have stayed on Gallifrey so you child adjust to your new form and rest.” “Rest? Rest is for the exhausted and ai’m clearly…” he passes out again. In his out of it state, the Doctor is so,ep;ace else…and meets the White Guardian, much as we saw on screen. He gives the Doctor his mission to find the Key to Time but of course there’s no need to introduce Romana, so this can be devoted to the new Doctor and his Regen and getting to know Rodan and a Rodan getting to know the new Doctor, not that she knew the previous Doctor that well. And as he wakes back up and begins recounting the White Guardian’s decree to find the Key to Time, Rodan thinks he is hallucinating and suffering from post regenerative trauma. K9 confirms the Doctor Master didn’t leave the ship, and the Doctor in with a flourish and mysterious grin produces the Tracer. ‘Hallucinating you say? Am I hallucinating this?” Rodan is somewhat amazed but suspects the Doctor simply had it all along in his capacious pockets, but K9 uses his ear sensors and determines the device is new to the TARDIS and has high traces of extreme artron energy indicating the Doctor Master may indeed have transferred and returned without them noticing. ‘But that’s impossible!” Exclaims Rodan, as much in fear of such power as awe. “Not with the unlimited power of a Guardian..surely you’ve heard of them?” Rodan recounts what she has heard “well yes, we all have…stories told to us as children at the TimeLord KinderAcademy, that the White Guardian protects good time students, while those who waste time or engage in silliness will be whisked away by the… Black Guardian…” she says in obvious fear. The Doctor then explains how the tracer works and they continue on much like the season we saw. I can totally see Rodanvoratrelunda being a cousin of Romana’s and being very similar to Romana I, highly intelligent but inexperienced, and quickly coming to respect the Doctor and even admire him and finally being great friends. Wow, this could be a Big Finish “What If?” Season if I ever heard one! :-)
I feel with hindsight he should have left at the end of Season 16. He and Romana had defeated the Black Guardian, and were on the run from him. I see Romana's regeneration as part of this going-on-the-run, as the Black Guardian's followers would know what she and the Doctor looked like. It would then be sensible for the Doctor to also regenerate. And the Doctor and Romana would decide to sort out the chamaeleon circuit, so a visit to Logopolis would be on the cards.
The climax to Armageddon would have the Black Guardian getting angry and zapping the TARDIS. Both the Doctor and Romana are fatally injured and have to regenerate and a damaged K9 has an excuse to sit out Destiny and City of Death instead of laryngitis,
I'm glad he didn't otherwise he wouldn't be the iconic Doctor he is today and he helped keep the show going for more years had Tom left sooner i think the series would had ended sooner then you have no 80's Who.
I don't think the show would've ended if Tom had left sooner than he did. It continued without him pretty well for a few years. It was only the likes of Michael Grade hating the show that led to its cancellation in 89.
Personally, my go to choice in this scenario would've been the late David Collings, especially if he played the Doctor in a similar manner to how he would later portray Silver in 'Sapphire and Steel'. I also think his casting would've convinced Louise Jameson to do another season, as the two of them became very good friends while making 'Robots of Death', and they remained friends until his death in 2020. Plus -- the Doctor would've been ginger!
Oh wow you're the guy who did those Red Dwarf videos aren't you? Apologies I'm replying to this so late. Collings is a solid choice, but as I haven't seen him in any sitcoms or comedies, I don't know what he would be like with the more light-hearted nature of the Graham Williams era. :)
@@BillWhovian no sweat! I made a post on tumblr a while back with more detail, but I do think Collings would do well in the Graham Williams era, especially since he sounds like he would’ve been much easier to work with - compared to Tom Baker during this era, anyway lol
I always think of Ford, particularly Dixon’s version, as the Doctor in his student years. It would have been terrible if Baker had gone in “Invasion of Time” it was such a shoddy end to a series. “Armageddon Factor” would have been a better end for an alternate Baker departure. I’ve always been intrigued as to who Graham Williams would have cast had he had to, Dixon wouldnt have been on William’s radar then (I think he was Alan Bell’s find) so I reckon Iain Cuthbertson would be a contender, although his turn in Ribos might have nixed that🤔
I could misremember but I'm pretty sure most of hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is made around abandoned doctor who scripts snd story lines Douglas Adams had before leaving the show
And boy did I LOVE the original televised version of Primary Phase… A shame the BBC didn’t televise the rest of the series…Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent feel like if the Fourth and Fifth Doctors had traveled together simultaneously and I LOVE IT for that! 😅😍🥰😁
@@filmunion8194 Russel Tovey I think he’s called the guy that played Allonso was always auditioned and even ready to play the role well that or Peter Capaldi
Because it took me a while to make this one, the next What If (What If Peter Davison Had Stayed For Season 22?) won't come out until next Tuesday now unfortunately. :)
What would David Dixon’s Fifth Doctor be like in terms of characterisation? Would his Doctor be similar to his character in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy?
