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One of my fave time-waster hobbies is creating AU timelines of Dr Who and seeing how they might work in real life. This is my "main" one, where Classic Who manages to last just a few more years and gets us to Season 30 before ultimately ending. I have a wiki in progress for this timeline:

https://doctor-who-the-collings-timeline.fandom.com/wiki/Doctor_Who:_the_Collings_Timeline_Wiki

William Hartnell: 1963 - 1966

Patrick Troughton: 1966 - 1969

Jon Pertwee: 1970 - 1974

Tom Baker: 1974 - 1978

David Collings: 1978 - 1981

Peter Davison: 1981 - 1984

Colin Baker: 1984 - 1989

Sylvester McCoy: 1989 - 1993

Paul McGann: 1996

Christopher Eccleston: 2005

David Tennant: 2005 - 2009

Matt Smith: 2009 - 2013

Peter Capaldi: 2013 - 2017

Jodie Whittaker: 2017 - 2023

Ncuti Gatwa: 2023 - 2025

Notable changes to this timeline include:

Philip Hinchcliffe is allowed to stay for Season 15. When he makes to leave at the end of the season, Tom Baker also decides to leave with him. Louise Jameson is convinced by incoming producer Graham Williams to at least stay for the beginning of Season 16 to help bridge the gap between the two Doctors.

David Collings is cast as the Fifth Doctor. His casting convinces Louise Jameson to play Leela for the entirety of Season 16, since they become friends during Robots of Death.

Mary Tamm plays Romana in Seasons 17 and 18, with Romana ultimately returning to Gallifrey in Sealed Orders by Christopher Priest. The Doctor officially resigns the Presidency and names her as his successor.

Peter Davison becomes the Sixth Doctor. His era is largely unchanged, save for the E-Space arc being moved to his first year and Adric not being a regular companion. Nyssa and Tegan remain.

Colin Baker plays the Seventh Doctor for four seasons instead of two-ish. He gets to wear a proper costume and not the "explosion in a rainbow factory". His original Season 23 gets made, and he travels with Ace through Season 25. He regenerates facing off with the Gods of Ragnorok.

Sylvester McCoy plays the Eighth Doctor all the way to the 30th Anniversary special, which also serves as a finale to Classic Who.

David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi each get a proper four seasons as the Doctor.

Jodie Whittaker continues into the 60th Anniversary with the four of them each getting a special to themselves, culminating in them joining forces against the Toymaker in the finale, regenerating into Ncuti Gatwa in the closing moments.

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AU where Peter Davison isn't cast until the early 90s instead of early 80s. He always said he thought he was too young to play the Doctor when he did (I disagree, but it's an idea).

Peter Davison as the Eighth Doctor

Julia Sawalha as Raine Cunningham

TARDIS Console by Clayton Hickman

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It's Dragonfire, but Colin Baker is still the Doctor

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My version of the Colin Baker Years: 1984 - 1988

His costume evolves over those four years. Initially clad completely in black, save for a series of dark colored shirts and cat brooches. During his second season, he adds a little more color, lighter colored shirts with a typically matching polka-dotted cravat and colored watch chains. By Season 24, he's switched to a patterned waistcoat. In his final season, traveling with Ace, he's now updated the trousers to blue pinstriped and more colorful waistcoats and ties.

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"It's alright, Leela. It's not the end... Only... the beginning..."

Leela: "Doctor?? Is it you? I thought you were dying!" The Doctor: "Die, my dear? Why that's the last thing I'll do!" He beams at her. She misses the reference. Leela: "But you were…! And now you're…!" The Doctor: "Different? Yes, it's all a part of a Time Lord's life cycle. My old body was dying, so all my cells renewed themselves and made me a new one." Leela: "Then… you have been reborn?" The Doctor: "Yes, if you like." He almost falls again. She holds him up. Leela: "Are you alright?" The Doctor: "Oh yes! All pistons firing. Just… a little… woozy… Gosh, this spaceship's a pretty colour…!"

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More with my Dr Who AU with David Collings as the Doctor

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Now for another AU -- what if Colin Baker's Dr got a fair shake?

Colin Baker, debuting at the tail end of Peter Davison's series, proves to be a Doctor not to be trifled with. Not suffering fools gladly, he's abrupt, pompous and very self-assured. He soon proves, however, that the heart of gold still exists -- even if he is a prat sometimes.

Initially dressed almost entirely in black, he still shows a flash of color sometimes with his shirts and cat brooches. Over time, as he learns to not be so dark all the time, his costume acquires more splashes of color, including his cravats, his waistcoats and watch chains.

He initially travels with Perpugilliam 'Peri' Brown, a botanist whom he enjoys arguing with, and they are later joined in Blackpool by computer programmer who's a bit down on her luck, Melanie Bush. In his final season, however, he's joined by Dorothy 'Ace' McShane, and he starts the process of helping her move on from past traumas and growing up.

His final story is 'The Greatest Show in the Galaxy', wherein he has to stall the Gods of Ragnorok with entertainment until Ace can bring him the necessary sword to defeat them -- as they fire energy bolts at him whenever they grow bored of his act. He holds on long enough through sheer force of will, demonstrating his determination to save the day. Ace helps him back to the TARDIS, where he regenerates before her eyes into a small Scottish fellow...

