CROSSOVER OF THE WEEK!

'Doctor Who' is back on Earth!

Fifteen years after the last regular episode, six years after the one TV movie for the Eighth Doctor, we've had a full series of thirteen episodes featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Incarnation.

The final episode for this year has aired, signaling the end of Eccleston's tenure and marking the debut of David Tennant in the role.

And so to celebrate, most of my essays and all of the Crossovers will be dedicated to the Doctor for the rest of the summer.

Be forewarned: In my essays during this summer salute to 'Doctor Who', there will be spoilers for each of the episodes, especially in regard to summaries.....

Location: The Gamestation (formerly Satellite 5)
Date: 200,100
Enemy: Daleks

The Doctor wakes up in the Big Brother house during an eviction, Rose wakes up on the Weakest Link with the Annedroid and Captain Jack gets a make over with Trin-E and Zu-Zana. However everything is not what it seems!
[Thanks to TV.com]

The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack have to fight for their lives on board the Game Station. But a far more dangerous threat is lurking, just out of sight. The Doctor realises that the entire human race has been blinded to the threat on its doorstep, and Armageddon is fast approaching.
[Thanks to The Doctor Who Reference Guide]

CROSSOVER OF THE WEEK
'DOCTOR WHO' - "BAD WOLF"
&
'THE WEAKEST LINK'
&
'WHAT NOT TO WEAR'
&
'BIG BROTHER'

FINALLY!

An actual crossover instead of just the theoretical ones I've been selling all summer long!

And these three shows - the game show 'The Weakest Link', the reality competition show 'Big Brother', and the reality wardrobe program 'What Not To Wear' - can have a presence in Toobworld as well as in the Real World.

Previous examples which set the precedent would be 'Password' and 'Let's Make A Deal' ('The Odd Couple'), 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' ('Spin City'), and 'Jeopardy' (Heavens to Martindale! Too many examples to list!).

And apparently these three shows not only exist in the TV Universe, they will survive thousands of years into the future. And as such, Anne Robinson, Davina McCall, Trinny Woodall, and Susannah Constantine will have achieved a sense of immortality. Their vocal patterns and personality engrams will have been preserved to be re-used in the androids of these shows.

A conversation between the Doctor and Lynda with a Y also revealed a treasure trove of other shows presented by the Gamestation, among them 'Bear In The House' which sounds like a lot of fun.

I'm thinking, however, that it was a show that one of the Doctor's earlier incarnations might have watched, not this version. (My choice? I guess Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor.) I don't think Number Nine was around long enough between regeneration and his first meeting with Rose to have developed a fondness for the show. Still, there is plenty of off-screen time between certain episodes in which the Doctor and Rose might have watched it together.

The use of the robots rather than the real people was a cute idea and must have been a fun visual for the kids. But they could have used the actual hostesses as either clones or as holograms (a la the movies "Looker" and "S1m0ne").

Anyway, that had to be the simplest connection I've ever had to make in this series, with only the 'Blue Peter'/"Aliens Of London" connection to equal it. Maybe that's why it took me over a week to finally hunker down and write it out!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby