Real Time
Encyclopedia
Real Time is a webcast
based on the long-running British
science fiction
television series Doctor Who
which was then subsequently released on CD. It was produced by Big Finish Productions
for BBCi
, the interactive television service arm of the BBC
and was originally webcast on the BBC Doctor Who website from August 2 to September 6, 2002.
and Evelyn
learn the deadly truth: that the planet Chronos is being used as a base for one of the Doctor's oldest and deadliest foes — the Cybermen
.
, it was decided that a second would involve Big Finish Productions, who were already doing a number of audio plays involving members of Doctor Who
's original cast. This webcast would involve Colin Baker
playing the Sixth Doctor accompanied by Maggie Stables
as Dr Evelyn Smythe, his companion in the Big Finish audio plays.
The limited bandwidth
allowed by broadcasting across the Internet
meant that writer and director Gary Russell
approached the story with the edict that it would be shorter than many of the Big Finish plays. He decided that the story would therefore run, more or less, in "real time", with its complete 60-minute running time being exactly how long the Doctor would be involved within the story. The webcast was accompanied by very limited animation based on illustrations by artist Lee Sullivan.
The storyline was left without a definitive conclusion, allowing for a possible sequel to be made at a future date. However, the following webcast was a remake of the uncompleted 1979 serial Shada
, written by Douglas Adams
. When BBCi
decided to take the production of the next webcast, Scream of the Shalka
, completely in-house, this led to a brief falling out between Big Finish and BBCi, and any plans for a sequel to Real Time were shelved at that point. This extended to Russell even suggesting that Real Time be considered non-canon as far as the audio plays were concerned.
An extended version was released on CD
in December 2002 by Big Finish, minus the illustrations/animation that had been included in the webcast but with the addition of further scenes designed to help the plot along, including an opening scene set inside the TARDIS
.
Russell has expressed interest in the possibility of a sequel just to wrap up the loose ends of the plot. However, no plans have been announced and as yet, the story remains unresolved.
The webcast links have not worked for some time, but the audio CD is still available from Big Finish's website.
blue suit as part of its Doctor Who Classic 5" action figure series.
Webcast
A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand...
based on the long-running British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series 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...
which was then subsequently released on CD. It was produced by Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
for BBCi
Bbc.co.uk
BBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
, the interactive television service arm of 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...
and was originally webcast on the BBC Doctor Who website from August 2 to September 6, 2002.
Synopsis
There has been a series of mysterious vanishings on the desert planet Chronos in the 33rd century. Survey teams working for a university seem to have simply vanished amongst the pyramids on the planet. Alongside two other survey teams and an expert on cybernetics, the DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
and Evelyn
Evelyn Smythe
Dr. Evelyn Smythe is a fictional character played by Maggie Stables in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A professor of history from the 20th century with a fondness for chocolate, she is a...
learn the deadly truth: that the planet Chronos is being used as a base for one of the Doctor's oldest and deadliest foes — the Cybermen
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
.
Cast
- The DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
— Colin BakerColin BakerColin 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... - Evelyn SmytheEvelyn SmytheDr. Evelyn Smythe is a fictional character played by Maggie Stables in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A professor of history from the 20th century with a fondness for chocolate, she is a...
— Maggie StablesMaggie StablesMaggie Stables is a British actress who plays the part of the companion Evelyn Smythe in a range of audio dramas by Big Finish Productions based on the BBC television series Doctor Who.-Career:... - Professor Osborn — Nicholas BriggsNicholas BriggsNicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Daleks. Briggs sometimes uses the pseudonym Arthur Wallis...
- President — Robert Curbishley
- Doctor Nicola Savage — Jane Goddard
- Fantham — Andrew Hair
- Taylor Renchard — Richard HerringRichard HerringRichard Keith Herring is a British comedian and writer, whose early work includes his involvement in the double-act, Lee and Herring...
- Lieutenant Kruger — William Johnston
- Ryan Carey — Stewart LeeStewart LeeStewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...
- Hoyer — Alistair Lock
- Administrator David Isherwood — Christopher Scott
- Doctor Reece Goddard — Yee Jee TsoYee Jee TsoYee Jee Tso is a Canadian actor.His television roles include Sliders , and the 1996 Doctor Who telemovie, in which he played the character Chang Lee...
- Dean — Mark Wright
Production background
After the success of the first online webcast story, Death Comes to TimeDeath Comes to Time
Death Comes to Time is a webcast audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced by the BBC and first broadcast in five episodes on the BBCi Cult website from 12 July 2001, accompanied by limited animation.-Synopsis:When two Time Lords are...
, it was decided that a second would involve Big Finish Productions, who were already doing a number of audio plays involving members of 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...
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...
playing the Sixth Doctor accompanied by Maggie Stables
Maggie Stables
Maggie Stables is a British actress who plays the part of the companion Evelyn Smythe in a range of audio dramas by Big Finish Productions based on the BBC television series Doctor Who.-Career:...
as Dr Evelyn Smythe, his companion in the Big Finish audio plays.
The limited bandwidth
Bandwidth (computing)
In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
allowed by broadcasting across the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
meant that writer and director Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
approached the story with the edict that it would be shorter than many of the Big Finish plays. He decided that the story would therefore run, more or less, in "real time", with its complete 60-minute running time being exactly how long the Doctor would be involved within the story. The webcast was accompanied by very limited animation based on illustrations by artist Lee Sullivan.
The storyline was left without a definitive conclusion, allowing for a possible sequel to be made at a future date. However, the following webcast was a remake of the uncompleted 1979 serial Shada
Shada
Shada is an unaired serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was intended to be the final serial of the 1979-80 season , but was never completed due to a strike at the BBC during filming...
, written by Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
. When BBCi
Bbc.co.uk
BBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
decided to take the production of the next webcast, Scream of the Shalka
Scream of the Shalka
Scream of the Shalka is a flash-animated series based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was produced to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the series and was originally posted in six weekly parts from 13 November to 18 December 2003 on bbc.co.uk's Doctor Who...
, completely in-house, this led to a brief falling out between Big Finish and BBCi, and any plans for a sequel to Real Time were shelved at that point. This extended to Russell even suggesting that Real Time be considered non-canon as far as the audio plays were concerned.
An extended version was released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in December 2002 by Big Finish, minus the illustrations/animation that had been included in the webcast but with the addition of further scenes designed to help the plot along, including an opening scene set inside the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
.
Russell has expressed interest in the possibility of a sequel just to wrap up the loose ends of the plot. However, no plans have been announced and as yet, the story remains unresolved.
The webcast links have not worked for some time, but the audio CD is still available from Big Finish's website.
Merchandise
Character Options released a special figure of the Sixth Doctor in his "toned down"blue suit as part of its Doctor Who Classic 5" action figure series.