The BBC is to delete a number of its archived sites. One of these is the BBC Cult site, including the Cult Vampires magazine which featured a story by Mark Wright and myself. Doctor Who – Feast of the Stone was a short story follow-up of to the 2004 online reboot of Doctor Who. The Scream of the Shalka featured Richard E. Grant as the Doctor, Sophie Okonedo as new companion Alison and Derek Jacobi as the Master. It was an interesting take on the Doctor Who universe. The Richard E. Grant Doctor was a wounded, haunted figure who travelled with his former enemy, now nothing more than intellect stored inside an android body.
More animated adventures where due to be made, but plans were scuppered with the announcement that Doctor Who was returning to TV. The Shalka Doctor headed off into the vortex although a lot of the ideas seemed to make it through to the revived show – the emotionally bruised Doctor, mobile phones linked to the TARDIS, and Jacobi playing the Master. Even Sophie Okonedo turned up again in The Beast Below.
The Feast of the Stone is a funny little thing. Reading it again, I’m not sure what to make of it. However, at the time we had no idea what the future held for Doctor Who and were excited to be a part of what we saw as a new start. I still remember reading the series bible, finding out why Richard E. Grant’s Doctor was the way he was and looking forward to the story one day being told. I must dig that bible out again, it’s here somewhere.
The story also saw Mark and I work together again after a while of working apart. We suddenly realised just why we enjoyed working as a duo and immediately started thinking of new projects, some of which have happened, some of which have not.
And soon this tiny part of Doctor Who history – the second and last appearance of the other Ninth Doctor – will be deleted, so if you want to have a read head over to BBC Cult while you still can.
Be the first to comment