Not 100% sure, but I imagine a mix of his Ford Prefect and how the Fourth Doctor was in Seasons 15-17. So quite comical and quirky. But I imagine he would have his more serious moments, like the Fourth Doctor shouting at the Pirate Captain in the Pirate Planet. :)
Colin Baker will be sometime next week (so July). And McCoy will be in early August (it might end up being a very long one, so I'm going to need a while to work on it some more). Any beyond that don't have definite dates yet, although I'm hoping the What If TV Movie Had Been A Success and What If the Revival Didn't Happen will be coming out early September. :)
I thought of going with David Collings, but I wasn't too sure if he would suit the Graham Williams era's more light-hearted approach. Although I only know him from more serious roles, so who knows? Maybe he could've pulled it off 🤔
The Doctor regenerates into David Jason he wears a black pinstripe suit grey trilby and has a red rosette Tearing of the Veil will be the first Christmas Special and features the return of the Mandagora Helix as the poltergeist and Richard Murdoch as Canon Peter Hamilton Pirate Planet features the Masters daughter played by Diana Rigg This alternate version of 5 will unique to most Doctors he will be cowardly at first but overtime grows tactical in his thinking and acts as a mentor figure he uses Cockney rhyming slang he is a mix of the Seventh Doctor and 12
Why make Rodan (a proto-Romana) a companion and then have her replacement be Romana? And we are switching to K-9 mark 2? Maybe instead of Romanna, have Rodan regenerate into Mary Tamm and Laila Ward? Also, don't love some of your episode juggling, as it feels random. Might have also wanted to split this into two episodes, as the Peter Davidson stuff feels rushed and leaves me with many questions
@@BillWhovian Just thought you took on a lot of ideas ( most of which I liked. Forgot to mention Dixon was a good choice) just think you had trouble juggling them.
David Dixon as Ford Prefect just absolutely works beautifully.
As the Doctor?
Yes! I could see him pulling it off.
Would the BBC have gone with this idea? Well - they employed an umemployed actor working as a brickie last time...
Imagine if Tom Baker regenerated at the end of Key to Time and Lalla Ward was the 5th Doctor...
This video is very interesting. I was just thinking about a "what if" scenario where Tom Baker left the series after four years!! If he had, I think actor David Collings(Robots of Death, Mawdryn Undead)would have been an excellent 'Doctor'!!!
I want to live in the dimensions where Jim Dale and David Dixon are The Doctor.
Tom Baker was one of the best Dr. Who actors I have ever seen in history.
Im glad you brought up david dixon i do agree he had the look for the dr. If not for the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy he might have been considered along richard griffiths for the 5th dr.
Very interesting. I'd go with Scenario 1, although I'd wonder if our Season 17's stories would still be used for the hypothetical Season 18 once JNT took over, however it would work if hypothetically he became Producer 1 year later than usual. Perhaps Graham Williams would have stayed on longer if he found David Dixon to be more agreeable to the direction he wanted to take the show, compared to Tom Baker
Yes sorry I should've clarified this in the video. I intended to imply that Graham Williams would stay on for another year. :)
Nice timeline! I love exploring What If's like that with Who. I've always thought it would have been interesting to have Tom leave two years earlier, cast a slightly younger Colin Baker as a different kind of 5th Doctor. He gets three years, until the 20th when you get maybe Rowan Atkinson (I adore the David Dixon choice, so maybe he would work here?) as the 6th, give him about three or four seasons and THEN you cast Peter Davison as the 7th Doctor. Davison's appearance in DIMENSIONS IN TIME (as rough as that is) showed me a seasoned, slightly-older "Fifth Doctor" in his prime. That's a Peter Davison I would liked to have seen full time. Throw in Richard E Grant as the 8th Doctor, and Paul McGann as the 9th or War Doctor, and proceed on from there. Just some fun what-if headcanon to consider. Great video! :)
David Dixon would have been a great 5th doctor. I probably prefer your second timeline with the extra story for season 16 to introduce the 5th doctor. I think that era of the show could have been interesting. Especially that in this timeline, the third doctor Jon Pertwee would have been considered the longest running actor to play the doctor for 5 seasons in a row. And Tom Baker would have been second place to that title.
