The DOCTOR WHO that never was… [EXPLORING THE INSANE 90’s REBOOT/ ALTERNATE 8TH DOCTOR!] 

I’m the next doctor for 2027! It’s true it says on the side of my Toyota Prius.

If RTD REALLY wanted to mess with fans, he’ll drop a David Barton photo into the lineup next time the Doctor scrolls through his old faces.

Just a ton of Doctor Who stuff from the 1990s. Luckily, there is a book that covers all the possible Doctor Who revivals before 2005. It is called The Nth Doctor!

That car is giving me real Alan Partridge vibes :D

This was from the time that the BBC were trying to farm out the show to an independent company. One particular company shot a "pilot" starring Burton, as a way of applying for the licence. It wasn't considered a good pitch so was rejected.

I know a lot of people think he was lying or that this was a hoax but I believe there is some grains of truth here. From what i've heard, the companions were to be twins called 'Heart and Diamond', which would have been interesting as one could have been an alien girl with psychic powers and the other a cold-hearted robot girl, powered up companions, something we see very little of in modern Who now from the get-go. It definitely would have been goofy and funny, with a 90s retro theme mixed with a disco dance opening version of the main theme, which would have been funky and HILARIOUS. I saw a 'what if' scenario from a decade long forum that planned out a potential series that saw an episode that is likely a follow-up to the classic episode 'Inferno' which was cool.

Red telephone box? Were the two companions also played by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter?

I had a movie script from a comic con in 1994 that was written for John Cleese to play the Doctor.

I'm so glad the person in the thumbnail is not who I thought when I first saw it 🤣

"We did...two...kind of...full episodes. At least." Yeah, I'm convinced.

Hmmmm. I think Mr Burton may be one those personalities (I know, I've met some) prevalent in the acting profession, where their anecdotes get bigger and more elaborate the more times they are told. They genuinely don't think they're lying, and would be horrendously offended if called out on it (I know, I've done just that) Possibly there's a kernel of truth. A phone call or conversation suggesting it, something like that. But I'm afraid that there are fantasists. Not bad people by any means, but their recollections certainly aren't to be trusted.

I remember the talk about it vaguely. I'm afraid the most likely explanation is that these episodes only exist in Mr Burton's imagination!

I’d laugh if none of this ever happened and it was just one big hoax.

I get the feeling that David has been Billy Bullshitting

Arrrrrrrgh he looks like Jimmy Saville 😱😱😱😱😱

Many pilot tapes of programmes are never released. For the Doctors demo tape to be released (1963), via VHS, that was unique. How many have seen. As for the car, if no proof, the dealership would have liked fraud charges, unless a friend arranged it at their garage, as Proton were relatively unheard of.

You have better Doctor Who commentary than any other RU-vid channel that I have found.

Heh..."Downtime" was excellent AND a considered cannon. Without it, we wouldn't have Kate Stewart...amoungst other things.

That wasn’t a car. It was the Tardis.

I think he is not lying because people who knows about this industry knows that many projects can be done completely and got cancelled anyway. Batgirl is a recent example about that. Game of thrones has a spin off with a pilot filmed with 30 million dollars and will never be release

I did not know about this

My absolute favorite bonkers Doctor Who story!

Enjoyed the editing in this one 👍🏻

Those pictures of David Burton make him look like he is playing Jimmy Savile. Talk about a version of The Doctor nobody wants to see.

I remember reading this in DWM at the time - Always thought it was absolute bollocks. A wannabe celeb wanting to ride the show's coat tails for his own publicity. Why would the BBC in 1991, given their attitude to Doctor Who (and that they were already negotiating with the USA to produce a film) cast a DJ no one had heard of in series that would have had an even smaller budget than the BBC one??

I'm so glad you posted this. Been looking for info on this for so many years. Don't know how you did it but I'm glad you did. Now if we could just find the episodes that are missing. It's the perfect time.

The cynic within me strongly suspects that the whole thing started simply as a scam to blag a free car, and then he had to continue the story to avoid the car company sussing him.

