Doctor in Distress (single)
Encyclopedia
"Doctor in Distress" is a pop
song related to the BBC
television programme Doctor Who
. It was released as an ensemble charity single in 1985.
and freelancer Fiachra Trench
, who had previously collaborated on the theme music for the TV pilot K-9 and Company
, a Doctor Who spin off from 1981. When news of the single was announced in early March, it was rumoured that the recording session would include the Village People
, together with self-confessed Doctor Who fans Elton John
and Holly Johnson
. This, however, did not eventuate. Instead, organisers Paul Mark Tams and Jeff Weston (managing director of Record Shack) secured the involvement of 25 mid-level performers, some of which were attached to Weston's label. The resulting supergroup
recorded and released the single under the name Who Cares?, with the participation of four regulars from the TV series: Colin Baker
(the Sixth Doctor
), Nicola Bryant
(companion Peri Brown
), Nicholas Courtney
(recurring character Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
) and Anthony Ainley
(the Master
). The music was played by Hans Zimmer
on a Fairlight II
synthesizer; Zimmer was later to have success as a film composer.
Proceeds from the single went to the charity Cancer Research
. The single, which was released on Friday, 15 March 1985, was universally panned. Even the BBC itself refused to broadcast the song on its radio stations on the grounds of its poor quality. Levine himself later told The Guardian
, "It was an absolute balls-up fiasco. It was pathetic and bad and stupid. It tried to tell the Doctor Who history in an awful high-energy song. It almost ruined me." The single failed to chart in the UK.
An accompanying video was also released. This was directed by Keith Barnfather of Reeltime Pictures
, a film production company that specialised in Doctor Who-related projects including documentaries and spin-off video dramas. More than two decades later, the video for the single was included as a special feature on Disc Four of the The Trial of a Time Lord
DVD boxed set.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song related to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television programme Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. It was released as an ensemble charity single in 1985.
Background
In 1985, when the production of the series was suspended for a year and it looked as if it faced cancellation, a charity single was produced and released in March. It was written by the series' unofficial continuity advisor Ian LevineIan Levine
Ian Levine is an English songwriter, producer, and DJ. He is also a well-known fan of the long-running television show Doctor Who.Levine attended Arnold School in Blackpool from 1963 to 1970...
and freelancer Fiachra Trench
Fiachra Trench
Fiachra Terence Wilbrah Trench is a musician and composer from Drogheda, County Louth in Ireland....
, who had previously collaborated on the theme music for the TV pilot K-9 and Company
K-9 and Company
K-9 and Company was a proposed television spin-off of the original programme run of Doctor Who . It was to feature former series regulars Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist played by Elisabeth Sladen, and K-9, a robotic dog. Both characters had been companions of the Fourth Doctor, but...
, a Doctor Who spin off from 1981. When news of the single was announced in early March, it was rumoured that the recording session would include the Village People
Village People
Village People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics....
, together with self-confessed Doctor Who fans Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson
Holly Johnson is an English artist, writer and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and former bassist for Big in Japan.- Big in Japan :...
. This, however, did not eventuate. Instead, organisers Paul Mark Tams and Jeff Weston (managing director of Record Shack) secured the involvement of 25 mid-level performers, some of which were attached to Weston's label. The resulting supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
recorded and released the single under the name Who Cares?, with the participation of four regulars from the TV series: Colin Baker
Colin Baker
Colin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
(the Sixth Doctor
Sixth Doctor
The Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
), Nicola Bryant
Nicola Bryant
-External links:** at shillpages.com/dw *...
(companion Peri Brown
Peri Brown
Peri Brown, full name Perpugilliam Brown, is a fictional character played by Nicola Bryant in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who....
), Nicholas Courtney
Nicholas Courtney
William Nicholas Stone Courtney was an English television actor, most famous for playing Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
(recurring character Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Nicholas Courtney...
) and Anthony Ainley
Anthony Ainley
Anthony Ainley was an English actor best known for his work on British television and particularly for his role as the third Master in Doctor Who. He was the fourth actor to play the role of the Master, and the first actor to portray the Master as a recurring role after the death of Roger Delgado...
(the Master
Master (Doctor Who)
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
). The music was played by Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
on a Fairlight II
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
synthesizer; Zimmer was later to have success as a film composer.
Proceeds from the single went to the charity Cancer Research
Cancer research
Cancer research is basic research into cancer in order to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatments and cure....
. The single, which was released on Friday, 15 March 1985, was universally panned. Even the BBC itself refused to broadcast the song on its radio stations on the grounds of its poor quality. Levine himself later told The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, "It was an absolute balls-up fiasco. It was pathetic and bad and stupid. It tried to tell the Doctor Who history in an awful high-energy song. It almost ruined me." The single failed to chart in the UK.
An accompanying video was also released. This was directed by Keith Barnfather of Reeltime Pictures
Reeltime Pictures
Reeltime Pictures is a British multimedia film and video production company founded in 1984 by Keith Barnfather.It is known for its many documentaries about the long-running television series Doctor Who and in particular for The Myth Makers, a series of interviews with people associated with the...