And in that timeline jon pertwee would still be the longest serving actor to protray the doctor
@@1000guy1 That's what I said.
That's a really interesting point about Pertwee being technically the longest running Doctor in this alternate timeline. I hadn't realised that :)
Ford Prefect is very Doctoresque and David Dixon’s acting is very Timelordish. He was perfect as the Doctor.
My thoughts exactly! Although it wasn't my idea to cast him originally. :)
@@BillWhovian well I had that idea in 1993 when the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy first came out on VHS and I watched that 100 times as I was obsessed with it.
@digipeeper Cool. I meant as in there was someone called Carrie on Twitter who made a post about it a while ago. :)
It makes more sense for Tom to depart at the end of Season 16, regenerating after a climactic battle with the Black Guardian over the Key to Time. That would give more importance to the Key to Time story arc, instead of the weak conclusion it currently has. The Doctor dies while preventing the Key from falling into the Black Guardian’s hands, only to be saved by the White Guardian as reward for restoring balance to the cosmos. Romana is also injured during the battle and regenerates in time for Season 17. That also eliminates the silly plot point that Romana regenerated simply because she wanted to.
Don't forget we're talking about the Graham Williams era. That era had a heavy emphasis on humour. What you're describing would be far more in line with the first RTD era's dramatic series finales rather than the Graham Williams era. I'm not saying it's impossible for Season 16 to end like that mind you. Just that it doesn't really fit the direction the show was going in at that time. So I'm very unsure whether a Season 16 that had Tom leaving at the end would have such a dramatic ending like that
@@BillWhovian Well, I assume we're just playing a fun game of hypothetical situations here. Graham Williams introduced the concept of the Guardians in Season 16, it would make sense to have the Doctor battle the Black Guardian as a finale to the season arc. It's more meaningful than dying at the end of a gun for Season 15.
@mjanovec Oh don't get me wrong. It's a great idea, and far far better than what we got. It would make the Key to Time have more stakes. I'm just not sure if I can picture Graham Williams and Anthony Read going with it. I do plan on making a video about what if Tom had left after Season 16 one day though.
I can still see The Key to Time working with David Dixon and Rodan and K9…the Doctor is erratic after regenerating and is in the TARDIS with Rodan and K9 and keeps going in and out of consciousness, with Rodan being concerned with what she is witnessing as “Regeneration is never this difficult on Gallifrey in proper conditions!” She’s never seen regeneration “in the wild” “We should have stayed on Gallifrey so you child adjust to your new form and rest.” “Rest? Rest is for the exhausted and ai’m clearly…” he passes out again. In his out of it state, the Doctor is so,ep;ace else…and meets the White Guardian, much as we saw on screen. He gives the Doctor his mission to find the Key to Time but of course there’s no need to introduce Romana, so this can be devoted to the new Doctor and his Regen and getting to know Rodan and a Rodan getting to know the new Doctor, not that she knew the previous Doctor that well. And as he wakes back up and begins recounting the White Guardian’s decree to find the Key to Time, Rodan thinks he is hallucinating and suffering from post regenerative trauma. K9 confirms the Doctor Master didn’t leave the ship, and the Doctor in with a flourish and mysterious grin produces the Tracer. ‘Hallucinating you say? Am I hallucinating this?” Rodan is somewhat amazed but suspects the Doctor simply had it all along in his capacious pockets, but K9 uses his ear sensors and determines the device is new to the TARDIS and has high traces of extreme artron energy indicating the Doctor Master may indeed have transferred and returned without them noticing. ‘But that’s impossible!” Exclaims Rodan, as much in fear of such power as awe. “Not with the unlimited power of a Guardian..surely you’ve heard of them?” Rodan recounts what she has heard “well yes, we all have…stories told to us as children at the TimeLord KinderAcademy, that the White Guardian protects good time students, while those who waste time or engage in silliness will be whisked away by the… Black Guardian…” she says in obvious fear. The Doctor then explains how the tracer works and they continue on much like the season we saw. I can totally see Rodanvoratrelunda being a cousin of Romana’s and being very similar to Romana I, highly intelligent but inexperienced, and quickly coming to respect the Doctor and even admire him and finally being great friends. Wow, this could be a Big Finish “What If?” Season if I ever heard one! :-)
I feel with hindsight he should have left at the end of Season 16. He and Romana had defeated the Black Guardian, and were on the run from him. I see Romana's regeneration as part of this going-on-the-run, as the Black Guardian's followers would know what she and the Doctor looked like. It would then be sensible for the Doctor to also regenerate. And the Doctor and Romana would decide to sort out the chamaeleon circuit, so a visit to Logopolis would be on the cards.
