Alan Johns, prospective producer of Doctor Who as part of Dark Light Productions, has issued a new statement on the position regarding Doctor Who going forward.
Seeking to set the record straight on rumours circulating, Johns says:
“There seems, of late, to be an alarming amount of rumours circulating about our production company’s involvement with the return of Doctor Who. The record has to be set straight - no episodes have been filmed; no actor has signed on as The Doctor’ any form of contracts with the BBC are still unsigned. Those are the facts.”
Johns concedes that they have a Doctor in mind however:
“We have carried out test work for our own purposes to see if our ideas are suitable for the screen - we think they are. It is true we have a Doctor in mind’ it is true that a team of established writers and acclaimed directors have been assembled. That is all that can be said at present.”
He also states that the BBC do intend to bring back Doctor Who in some form:
“Of course anyone, from an animation company to a soap opera producer, could win the rights to produce Doctor Who, but at the moment people claim we are more prepared than most. The BBC do intend to bring Doctor Who back with our involvement or without. One thing is certain, on its return, Doctor Who will be very different. The extent of the radical creative changes proposed may well influence how soon it returns.”
Finally, i an effort to again quell rumours, Johns says names being associated with the proposed production are wrong:
“To quash one other rumour - many of the names of actors being associated with us are wrong! To answer another accusation, that we are falsely raising fans’ hopes, at least we are trying to restore the series to the screen rather than embarrass the BBC into doing it legally.”
We will of course bring you everything on the production as it develops.
The proposed Coast-to-Coast production of Doctor Who meanwhile seems to be dead in the water, script writer Johnny Byrne having stated that he has heard nothing more from the company and personally considers the film dead.
