Don't worry, it's not torchwood. Thank god they decided not to make this...
| QUOTE |
Plans for a Doctor Who spin-off show starring Billie Piper were scrapped at the last minute, series producer Russell T Davies has revealed.
"It was actually commissioned by the controller of BBC One and budgeted," the writer told Doctor Who Magazine.
Davies later decided the programme, Rose Tyler: Earth Defence, was "a spin-off too far" and called it off.
Piper, 23, left Doctor Who earlier this year. She will be replaced by Freema Agyeman, 27, in the next series.
"We hadn't formally approached Billie," said Davies, "although we'd mentioned it to her."
Cold feet
"It was going to be fantastic. We'd have had a lovely budget and done brilliant things with it, maybe one Bank Holiday special a year."
However, the writer said he got cold feet while filming Piper's final appearance as Rose Tyler earlier this year.
Captain Jack meets the Doctor
A separate spin-off, Torchwood, stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack
"It spoils Doctor Who if we can see Rose... if we see as a concrete fact that her life continues to be as exciting without the Doctor," he said.
Davies added that the decision to abandon the programme cost him "a fortune".
A separate spin-off from the science fiction series is still going ahead, and will be shown on BBC Three this autumn.
Called Torchwood, it focuses on a squad of secret agents facing human and alien enemies, with actor John Barrowman reprising his role as time traveller Captain Jack.
The 13-part series will also be written by Davies, who acts as executive producer for the Doctor Who programmes.
Meanwhile, the third series of Doctor Who is currently being filmed in Wales. |
Don't scare me with topic titles like that!!!! :fear: :fear: :fear: :o :o
It was a nice idea while it lasted, but no doubt it would have featured Jackie, Mickey et all.
OK, they became endearing during season 2, but enough already.
Scapped and rightly so....too many spinoffs can lead to the main show being diminished, and this would have done that.
It would have failed in so many respects, Doctor Who works because its set in 'our universe' and the Doctor saves 'us' in escence, but Rose would be saving a 'parallel earth' which doesn't w**k as we feel no/or less empathy, like in Sliders don't really care if parallel versions of the main characters are killed but if 'our' versions are then.... :tear:
Rose was separated from The Doctor, who can go anywhere in time and space, this show would make life after The Doctor seem good, whereas she really like Sarah Jane would never have a bigger adventure again.
Billie Piper was an excellent 'companion' but can she be the lead in a programme? And why would she accept? In my view I would have disrespect for her as an actress if she turned around said she was leaving Doctor Who and being Rose, and then joining a show which would have been relatively the same (come on The Doctor hasn't really ventured that far from Earth past two series),
and be the same character which also would void her 'typecasting excuse'. I would just think why leave Doctor Who then? And how long would this series last before she decided leave again.
At least its good it was halted, and she was never really formally asked, because if she had said yes, fans like me would have ravaged her for leaving Doctor Who. :lol: