Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor gets the regeneration he deserves in this brilliant fan-edit
By James Aggas
On television, the Sixth Doctor was given far from a fitting end. But this fan-edit helps to correct that…
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
Using clips from his TV and audio stories, a brilliant Doctor Who fan-edit has helped to give the Sixth Doctor the real send-off that he truly deserved.
When the Sixth Doctor regenerated in Time and the Rani, it was disappointing, to say the least. For one thing, it happened at the very beginning of the story, with hardly an explanation for it at all. While the TARDIS is clearly attacked by the Rani, nothing was stated on screen about what caused the Sixth Doctor to die while Mel walks away without a scratch.
For another, the Sixth Doctor himself wasn’t even involved! Instead of bringing back Colin Baker for such a pivotal scene, instead, new Doctor Sylvester McCoy was briefly dressed up in a wig and the Sixth Doctor’s distinctive coat. (If you haven’t seen it, it’s exactly as bad as it sounds.)
There have been attempts to fix this over the years. In 2005, Gary Russell wrote the novel Spiral Scratch, which lead into Time and the Rani and provided a different explanation for the Sixth Doctor’s regeneration.
In 2008, the unofficial charity novel Time’s Champion gave another explanation. While virtually impossible to get now, this intriguing novel was supposed to be the last of a Sixth Doctor trilogy by Craig Hinton before he passed away, and even featured the return of the Valeyard. Stuffed to the brim with continuity from eras both Classic and New, it was a fascinating “what if?” story that Chris McKeon completed.
The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure
However, arguably the most authentic take on Six’s regeneration story was The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure by Big Finish Productions. A four-hour epic spread across the Sixth Doctor’s lifetime, the story gave us a fitting explanation for why he regenerated in Time and the Rani.
Specifically, in the last episode The Brink of Death, it was revealed that the Rani attacked the TARDIS with focused beams of radiation. Slightly harmful to humans, but absolutely deadly to Time Lords. A simple explanation that still makes the Rani the cause of the Sixth Doctor’s “death”.
However, it’s the final scene that truly stands out. Colin Baker gives a wonderfully moving performance, with a beautiful speech written by Nicholas Briggs. The whole episode is enjoyable, and how Six saves the day against the Valeyard is a hugely satisfying moment. But it’s the Sixth Doctor’s final words that truly make The Last Adventure so special.
This scene has, naturally, only officially existed on audio. But there have been a few fan-edits that have done a great job of bringing the scene to life in a visual medium over the past few years. And I’ve enjoyed many of these interpretations.
However, the best one I’ve watched yet has just been released a few days ago. And it is glorious. Check it out on the next page.
A fitting end
YouTube video editor Olivercomet has edited together a perfect video of Six’s regeneration scene in The Brink of Death. Taking clips from many of Six’s TV stories, as well as some of the audio from The Last Adventure, he’s given us a great visual representation of the Sixth Doctor’s final moments.
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Special effects have also been added, so that there’s a smoother transition from Colin Baker to Sylvester McCoy this time. It’s a huge improvement, and turns the weak opening of Time and the Rani into a brilliant final scene for an underrated Doctor.
Fan-edits like this remind me why Doctor Who continues to have such an amazing fandom. It isn’t just the discussion or the huge variety of view points that the show and its fans provide. It’s also the huge amount of creativity that it inspires.
Especially as it can lead from simple fan creations to official productions. After all, Russell T. Davies, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall were all huge fans of the show long before they worked on it.
I’m definitely going to keep a close eye on Olivercomet’s videos in future. Especially as they also made a brilliant extension of Eight’s regeneration into the War Doctor, too.
Next. Why you should check out The Diary of River Song. dark
What did you think of this fan-edit? Do you think it’s an improvement from what we got in Time and the Rani? Let us know in the comments below.