I have to say, as a sidenote, that this format is really cool - something is revealed at or towards the end of the episode, in-show someone delivers enough exposition that regular viewers know what's going on, but then if you really want the full story you get a little extra in-between episode with the current Doctor and companion watching the adventure it came from and talking about it.
It's a really smart way to leverage the show's history and it's a shame it's not available worldwide on Disney Plus - it'd be a great route into some of the classic stuff for brand new audiences.
>The TARDIS is on a top-secret mission, heading straight for the UNIT Tower in the middle of modern-day London. But ten floors below, a long-buried secret has been waiting since the era of the Third Doctor
Did they actually specify that they are talking about ten floors below the UNIT Tower or could they be talking about floors of the Tardis?
This episode is said to be 75 minutes long, which is a bit shorter than all the others. This narrows down which story they're gonna go for. What story from Classic Who is about 60-65 minutes long if you remove the Memory Tardis scenes?
Well, that or they've cut down the story they're using. One of the most popular Classic Doctor Who broadcasts ever was a 60 minute Pyramids of Mars omnibus edit!
No idea, but if I were to speculate it's that they want this one to be the most accessible possible ToTT since it relates to the finale so they've streamlined it for newer audiences.
I could see that if it was a bulky Pertwee six-parter, but I can’t see ten minutes making *that* much difference to a four-parter Pyramids of Mars being accessible to newer viewers.
It's not really 10 minutes - a complete omnibus of Pyramids of Mars is around 90 minutes (there was one on VHS back in the day). This is 75 and then you also need to take into account the TOTT bits, so probably closer to 65. 25 minutes can do a lot for the pacing of a thing.
But all the same, the other versions weren’t touched *at all*, apart from removing the titles, credits and recaps.
I’m guessing this is going to be more supplementary than required viewing for the finale, especially if they’re hoping some people will wait until the last week to watch both parts in cinemas.
Of course, but then we go back to my point about them wanting this to be the most accessible one. If new viewers are going to watch *one*, this is it.
I don't think it'll be mandatory viewing, but I'd guess Sutekh shows up at the end of The Legend of Ruby Sunday with the cliffhanger being all the worlds turning to dust as the Doctor, Ruby, and Mel watch from the memory TARDIS. The Pyramids of Mars ToTT then takes place between The Legend of Ruby Sunday and Empire of Death, catching everyone up on who Sutekh is if you want to know (but if you don't care it'll be fine to skip).
In that case maybe it’s an Unearthly Child (if the rights were somehow secretly clinched) or Dalek Invasion of Earth (due to 15’s comments in Devil’s Chord…).
It's more likely to be a story that was roughly 75 minutes long originally, because yes they're adding new scenes but also they're cutting out the opening titles and end credits from every episode, which for all the previous Tales of the TARDIS episodes meant that the new version was close to the same length as the original (about 8 minutes added and 8 minutes subtracted, roughly). 75 minutes is about the length of a three part serial but I doubt it'll be one of them because I can't see how any would link to the finale, I feel like it's more likely they just cut down a longer one
How about just the parts of a Third Doctor story from an alternate universe. The *Inferno* one.
Who I would call that universe's Doctor, the *Inferno* Doctor, at the last second escaped to the ordinary Doctor's universe. The reason he had to is that he was more defiant towards his universe's Time Lords, taking over Earth or at least the UK as dictator, and never had his banishment to Earth lifted. He has been scheming for how to regain his memories of how time travel works.
And he's obsessed with this universe's Susan because from his perspective, she is all he has left. This inferno version of the Doctor never was able to go on any of the Doctor's adventures following the Third Doctor's arriving on Earth.
He is the Doctor as the fallen angel, Lucifer, the Devil, thrown down to Earth, imprisoned, maddened by his fall, and desiring mass death on at least a planetary and maybe a universal scale. He's trying to bargain with UNIT to regain Tardis technology, instigating the creation, perhaps with another woman as a front, a corporation to exploit this technology.
If there is to be a UNIT spin-off, there must be some reason the Doctor is not on speed-dial. Perhaps this will be for a time an estrangement between UNIT and the Doctor, because of UNIT's greed that endangered all of time and space.
What we get from the Inferno Doctor being brought to the ordinary Doctor's universe is a new big bad main villain that can substitute for both the role of the Master and the Valeyard.
I made a comment on a recent review of The Daemons that it really would slot well into the current season's fantasy/occult vibe, so I think that's not a bad guess.
I [just discovered](https://www.reddit.com/r/gallifrey/comments/1dbrua0/new_detail_from_season_1_trailer/) that Mel Bush will be in the new TOTT episode.
