| Released | Produced by |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Reeltime Pictures |
Nicolas Courtney, Deborah Watling, Jack Watling, Elizabeth Sladen. Written by Marc Platt. Directed by Christopher Barry.
A Review by Stuart Gutteridge 19/9/98
Boasting more Doctor Who characters than any other spin-off, Downtime promises a lot and manages to deliver with surprising results. Managing to look convincingly younger, the story opens with Deborah Watling as Victoria searching for her father, summoned in her dreams to the Det-Sen Monastery. Fifteen years later and a more cynical, harder Victoria has set up the New World University for disaffected students, who spend all day listening to Tibetan chants.
Unfortunately Deborah Watling fails to really convince as the tougher Victoria; her performance lacks the weight it requires. Nicholas Courtney reprises the role of the Brigadier as if he`d never left it, carrying with him much character development. Through various dream sequences, meeting his daughter and grandson, and finally confronting the Yeti and Great Intelligence, his performance is never less than sterling. Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane, sporting a sports car(as in Robot) and the same taste in clothes as in The Five Doctors, is authentically recreated and portrayed, but lacks any character development.
So to the Yeti, bearing an almost identical look to their counterparts from sixties Doctor Who... they actually don`t seem as imposing in colour as they did in black and white, only really impressing in their initial battle sequence. What does let the production down slightly is the use of "techno-jargon", making it a little difficult to understand at times (but as Doctor Who frequently did this, it is in keeping with the show). Also the question of how Victoria funded New World is left unresolved, but the good points outweigh the bad.
Complemented by Marc Platt`s script, Christopher Barry`s excellent location work and all round direction and Mark Ayre`s haunting music, Downtime is highly recommended, not least due to the fact that it is very nearly "real" Doctor Who.
A Review by Daniel Spelner 28/11/01
Reeltime Pictures biggest Doctor Who spin-off boasts the return of the Yeti in what is the last in the Great Intelligence trilogy. Marc Platt's storyline regurgitates wearisome, predictable plotting that Dr Who is littered with; his efforts to modernize it amount to incorporating the WorldWide Web as just the latest means through which aliens intend to invade the Earth. He also creates many preposterous characters that do best to strip the story of credibility, which sinks lower still with some hopeless, hokey performances. Though they could legitimately complain about their equally trite dialogue...
What makes this drama worthwhile are the two main stars and the highly creditable direction. Nicholas Courtney is first-class as the steadfast Brigadier whose calming presence provides viewers with an assurance that coherence hasn't been abandoned totally. Likewise Deborah Watling gives a controlled performance as Victoria, giving her an icy composure that puts her over-the-top co-stars to shame. The production is upheld enormously however by the direction, nicely shot throughout by C. Barry.
An ambitious success by Tim Roll-Pickering 9/2/03
Eight years after the small scale Wartime, Reeltime pictures offers the grand spectacle of Downtime, one of the most ambitious of all Doctor Who spin-offs. Bringing back no less than three former companions as well as an old enemy, its accompanying monster and a guest character the result is a strong example of just how much can be accomplished by a dedicated team. A lot of effort has gone into making Downtime feel like Doctor Who, even down to the design of the video sleeve where the back cover bears a suspicious resemblance to contemporary BBC Video releases. Writer Marc Platt and director Christopher Barry both contribute whilst John Leeson appears in person as a DJ, just adding to Downtime's credentials. But it would be foolish to see the production as a mere rehash tribute to the series as it instead attempts to develop the saga of the Great Intelligence further as well as exploring to a degree what happens to a companion after they leave the Doctor and settle in a time period different from their native one.
By the time Downtime was released it had become almost a cliche to introduce a new relative of the Brigadier after Kadiatu in the New Adventure Transit or Uncle Mario in the Missing Adventure/radio play The Ghosts of N-Space. On this occasion we stick a little closer to home and get to meet his daughter Kate and grandson Gordon. This provides the opportunity to look at how the families of UNIT personnel deal with being kept in the dark by their nearest and dearest, whilst also showing the Brigadier's delight at discovering he is a grandfather. Nicholas Courtney plays the role with ease but still manages to surprise, especially in the dream sequences that are deliberately reminiscent of The Three Doctors even though he does fall victim to another cliche of the Brigadier always believing an unfamiliar sandscape is Cromer! Elisabeth Sladen reprises the role of Sarah Jane Smith but the character has substantially less to do and so serves as little more than a supporting journalist, which is a slight disappointment for fans of the character but it does mean that the wider story doesn't get sidetracked. At the centre of the story is Victoria Waterfield, who has now been working for the Great Intelligence for many years and comes across as an old embittered woman, though Deborah Watling manages to recreate the 'lost girl' in the pre-credits sequence where a younger Victoria visits the Detsen monastery in search of her father. Of the three Courtney steals the show, no doubt used to resurrecting the Brigadier by now. Jack Watling also returns as Professor Travers but has less to do since the character is for the most part a mobile corpse animated by the Great Intelligence.