So you're saying have Logopolis at the end of Season 16?
If so, I don't know if Logopolis would've worked as part of the Graham Williams. It's very evocative of Christopher Bidmead's vision for the show. :)
The climax to Armageddon would have the Black Guardian getting angry and zapping the TARDIS. Both the Doctor and Romana are fatally injured and have to regenerate and a damaged K9 has an excuse to sit out Destiny and City of Death instead of laryngitis,
@BillWhovian personally I wouldn't mind if the story of Logopolis didn't happen. D
The Doctor fixed it himself in attack of the cybermen
I'm glad he didn't otherwise he wouldn't be the iconic Doctor he is today and he helped keep the show going for more years had Tom left sooner i think the series would had ended sooner then you have no 80's Who.
I don't think the show would've ended if Tom had left sooner than he did. It continued without him pretty well for a few years. It was only the likes of Michael Grade hating the show that led to its cancellation in 89.
Personally, my go to choice in this scenario would've been the late David Collings, especially if he played the Doctor in a similar manner to how he would later portray Silver in 'Sapphire and Steel'. I also think his casting would've convinced Louise Jameson to do another season, as the two of them became very good friends while making 'Robots of Death', and they remained friends until his death in 2020. Plus -- the Doctor would've been ginger!
Oh wow you're the guy who did those Red Dwarf videos aren't you? Apologies I'm replying to this so late. Collings is a solid choice, but as I haven't seen him in any sitcoms or comedies, I don't know what he would be like with the more light-hearted nature of the Graham Williams era. :)
@@BillWhovian no sweat! I made a post on tumblr a while back with more detail, but I do think Collings would do well in the Graham Williams era, especially since he sounds like he would’ve been much easier to work with - compared to Tom Baker during this era, anyway lol
I always think of Ford, particularly Dixon’s version, as the Doctor in his student years.
It would have been terrible if Baker had gone in “Invasion of Time” it was such a shoddy end to a series. “Armageddon Factor” would have been a better end for an alternate Baker departure. I’ve always been intrigued as to who Graham Williams would have cast had he had to, Dixon wouldnt have been on William’s radar then (I think he was Alan Bell’s find) so I reckon Iain Cuthbertson would be a contender, although his turn in Ribos might have nixed that🤔
I could misremember but I'm pretty sure most of hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is made around abandoned doctor who scripts snd story lines Douglas Adams had before leaving the show
Indeed it was! Douglas Adams was never one to forget an idea! 😆
And boy did I LOVE the original televised version of Primary Phase…
A shame the BBC didn’t televise the rest of the series…Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent feel like if the Fourth and Fifth Doctors had traveled together simultaneously and I LOVE IT for that! 😅😍🥰😁
can we get if Matt Smith was the Doctor after Stolen Earth and the hand Regeneration worked
Yep I'll do that at some point :)
Robert Caryle as the Doctor rather than Matt
@@filmunion8194 That's an interesting idea! 🤔
@filmunion8194 He'd definitely have been my pick had the Doctor fully regenerated in The Stolen Earth.
@@filmunion8194 Russel Tovey I think he’s called the guy that played Allonso was always auditioned and even ready to play the role well that or Peter Capaldi
Hi mate nice video mate, when will your next what if videos will be mate.
