Season 35

Verity Lambert (consultant)

**Season 35** of *Doctor Who* ran between 29 August and 31 October 1998. It starred Stephen Fry as the Doctor, Emma Fielding as Lena Haigh and Laura Fraser as Evelyn Webster. The season opened with *Phantasmagoria* and ended with *Visions of Tomorrow*.

## Synopsis

### Bore da, Cymru!

This season marked the beginning of *Doctor Who*'s time as a co-production between Cinema Verity and BBC Wales. As part of the change, much of the production of the show was moved to the BBC Wales headquarters in Cardiff, and Head of Drama Matthew Robinson became the new executive producer of the show. He was joined in this capacity by BBC Head of Drama Mal Young, with Verity Lambert staying on for this season only as a consultant producer.

### A Change in Leadership

Script editor Colin Brake announced his departure from the position early in the season's production, believing that with this new era, a new script editor should take charge. Both Stephen Fry and Emma Fielding announced similar sentiment, believing that they had stayed on the show for enough time and that it was time for a pair of new faces to take over the show.

### The name's Webster, Evelyn Webster

Following the announcement that Emma Fielding intended to leave the show, it was decided the new companion would be introduced this season. It was decided that the new companion would be from Earth's past, as it was an idea that *Doctor Who* had not delved into properly for over thirty years. The character that resulted from this was Evelyn Webster, an SOE agent who had been trapped inside Nazi-occupied territory upon meeting the Doctor. Scottish actress Laura Fraser was cast in the role, with the season being ordered in order to fit around her busy filming schedule.

### New parameters, same old show

Season 35 was shot in 16:9 aspect ratio, marking the shift away from the 4:3 576i aspect ratio used previously. Also decided early on was the decision to move the show from predominantly multi-part stories to predminantly single-part stories, due to these gaining higher ratings. This resulted in two extra stories being added into the season.

## Cast

### Main

* The Doctor - Stephen Fry
* Lena Haigh - Emma Fielding
* Evelyn Webster - Laura Fraser

### Recurring

* Romana - Lalla Ward, Susannah Harker
* Veylon - Geoffrey Bayldon
* Voice of K9 - John Leeson
* Alpha - Roy Skelton
* Daleks - Nicholas Briggs
* Bernice Summerfield - Lisa Bowerman
* Norman Manning - Robert Llewellyn
* Briagdier Winifred Bambera - Angela Bruce
* Kate Lethbridge-Stewart - Jemma Redgrave

## Adaptations and Merchandising

### Home Media

#### VHS

* *Phantasmagoria*/*Placebo Effect*
* *Iceberg*/*Silence in the Library*
* *The Council's Reverence*/*Children of the Revolution*
* *Operation Werewolf*/*Visions of Tomorrow*

#### DVD

* All of Season 35 was released on DVD in 2009.

#### Blu-Ray

* The complete series has been upscaled in 1080i50 high definition and was released as *Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 35* in the UK.
* It was released in the US under the title *Doctor Who: Stephen Fry - Complete Season Three.*

#### Novels

* *Phantasmagoria*
* *Placebo Effect*
* *Iceberg*
* *Silence in the Library*
* *The Council's Reverence*
* *Children of the Revolution*
* *Operation Werewolf*
* *Visions of Tomorrow*