, a film production company that specialised in Doctor Who-related projects including documentaries and spin-off video dramas. More than two decades later, the video for the single was included as a special feature on Disc Four of the The Trial of a Time Lord
The Trial of a Time Lord
The Trial of a Time Lord is a fourteen-part British science fiction serial of the long running BBC series Doctor Who. The serial, produced as the twenty-third season of the Doctor Who television series, aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986...
DVD boxed set.
Personnel
In addition to the four Doctor Who regulars mentioned above, the recording session, and the accompanying video, included the following:- Earlene Bentley
- Faith BrownFaith BrownFaith Brown is an English actress, singer, comedienne and impressionist.-Background and Early Career:Born as Eunice Irene Carroll, Faith Brown began her career as a singer at the age of fifteen, backed by a local group. She later became the resident cabaret singer in Liverpool's Rialto Ballroom...
(comedienne) - Miquel BrownMiquel BrownMiquel Brown Miquel Brown Miquel Brown (born Michael Brown, 1954 is a Canadian actress and Disco/Soul singer from the 1970s and '80s most popular for the songs "Close to Perfection" and the Hi-NRG songs 'So Many Men, So Little Time' and "He's A Saint, He's A Sinner" (both now considered vintage gay...
- Warren CannWarren CannWarren Reginald Cann is a drummer and drum machine programmer, best known as a member of the British New Wave band Ultravox.-Early life:...
from UltravoxUltravoxUltravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements.... - Hazell DeanHazell DeanHazell Dean is a British dance-pop singer, who achieved her biggest success in the 1980s as a leading Hi-NRG artist. She is best known for the top ten hits "Searchin' ", "Whatever I Do " and "Who's Leaving Who"...
- Floid Pearce from Hot GossipHot Gossip-Formation:Arlene Phillips came to London to learn and teach developing American Jazz dance routines. Employed as a dance teacher, she taught at locations including the Pineapple Dance Studios and the Italia Conti Stage School. In 1974, Phillips started forming the core of a troupe; Italia Conti...
- Bobby GBobby GBobby G is a member of pop group Bucks Fizz. He was the only remaining original member in the group...
from Bucks FizzBucks Fizz (band)Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and... - Jona LewieJona LewieJona Lewie is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Career:Jona Lewie joined his first group, The Johnston City Jazz Band, while still at school in 1963, and by 1968 had become a blues & boogie singer and piano player...
- Phyllis NelsonPhyllis NelsonPhyllis Nelson was an American singer, most famous for her UK chart-topping recording, "Move Closer". Her son is the R&B singer and record producer, Marc Nelson.-Career:...
- Richie Pitts from the cast of the stage musical Starlight ExpressStarlight ExpressStarlight Express is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Richard Stilgoe and Arlene Phillips , with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek . The story follows a child's dream in which his toy train set comes to life; famously the actors perform wearing roller skates...
- John RoccaJohn RoccaJohn Rocca became known first as a dance music performer, remixer and record producer. During the early 1980s, John Rocca formed, played with, wrote for, produced and managed his first musical band, Freeez, with success...
from FreeezFreeezFreeez were a United Kingdom dance music group from London, known initially as one of the UK's main jazz-funk bands of the early 1980s. Initiated by John Rocca, Freeez consisted of various musicians, originally with Rocca and others such as Andy Stennet Freeez were a United Kingdom dance music... - Sally ThomsettSally ThomsettSally Thomsett is a British actress.She is mainly remembered for starring in the 1970 film The Railway Children, and for playing Jo in the TV sitcom, Man About the House...
(actress) - David Van DayDavid Van DayDavid Van Day is an English singer and media personality, formerly a member of the pop duo Dollar. He was also a member of the 1970s vocal group Guys 'n' Dolls , and a latter-day version of Bucks Fizz....
from DollarDollar (band)Dollar are a pop vocal duo from the UK, consisting of David Van Day and Thereza Bazar. The duo were successful in the late 1970s and 1980s.-Career:... - Members of Matt BiancoMatt BiancoMatt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
(Basia TrzetrzelewskaBasiaBasia Trzetrzelewska is a Polish singer-songwriter and record producer. She established a successful international recording career featuring characteristically Latin-flavoured jazz-pop crossover songs during the late 1980s and early 1990s and the late 2000s and 2010s, particularly in the United...
and Danny White) - Members of The Moody BluesThe Moody BluesThe Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
(Justin HaywardJustin HaywardJustin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
and John Lodge) - Members of Tight FitTight FitTight Fit are a British pop group who had a number of hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No.1 with their cover version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1982...
(Steven Grant and Julie Harris) - Members of Time UKTime UK (band)Time UK were a mid 1980s English rock band, featuring former Jam drummer Rick Buckler. They released three singles.-Personnel:*Rick Buckler *Jimmy Edwards *Danny Kustow *Ray Simone...
(Rick BucklerRick BucklerRick Buckler , is the former drummer of The Jam, an English rock band that enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom from 1977 until disbanding in 1982...
, Ronnie Ball, Fletcher Christian, Jimmy Richards, Ray Simone and Nick Smith)