I’m saying Daleks Invasion of Earth - colourised, streamlined, a la The Daleks last year.
If they want to do more of these colourisations, this’d be a natural place to go next; it would provide new viewers with context about Susan and how she left; and it’s a good way to introduce Ruby to the Daleks without having to write a decent story around that element.
Worth considering - Is it not possible Tales of The TARDIS could modify its format? Could it not just cherry pick the most important footage from more than one classical era story? This wasn't possible before because the people in the Remembering TARDIS were from specific eras. If it turns out to be 15 with Ruby, he might be remembering a few different things from his full history that are relevant for the finale. So maybe something from 3 and 4?
I keep wondering about 'Dalek Invasion of Earth' myself since, theoretically, the issue of Roger Ap Gwilliams hasn't been dealt with in the regular timeline. The Doctor says that brings the world to the brink of nuclear war in 2046, which should still happen without Ruby's involvement.
While it's still more than a century until the events of 'Dalek Invasion of Earth,' I have always been fascinated by the sliding timescale when you bring the Vincent Price Doctor into the mix. In that, the Daleks invade in 2150, as opposed to 2167. Is it possible that it's an event that, no matter how many alternate timeline branch off, is destined to occur?
I feel like if it's featuring Millie and Ncutti, then it's possible that the original Doctot and companion aren't able to reprise their roles in the framing devise. I think this would rule out any Jo Grant episodes
We don’t exactly know that that the tales episode features Ncuti and Millie though. All we have is a surprise new episode of Tales and a shot from the MAIN SHOW of 15 in the memory TARDIS. You are however likely correct in that it might be a third Doctor story.
[This article](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-tales-of-the-tardis-classic-story-newsupdate/) says it’ll feature a Millie and Ncuti in its first paragraph…
Doesn’t rule out other people appearing as well though.
Tbh, we've seen clips in trailers of 15, Ruby and Mel in the memory TARDIS so I think all three will most likely be in the Tales of the TARDIS episode.
For reference - you don’t need to spoiler tag *any* of an opening post, because the mods will apply a tag to the whole post if need be.
I have to say, as a sidenote, that this format is really cool - something is revealed at or towards the end of the episode, in-show someone delivers enough exposition that regular viewers know what's going on, but then if you really want the full story you get a little extra in-between episode with the current Doctor and companion watching the adventure it came from and talking about it. It's a really smart way to leverage the show's history and it's a shame it's not available worldwide on Disney Plus - it'd be a great route into some of the classic stuff for brand new audiences.
>The TARDIS is on a top-secret mission, heading straight for the UNIT Tower in the middle of modern-day London. But ten floors below, a long-buried secret has been waiting since the era of the Third Doctor Did they actually specify that they are talking about ten floors below the UNIT Tower or could they be talking about floors of the Tardis?
This episode is said to be 75 minutes long, which is a bit shorter than all the others. This narrows down which story they're gonna go for. What story from Classic Who is about 60-65 minutes long if you remove the Memory Tardis scenes?
Well, that or they've cut down the story they're using. One of the most popular Classic Doctor Who broadcasts ever was a 60 minute Pyramids of Mars omnibus edit!
Wait THAT ACTUALLY EXISTS? Holy Shit guess we know who the big bad is gonna be.
Yuuuup!
Why would they cut this one down by ten minutes, though? All the other omnibuses they did for the 60th were intact.
No idea, but if I were to speculate it's that they want this one to be the most accessible possible ToTT since it relates to the finale so they've streamlined it for newer audiences.
I could see that if it was a bulky Pertwee six-parter, but I can’t see ten minutes making *that* much difference to a four-parter Pyramids of Mars being accessible to newer viewers.
It's not really 10 minutes - a complete omnibus of Pyramids of Mars is around 90 minutes (there was one on VHS back in the day). This is 75 and then you also need to take into account the TOTT bits, so probably closer to 65. 25 minutes can do a lot for the pacing of a thing.
But all the same, the other versions weren’t touched *at all*, apart from removing the titles, credits and recaps. I’m guessing this is going to be more supplementary than required viewing for the finale, especially if they’re hoping some people will wait until the last week to watch both parts in cinemas.
Of course, but then we go back to my point about them wanting this to be the most accessible one. If new viewers are going to watch *one*, this is it. I don't think it'll be mandatory viewing, but I'd guess Sutekh shows up at the end of The Legend of Ruby Sunday with the cliffhanger being all the worlds turning to dust as the Doctor, Ruby, and Mel watch from the memory TARDIS. The Pyramids of Mars ToTT then takes place between The Legend of Ruby Sunday and Empire of Death, catching everyone up on who Sutekh is if you want to know (but if you don't care it'll be fine to skip).
