This Seventh Doctor episode of Doctor Who brought the classic era of the longest-running sci-fi TV series in history to a close after a shocking cancellation. Having premiered in November 1963, Doctor Who has now been on our screens for 62 years, but this hasn’t always been a smooth ride for the time-traveling Doctor and their dedicated companions. In fact, Doctor Who took a 16-year hiatus between 1989 and 2005, when Russell T. Davies revived the series for the modern age with Christopher Eccleston in the titular role as the Ninth Doctor.
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36 years ago today, on December 6, 1989, the final episode of the “Survival” serial released, thereby bringing Doctor Who’s classic era to an end. Doctor Who was cancelled after 26 continuous years on the air due to falling viewership figures, a decline in public perception of the series, and a move to a less-prominent transmission slot. At the time, Sylvester McCoy became the final actor to portray the Doctor, and Sophie Aldred’s Ace was his last companion, but at least the series went out on something of a high with “Survival.”
Why Survival Was Actually the Perfect Story to End Doctor Who On
While it was sad for many to see Doctor Who off TV for the first time in a quarter of a century, “Survival” proved itself to be the perfect story to bid farewell to the series. The serial, which premiered on November 22, 1989, saw the Doctor bring Ace back home to Perivale, West London, only to find most of her friends had been transported to another world inhabited by half-human, half-cheetah people. When they, too, are transported to the sentient planet, they join forces with the Master (Anthony Ainley) to escape before they are transformed into Cheetah People.
“Survival” ended in a shocking killing spree by the Master and some of the Cheetah People, eventually leading to a final showdown between archenemy Time Lords, the Doctor and the Master. The Doctor renounced violence, however, choosing not to fight, which sent him back to Earth while the Master remained on the sentient planet as it broke apart. This perfectly summed up the Doctor’s true persona, and the final line of Doctor Who’s classic era — dubbed later over footage of the Doctor and Ace returning to the TARDIS for more adventures — was a beautiful send-off for the show.
“There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, the sea’s asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there’s danger, somewhere there’s injustice, and somewhere else the tea’s getting cold. Come on, Ace, we’ve got work to do!” — Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor in “Survival.”
At the time, there was no clear sign, albeit hope, that Doctor Who would return at some time. BBC Worldwide and Universal Pictures tried to revive the show for American audiences with a 1996 TV movie, but it was Russell T. Davies who managed to successfully bring the series back in 2005. While recent years have been tumultuous for Doctor Who, the future is still looking bright for the show. Had Doctor Who ended finally on December 6, 1989, with “Survival,” however, the show would have gone out on a true high.
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