Scream of the Shalka
Synopsis
The TARDIS lands in a small English village in 2003, where the population are living in fear of a malevolent alien force. With the help of UNIT and his new friend Alison, the Doctor discovers that a race called the Shalka residing underground, preparing to strip away Earth's ozone layer and embark on a full-scale invasion of the planet...
Cover notes
In 2003, Doctor Who was about to celebrate its fortieth anniversary with little fanfare. But then BBC producer James Goss pitched the idea of a special animated tale to bring a brand-new story to the masses — screened exclusively on the BBC's official website.
Previous Doctor Who webcasts were little more than a series of static illustrations, but Scream of the Shalka would be a much more ambitious project. Goss recruited novelist Paul Cornell to pen the script, and in a casting coup engaged Richard E. Grant to portray the Doctor; Sophie Okoedo, Craig Kelly and Derek Jacobi (foreshadowing his triumphant portrayal of the Master in 2007's Utopia) rounded out a talented cast, along with a then-unknown David Tennant in a minor role.
Screening in six weekly episodes through November and December 2003, Scream of the Shalka was intended to be a continuation of the cancelled TV series, however the announcement soon after that Christopher Eccleston would be returning to BBC One as the Doctor relegated Grant's Doctor to unofficial status.
The story exists now as something of a curio, and is often regarded as a sideline to 'proper' Doctor Who, but the fact remains that this was the first BBC commission of new episodes since Survival in 1989 (disregarding Comic Relief/Children In Need specials). It was a labour of love for those involved and paved the way for more animations — BBCi's Shada in 2003 (starring Paul McGann), 2007's Dreamland (starring David Tennant) and reconstructions of missing episodes on DVD.
Cast
| The Doctor | Richard E. Grant | |
| Alison | Sophie Okonedo | |
| Joe | Craig Kelly | ep. 1,2,4,5,6 |
| Max | Andrew Dunn | ep. 1,4,5 |
| Mathilda | Anna Calder-Marshall | ep. 1 |
| Dawson | Conor Moloney | ep. 1 |
| McGrath | Ben Morrison | ep. 1 |
| The Master | Derek Jacobi | ep. 2,3,4,5,6 |
| Prime | Diana Quick | ep. 2,3,5,6 |
| Kennet | Jim Norton | ep. 2,3,4,5,6 |
| Greaves | Conor Moloney | ep. 3,4,5,6 |
| Caretaker | Ben Morrison | ep. 5 |
Crew
| Written by | Paul Cornell | |
| Theme Composer | Ron Grainer | |
| Theme arrangement | Creation Music | |
| Broadcast Assistant | Ursula Smyth | |
| Incidental music | Russell Stone | |
| Recording and Post Production | The Soundhouse | |
| Animation | Cosgrove Hall Films | |
| Producer | Muirinn Lane Kelly | |
| Executive Producer for BBCi | Mario Dubois | |
| Executive Producer for BBCi | James Goss | |
| Executive Producer for BBCi | Martin Trickey | |
| Director | Wilson Milam |
DVD Extras
| Paul Cornell Wilson Milam James Goss |
commentary track | |
| Carry On Screaming [2013] | (Richard E. Grant) James Goss [BBC Centre House] Martin Trickey (Lorraine Heggessey) (Alan Yentob) (Jane Tranter) Jelena Djordjevic [Ghosts of Albion] Paul Cornell [Big Finish] (Peter Davison) (Russell T. Davies) (Serena Cullen) Muirinn Lane Kelly (Robbie Williams) (Donald Sinden) (Derek Jacobi) [Rumpole of the Bailey] (David Tennant) (Wilson Milam) [Cosgrove Hall Films] Jon Doyle [Big Chip award] Daniel Judd |
Behind-the-scenes personnel discuss the making of Scream of the Shalka |
| The Screaming Sessions [2013] | Craig Kelly Jim Norton Anna Calder-Marshall Sophie Okonedo Diana Quick Wilson Milam (Richard E. Grant) (Derek Jacobi) (Paul Cornell) |
Cast and crew interviews recorded at the time of production in 2003 |
| Interweb of Fear [2013] | (Professor Brett) [Post Office Tower] Martin Belam (BBC R&D, Kingswood Warren) (John Birt) [BBC On-line] [beeb.com] Ian Garrard [Tomorrow's World+] [Politics 97] James Goss [Bagpuss] [Rent-a-ghost] [Buffy Vampire Slayer] [Doctor Who:Death comes to time] Ann Kelly [RealPlayer] Ben Lavender [Jackanory] (Lee Sullivan) [BBCi] (Dan Freedman) [Doctor Who photonovels] (John Cura) (BBC Central New Media; Bush House) [BBCi Studio] (Gillian Anderson) [X-Files] [September 11, 2001] [bbc.co.uk] [Doctor Who:Shada] (Greg Dyke) Martin Trickey (Frankie Howerd) Russell T. Davies |
A brief history of the BBC website and the important role that Doctor Who has played over the years |
| soundtrack album | ||
| photo gallery |
BluRay Extras
Commentary
One of life's little moments of serendipity saw this page created on the 18th anniversary of the story's first broadcast.
| serial code : | BBCI-4 |
| episode count : | 6 |
| initial broadcast date : | 2003-11-13 |
| DVD release date : | |
| BluRay release date : | |