It’s absolutely true. His car said so.

Captivated from the first second, great work :)

I played the Doctor from 1963 until 1989... I don't know who all these other guys are

Nicely and diplomatically done! 😊

Geez. Glad he didn't.

Every lie has a grain of truth. My theory David was approached by a independent company to do a doctor who pilot. I am thinking someone with less scruples than BBV, where they were going forward with fully making it doctor who. But changing it enough to be either a "Parody" or "Legally different" Hence the Red Telephone box. Pre-Production was done, they possibly filmed the rehearsals. The Car was an attempt to drum up support for it by the bbc, maybe they saw a chance to get burton out there as the new "face" of doctor who. They sounded legit and contacted the dealer, and got his name on the car for that school meetup. David Burton could have also filmed Promo material for a potential Pantomime doctor who, filming stuff for commercials/rear projection/etc. Felt like he filmed two pilots. And as the video says, Don't bother him, just let him be. Let him believe what he wants to.

Do wonder if this guy was talking out of his hat I mean why did he not take pictures at the time .fair play thou I guess if he wanted to help his career

Apparently, the car was provided for him by one of the radio stations he worked for, so he could use it for personal apoearances and they could coat-tail onto all the publicity. They took it back when they concluded that the Doctor Who thing was... not actually ever a thing.

There are a couple of photos out there of Barton with a couple of kids in a phone box. Also at this time Amacas were looking at rebooting their film series as TV movies. However in that Dr. Who is an eccentric old scientist who builds the tardis in his shed.

its weird when things like that happen, like when you're thinking about something or talking about something then all of a sudden you start seeing articles about the topic. Makes you start questioning the simulation conspiracy :/

Hey! You used my Photoshopped trading card! Fab!

He didn't face "monsters" and "villains" but faced history and time travel minus monsters and villains, because DW can do that but now never does: it's all a monster show now.

Interesting. I just pulled up the interview with David Burton. I wish they didn't keep cutting away from him so much, but from the bits that actually made it to the final video his eye accessing cues are consistent with him potentially telling the truth. Of course, there does seem to be almost no other evidence on the side of it being true, but I did find that interesting.

This story could have been used to make a great episode or season arc of “I’m Alan Partridge”.

I seem to remember when I was doing a semester abroad back then there was some sort of educational series called "Doctor Where," and the character traveled in a red phone booth. I don't know if this helps, but there you go.

Wow. You've done some digging! Been buying back issue sof DWM?

He made it all up, his one intent was the publicity and whatever came with it. Somebody offered him a car, he thought, great, I'll have some of this. He turned up for that said car and found out it was a Proton. He ran, very fast, as far as he could. Hence why that Red Tardis and series never ever materialised!

He's definately not gonna talk to you after you said that about his car!

It's almost like David Burton was lying through his teeth...

1:51 "Sadly, I Can't Find The Source" Well, This Image Was From Paul Burley, Was Found On Twitter Or X.

I don't believe for one second that they filmed two full length Doctor Who episodes. What they may have done was shoot some kind of test footage with Burton to show the BBC that they were serious about a co-production deal and could pull off making the show, and if I'm being charitable perhaps Burton's hazy memories at 30 years distance has turned those into full episodes. Or maybe he's just a liar. Who knows, because if they really did shoot footage I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist any more. If it does I'd be fascinated to see it. My suspicion, given that they were a tiny company who had cast a radio personality as their Doctor rather than an actual actor, is that whatever they made was terrible, Downtime-grade stuff that looks like they filmed it on their lunch break from their day job making corporate training videos. The best thing is that Burton managed to parlay being approached to possibly front a pitch to the BBC about maybe entering into some kind of co-production deal to maybe make some kind of Doctor Who sometime in the future into a free car, which is Alan Partridge-esque genius.

Were the Burton claims made on April 1st perchance? Just wondering....... 😂

My uncle had a Proton. Around the time he was filming with the Autons in Malaysia.

Anyone ever hear of Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter's Uncle Vernon) being a contender before it was canceled?