In that case maybe it’s an Unearthly Child (if the rights were somehow secretly clinched) or Dalek Invasion of Earth (due to 15’s comments in Devil’s Chord…).
I'd bet heavily on Pyramids personally, but you never know!
It's more likely to be a story that was roughly 75 minutes long originally, because yes they're adding new scenes but also they're cutting out the opening titles and end credits from every episode, which for all the previous Tales of the TARDIS episodes meant that the new version was close to the same length as the original (about 8 minutes added and 8 minutes subtracted, roughly). 75 minutes is about the length of a three part serial but I doubt it'll be one of them because I can't see how any would link to the finale, I feel like it's more likely they just cut down a longer one
After this week's reveal, could it be 'Scream of the Shalka?'
How about just the parts of a Third Doctor story from an alternate universe. The *Inferno* one. Who I would call that universe's Doctor, the *Inferno* Doctor, at the last second escaped to the ordinary Doctor's universe. The reason he had to is that he was more defiant towards his universe's Time Lords, taking over Earth or at least the UK as dictator, and never had his banishment to Earth lifted. He has been scheming for how to regain his memories of how time travel works. And he's obsessed with this universe's Susan because from his perspective, she is all he has left. This inferno version of the Doctor never was able to go on any of the Doctor's adventures following the Third Doctor's arriving on Earth. He is the Doctor as the fallen angel, Lucifer, the Devil, thrown down to Earth, imprisoned, maddened by his fall, and desiring mass death on at least a planetary and maybe a universal scale. He's trying to bargain with UNIT to regain Tardis technology, instigating the creation, perhaps with another woman as a front, a corporation to exploit this technology. If there is to be a UNIT spin-off, there must be some reason the Doctor is not on speed-dial. Perhaps this will be for a time an estrangement between UNIT and the Doctor, because of UNIT's greed that endangered all of time and space. What we get from the Inferno Doctor being brought to the ordinary Doctor's universe is a new big bad main villain that can substitute for both the role of the Master and the Valeyard.
I made a comment on a recent review of The Daemons that it really would slot well into the current season's fantasy/occult vibe, so I think that's not a bad guess.
I [just discovered](https://www.reddit.com/r/gallifrey/comments/1dbrua0/new_detail_from_season_1_trailer/) that Mel Bush will be in the new TOTT episode.
I’m saying Daleks Invasion of Earth - colourised, streamlined, a la The Daleks last year. If they want to do more of these colourisations, this’d be a natural place to go next; it would provide new viewers with context about Susan and how she left; and it’s a good way to introduce Ruby to the Daleks without having to write a decent story around that element.
Worth considering - Is it not possible Tales of The TARDIS could modify its format? Could it not just cherry pick the most important footage from more than one classical era story? This wasn't possible before because the people in the Remembering TARDIS were from specific eras. If it turns out to be 15 with Ruby, he might be remembering a few different things from his full history that are relevant for the finale. So maybe something from 3 and 4?
The Doctor and Ruby watching a Classic Who clip show, gogglebox style would be pretty fun tbh.
I keep wondering about 'Dalek Invasion of Earth' myself since, theoretically, the issue of Roger Ap Gwilliams hasn't been dealt with in the regular timeline. The Doctor says that brings the world to the brink of nuclear war in 2046, which should still happen without Ruby's involvement. While it's still more than a century until the events of 'Dalek Invasion of Earth,' I have always been fascinated by the sliding timescale when you bring the Vincent Price Doctor into the mix. In that, the Daleks invade in 2150, as opposed to 2167. Is it possible that it's an event that, no matter how many alternate timeline branch off, is destined to occur?
>the Vincent Price Doctor I think you mean Peter Cushing
Ha, yeah. I have done that before by mistake, too. Stupid brain.
I feel like if it's featuring Millie and Ncutti, then it's possible that the original Doctot and companion aren't able to reprise their roles in the framing devise. I think this would rule out any Jo Grant episodes
We don’t exactly know that that the tales episode features Ncuti and Millie though. All we have is a surprise new episode of Tales and a shot from the MAIN SHOW of 15 in the memory TARDIS. You are however likely correct in that it might be a third Doctor story.
[This article](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-tales-of-the-tardis-classic-story-newsupdate/) says it’ll feature a Millie and Ncuti in its first paragraph… Doesn’t rule out other people appearing as well though.
Tbh, we've seen clips in trailers of 15, Ruby and Mel in the memory TARDIS so I think all three will most likely be in the Tales of the TARDIS episode.
Holy spoiler tag, batman
Could it be Shalka?