Marc Platt's script is generally competent with many subtle touches such as the references to 'NN' and 'QQ' (the story codes for The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear respectively). However there are some illogical touches, such as Victoria's belief that her father could be alive in the late twentieth century whilst there is no explanation at all as to how the control spheres have gained the ability to transform humans into Yeti. There's also an obsession with computers and the dangers of the internet being invaded by 'computer flu' that now seem almost quaint barely seven years on. Generally however the script is competent. Christopher Barry gives good direction and there are only a few times where the cheapness of the production is given away - most notably in the quality of the video cameras and their poor ability to cope with bright lights. The University of East Anglia is used as the location, partially disguised by some CGI effects such as the pyramid atop it that doesn't seem at all out of place. Overall this is a very strong effort for an independent video spin-off that holds up extremely well and makes the viewer wonder what could be achieved given the rights to use the Doctor and TARDIS... 9/10
A Review by Richard Radcliffe 14/9/04
When Doctor Who finished in 1989 there were plenty of imaginative fans who decided to produce their own spin on the legend. There is something of a subgenre now that has built up on the back of DW - and it shows no sign of abating, with Benny and BBV taking up the mantle. Downtime is one such piece. It brings together characters from the TV show and puts them in an adventure using aspects of our favourite programme.
And so we have Victoria Waterfield, Sarah-Jane Smith, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as the main players. We have a direct sequel to Abominable Snowmen and Web of Fear. We have supporting characters doing their turn too - Professor Travers, John Leeson (voice of K9) as the DJ, Geoffrey Beevers as Harrods, the local tramp. The writer is Marc Platt who wrote the brilliant Ghost Light, and went on to write the magnificent Lungbarrow. The Director is Chris Barry, also familiar to DW. The DW connections are everywhere, I can think of only The Five Doctors that contains so many old companions.
One notable absentee of course is the Doctor. But there is no Professor here, nobody that's "something else but quite close to that Doctor bloke". The characters are all bona fide DW personnel - just without the Doctor. It thus reminded me of the companion novels that were published in the 80s. These companions are great characters, and deserve the focus Doctor-less stories give them.
The Doctor may not be here in person, but his presence is everywhere in it. I doubt it would appeal to the non-fan, and 99% of its audience has to be fans of the show - that's how these spin-offs succeed. There are so many references to Doctor Who. Every few minutes some remark is made, it is a continuity-fest, but a good one. It is quite funny how each character is connected, and how each puts in their little say say about the Doctor.
As a sequel to the aforementioned Yeti stories it works pretty well. The Great Intelligence's motives are the same, their methods the same. The story works less well than its predecessors because of the setting above all else. New World HQ is a rather bland affair compared to Tibetan monasteries or the eerie London Underground. As a result of the setting the Yeti don't come across as effectively, but the costumes are pretty good.
On the downside of Downtime the story is quite mixed in its impact. There are some nice little private moments (the Brigadier and his daughter, Victoria stating she is out of her own time). There are some strange dream sequences too, which particularly affect the Brigadier. This combined with the Intelligence threat means things have to be rushed at the end. Everyone standing about in the New World Carpark doesn't strike me as the best finish to a story. The whole New World thing was poorly realized I felt. The human drones in their very silly sweatshirts and caps, Victoria's weak sidekick. Sarah-Jane is woefully underused as well.
On the plus side the Brigadier benefits from more screen time. His family background fits perfectly with his militaristic background, and he really is the star of the piece. Nick Courtney does a fine job, his derring-do spirit is very much intact. The Brigadier is the best thing about Downtime. The Brigadier works very well too with Harrods, a terrific supporting character played by Geoffrey (The Master) Beevers.
Of all the spin-offs that Doctor Who has spawned, this is certainly one of the most professional. The production values are pretty good, and Marc Platt provides a character driven piece that is full of DW references. An interesting venture and well worth a look. 7/10