They did try in 1996 McCoy replaced by McGann he was replaced by Hurt (seen in 2013) but himself by Eccleston (seen in 2005)

Re. Michael Grade: absolute rubbish. He was responsible for the 18 month (not two-year) hiatus but it was Jonathan Powell who ultimately pulled the plug. Grade had moved on by then.

I sent David a message some years ago, didn't get a reply either so i guess he doesn't want to talk about it. In part, it could be true, i think 3 companies asked the BBC to do it when the show was cancelled, one of them was Verity Lambert 's company ( the first producer of the show) so there was interest in the show. If a company was going to do it, it would have been without permission from the BBC so i guess everything would have to be destroyed due to breach of copyright? Might be one reason to change the TARDIS. If it was true, he could prove it by saying who else was in it, he must know their names. I think it probably was a very elaborate way to get a free car ( and it worked) but i hope i am wrong. Still hoping i will find a lost script one day! :) Perhaps David could write a story based on it, big finish might be persuaded to make it and give him his chance to play his Doctor at last... :)

It does seen very odd that just 1 person has ever mentioned this. Either it's a big hoax to big himself up, or it was so rubbish no-one else will admit to it. And I mean worse than Doctor in Distress!

ok I have a question, it’s about mad jack in 73 yards. So his plan was to buy all the nukes in the world and use them. Now think back to series 9s, Before the Flood. At the start after the title sequence, Alice McDonald says “ Pre Harold Saxon, pre the minister of war…” and the drs like what? Then eh tells her not to explain. So is the minister of war, a foreshadowing of mad jack in season 14? Ik that episode aired back in early 2015, but you never know or, it could be linked. Sorry Ik it’s completely random but I’ve just rewatched wrote the flood and I thought that bit was odd as back the. There has been no minister of war. Ik this has nothing to do with the video, I’m just curious if what you think.

I thought he was Jimmy Saville for a minute.

I feel like we are heading into the 2nd Wilderness Years. Between radical retcons, a dividen culture, and low viewership, it's sad.

In another timeline, Bad Wolf Productions could have went under in trying to revive Dr. Who....

I just wanna know where I can buy that blue jacket/ fleece thing

Ah yes, David Burton, the Doctor who's 'filming' strangely has never, ironically, materialised. As though it happened in another universe? His story is 100% true - honest 🤣

What ever happened to the USA Dr Who that Julie and Russell went to BBC America to do?

Oh, are you done with Uni now? So is this part time job now more of your full time job, or do you have a more "serious" post Uni pursuit happening behind the scenes?

I got some feelings this whole story is a haux or like BBV's The Stranger

Sounds like another job for big finish. Or was it a BBV?

Burton is obviously a nice guy. But a tad bit delusional.

at about :36, don't you mean that the show fell out of favor with the public rather than the way you said it, the other way around?

Wasn't he a Taxi Driver that called himself Doctor Who

“Skullet”🤣

It must be infuriating getting badgered over this 40 years after some dodgy pilots. I bet he wish he never mentioned it

i used to have that car

it lost the plot with Sylvester McCoy as the doctor doing live shows and you picked the ending by voting

Wait - so the "War Doctor" isn't this "9th" Doctor?

whats your stance on susan twists character being tied into the Rani?

How the blimey does this happen….?

Yeah, the name of his supposed two new companions were bull and sh..........well you get the point. Lol

Not a patch on Lew.

two pilot eps were NOT filmed, he was talking about something else

With Ai, we could fix it up

...dodged a bullet...

Excuse me! How do you pronounce Grosvenor House - you're British so should know!

Nigel Farage with a skullet... #NotMyDoctor

Burton doesn't sound very convincing in his claim. He seems like a fantasist tbh.

It’s sad. Dr Who born in the 60’s, and died in the 20’s

Lock up your time lords and/or your sons from the new gay DOctor (though he's always been gay)

it returned with the worst season TRIAL OF A TIME LORD. Grade wasn't evil: Grade was right: DW was junk with Colin's first season, other than MARK OF THE RANI. Titular? Oh, wait. Okay.