Doctor Who is arguably the most popular British television show of all time.

Spanning from its creation back in 1963 to present day and running for over 800 episodes (and counting!), the series seems to be immortal and has spread across countless viewing platforms. But what happens to the Doctor’s companions when they go back to their ordinary lives?

To celebrate the release of Daemos Rising on DVD this month, we have compiled a list of the must-see unofficial Doctor Who spin-off titles…

 

Wartime (1987)

This is the first unofficial Doctor Who spin-off, directed by Keith Barnfather and starring John Levene reprising his role as John Benton, who was first introduced into the Whoniverse way back in 1968 during the time of the 2nd Doctor.

The short film follows Bentonas he is transporting a shipment of radioactive material to UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) H.Q. just outside Bolton. But the journey somehow takes Benton into his own past where he confronts the ghosts of his mother, father and younger brother Chris, killed in a fall from a high wall when they were boys and whose death he feels guilty about. Benton must fight his way out of the nightmare world where past and present are one and back to reality where an armed and dangerous criminal is intent on hijacking the shipment.

The 30-minute film was a directorial debut for Barnfather, who would go on to direct four other  well loved Doctor Who spin-offs. A notable difference between Wartime and the additional spin-offs that followed is that it was the only production to air while the original Doctor Who series was still being broadcast. It’s an emotional tale and fans of the John Pertwee era of Doctor Who will love this exploration of the veteran characters past.

 

Downtime (1995)

The second TV spin-off shows the return of long-time associate of the mysterious time traveller the Doctor, Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, as he faces the toughest battle of his military career when he is embroiled in a plot unwittingly set in motion by university chancellor Victoria Waterfield, herself a former companion of the Doctor, to take over the Earth by an evil alien entity called the Great Intelligence, aided by its ferocious robot Yeti cohorts. Can the Brigadier defeat this menace to the Earth without the Doctor’s help?

The film was co-directed by Keith Barnfather and Christopher Barry, who directed 43 episodes of the original Doctor Who series from season 1 to 17 (1963-1979). The film also features iconic companions of the Doctor; Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and Sarah Jane Smith (Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen respectively) who take centre stage for this instalment. It’s an absolute must see for fans of the classic series.

 

Mindgame (1997)

The third spin-off directed by Keith Barnfather and the first not to feature a character from the series itself. However it does bring back a couple of fan favourite alien species from the Doctor Who Universe.

The plot follows a human, a sontaran and a draconian are ‘transmatted’ into an inter-dimensional prison situated on an asteroid. They have been transported there by a wolf-like alien, who has trapped them all in the cell where they must fight each other so he can judge which species his people should join forces with to conquer the galaxy.

This short film was commended for its character driven story, use of special effects and acting from Sophie Aldred (the human) and Miles Richardson (the Draconian). Although die-hard fans of the show might be disappointed not to see any familiar faces they will enjoy how the memorable aliens and expert levels of costume and set design create an authentic Doctor Who experience.

 

Mindgame Trilogy (1999)

This 30-minute film acts as a sequel to Mindgame and continues the stories of the three prisoners from the preceding film. However, in this film the story follows human, the Draconian and the Sontaran separately in three different short narratives: Battlefield, Prisoner 451 and Scout Ship.

The first segment (Battlefield) carries on the story of the Sontaran, Field-Major Sarg, who is trapped, wounded and alone on a battle-scarred planet, he is forced to accept that he may die. But at least it will be a glorious death – or so he hopes. The second story (Prisoner 451) centre’s around the draconian, who has found himself locked up in prison again.

While he sits in his cell, he thinks about his previous experiences and how may be going to face certain death. The third and final instalment of the feature (Scout Ship) focuses on the human who’s dying ship has caused her to become lost in space. She decides to put the only functioning piece of equipment to good use and records her final moments on the ships camera.

This second instalment varies a lot to the original – as a good sequel should – and takes a more in depth look at the characters than in its predecessor, creating more of connection between them and the audience and opting for a darker tone. Like the original, the film was praised for its set design and special effects.

 

Zygon: When Being You Just Isn’t Enough (2008)

Out of all the films on this list, none faced a harder production than Zygon. Originally beginning filming back in 2003, it was almost scrapped by its director, Bill Baggs. After several years, script changes and an extra day of shooting, it was eventually amended and released in 2008.

The plot follows engineer, Mike Kirkwood, who is frequently troubled by his recurring dreams that he is a shapeshifting Zygon monster. He confides in psychiatrist, Lauren, who tries to help him discover what these dreams mean but it is not too long before she finds herself in serious danger…

Probably the least referential to the source material that steamed it, the only major link between the Doctor Who series and this film are presence of the titular space creature Zygons. That being said it is still an interesting addition to the Whoniverse and has been closer compared the spin-off series Torchwood, due to its more adult and violent content. It is also one of the two Doctor Who spin-offs to receive and 18 certificate rating, the other being Ghosts of Winterborne (although that has since been released as a 12 certificate).

 

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