Because it took me a while to make this one, the next What If (What If Peter Davison Had Stayed For Season 22?) won't come out until next Tuesday now unfortunately. :)
@@BillWhovian no problem mate, I don't mind waiting mate.
What would David Dixon’s Fifth Doctor be like in terms of characterisation? Would his Doctor be similar to his character in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy?
Not 100% sure, but I imagine a mix of his Ford Prefect and how the Fourth Doctor was in Seasons 15-17. So quite comical and quirky. But I imagine he would have his more serious moments, like the Fourth Doctor shouting at the Pirate Captain in the Pirate Planet. :)
Hi mate when will the what if video will be of colin baker, sylvester mccoy video will be out out what month.
Colin Baker will be sometime next week (so July). And McCoy will be in early August (it might end up being a very long one, so I'm going to need a while to work on it some more). Any beyond that don't have definite dates yet, although I'm hoping the What If TV Movie Had Been A Success and What If the Revival Didn't Happen will be coming out early September. :)
David Collings for me, with Jonathan Pryce as 6th.
I thought of going with David Collings, but I wasn't too sure if he would suit the Graham Williams era's more light-hearted approach. Although I only know him from more serious roles, so who knows? Maybe he could've pulled it off 🤔
Robert Powell should have followed Tom as the Doctor ! He'd have been superb as the Doctor (watch The 39 Steps if in doubt !)
Not heard of him before, but I'll check his work out :)
Are you still doing what if tom baker stayed for season 19 mate.
If you check my community tab and see my latest post, you'll see that it's still on my list of ones I'm definitely going to do :)
Please do Sylvester 😊
I'll be doing that within the next few months don't worry :)
Fun that. One point though. Wouldn't it make more sense to have Rodan regenerate into Roman 1?
Yes that would be an interesting idea 🤔
The Doctor regenerates into David Jason he wears a black pinstripe suit grey trilby and has a red rosette
Tearing of the Veil will be the first Christmas Special and features the return of the Mandagora Helix as the poltergeist and Richard Murdoch as Canon Peter Hamilton
Pirate Planet features the Masters daughter played by Diana Rigg
This alternate version of 5 will unique to most Doctors he will be cowardly at first but overtime grows tactical in his thinking and acts as a mentor figure he uses Cockney rhyming slang he is a mix of the Seventh Doctor and 12
When I saw David Jason's name, I thought you were going to suggest a Doctor Who version of Only Fools and Horses 🤣
I have ideas
Roger Moore, Sean Connery, George lazenby or Timothy Dalton
You mean what if they were the Doctor? 🤔
@@BillWhovian
Yea I think Roger or George would be a great Fourth doctor
Why make Rodan (a proto-Romana) a companion and then have her replacement be Romana? And we are switching to K-9 mark 2?
Maybe instead of Romanna, have Rodan regenerate into Mary Tamm and Laila Ward?
Also, don't love some of your episode juggling, as it feels random.
Might have also wanted to split this into two episodes, as the Peter Davidson stuff feels rushed and leaves me with many questions
Sorry to hear that the approach I took wasn't for you
@@BillWhovian Just thought you took on a lot of ideas ( most of which I liked. Forgot to mention Dixon was a good choice) just think you had trouble juggling them.
@@travishiltz4750 Fair enough :)
David Dixon and/or David Collings. Anyone called David, really. How about that David Tennant chap? I've heard he's rather good.
7 years in the role is too much. 3 years in the role is too little (unless things aren't working out). 5 years should be the default term.
I think it should just stay as the actor's choice, but I understand where you're coming from :)
I would have save said he regenerated at the end of the key to time season tbh
I'll be doing that at some point as well.
Will you also make What If Tom Baker stayed for Season 19?
Yep it's on my list. But don't expect it until the new year. :)
@@BillWhovian Will you also make What If Each Doctor left a season earlier then they did in our timeline?
@mickmufson1824 For some of them yes, like perhaps Pertwee, Tom and Davison. :)
He should have left In season 15 when stories starting to decline
I quite like the Graham Williams era myself, but fair enough. I respect your opinion. :)
@@BillWhovianno his seasons was my low point on classic who well other than most of the 6th doctor stories
@@mark-s I respect your opinion but I disagree.