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If there's one thing I think was a big mistake in Doctor Who, it was writing out Harry Sullivan after only a single season. Hinchcliffe thought the character was superfluous and wrote him out after Season 12, but everyone, including Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and script editor Robert Holmes, tried to talk him out of it. Hinchcliffe has since gone on record saying this was probably a mistake as the character was popular and had great chemistry with the others.

So here's what it might have looked like if Harry had continued into Seasons 13 and 14.

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"The Day of Dr Who" 1983

The Fifth Doctor is working with UNIT at the National Gallery to investigate some strange paintings. The Third Doctor is tracking stolen Time Lord technology. The Second Doctor is after Zygons in 1562 England. And one other -- the man they used to be but never speak of -- has been stuck in a war on a distant world that threatens the Universe. Driven by demons and despair, this battle-scarred Doctor is set to take a devastating decision that will set the course of his life.

Confronted with the Day he's been running from all his lives, the Doctor's different incarnations will come together to save the Earth... to save the Universe... and to save his soul.

Starring:

The Doctor: Peter Davison, Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton, Peter Cushing

Tegan Jovanka: Janet Fielding

Vislor Turlough: Mark Strickson

The Moment: Elisabeth Sladen

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More photos from my AU of Doctor Who wherein David Collings plays the Doctor from 1978 - 81

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*blows dust off my tumblr*

So a long time ago, a fan floated the idea that the late David Collings (known for a varied career across British television, particularly as Silver from "Sapphire and Steel") would've made an excellent Doctor Who should Tom Baker have for some reason decided to depart the series earlier than his canon 7 year run (something Baker himself admitted he probably should've done, but hey-ho, hindsight is 20-20).

Sidenote: the fan in question is kind of horrible, so I'm not going to name them, but I agreed with them on this, so I figure I may as well give them credit.

AU for Dr Who (the David Collings Years 1978 - 81) below:

AU for Dr Who: What would prompt Tom Baker to leave earlier than in real life? Perhaps the departure of executive producer Phillip Hinchcliffe, who'd been with him since he first started. In reality, Hinchcliffe was forced out after Season 14 for making Dr Who "too scary". In my reality, instead of just forcing him out immediately, the BBC decide to be a little more reasonable and tell him, "Look, we'll let you do Season 15, but after that, we think it's time for you to move on." Hinchcliffe has said in interviews he had plans for S15 that would've been similar to what later became Indiana Jones, so we'd enjoy a season of that at least. The downside is "Robots of Death" and "Talons of Weng-Chiang" wouldn't look as impressive because Hinchcliffe wouldn't have gone over budget out of spite over getting the sack, but such is life.

We would still get "Horror of Fang Rock" and "Image of the Fendhal" as those still fit the Hinchcliffe/Robert Holmes motif before transitioning into whatever other stories they choose to make that year. With both producer and script editor departing, Baker -- wanting to make his Dr Who movie "Dr Who Meets the Scratchman" with Ian Marter -- decides to leave as well after four years -- one less than Pertwee. Louise Jameson initially plans to depart as well, but she's persuaded to at least do half of Season 16 so as to help "bridge the gap" between the two Drs, much like Lis Sladen did before her.

How Tom's Doctor meets his end in this canon, I'm not one hundred percent certain, but I like the idea that he faces off with either the Daleks (giving him a serial where they aren't overshadowed by Davros) or the Master (still played by Peter Pratt -- although maybe less rotted than in "Deadly Assassin).

I imagine the casting of Collings as the new Doctor would convince Louise Jameson to stay for the entirety of Season 16. She and Collings were great friends in real life after he played Poule in "Robots of Death". She convinced him later in life to do the convention circuit. She was one of the few to tweet a remembrance of him when he passed in 2020. I totally think she would've stayed for another season for the chance to work with him after a turbulent tenure with Baker.

And so, Graham Williams takes over as he did in real life, having a much better time working with Collings than he would've with Baker. K9 is added to the cast. Leela is given a much better sendoff in the finale. I like to think Dr Collings would join forces with Mary Tamm's Romana to find the Key to Time (although part of me loves the idea of Joanna Lumely, his S&S co-star, playing the part). He fights Daleks and Movellans, goes to Paris, fights vampires and finally meets his end at the end of Season 18, regenerating into Peter Davison's Doctor, and we're right back on schedule

Just an idea, but I enjoyed thinking it up

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I feel like this is appropriate today!

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So this is a departure for me, but after my best friend got me into 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', I got to thinking - what would the series have been like if Jesse McNally -- the BFF of Willow and Xander who gets killed in the first episode and never gets mentioned again -- had actually lived and become a part of the Scooby Gang. Have currently updated up to "Teacher's Pet", but it should update weekly til the end of Season 1, after which I'll wait a while and start in on Season 2 and so forth. (Season 1 is kind of a slog compared to what comes later, imo, so I hope I spiced it up a little better than canon lol)

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Realized it’s been a while since I actually posted anything here, so here’s a “screenshot” from the upcoming series of my AU Red Dwarf fic “The Unlikeliest Pair”. Series VII is winding down with “Nanarchy” posting tomorrow, so Series VIII is on the horizon. May Cloister have mercy on our souls.

Fic link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10496283/1/The-Unlikeliest-Pair

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Ace is back!

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Oof. Series VII, man. VIII may be the weakest, but at least it’s kind of fun. VII is largely just dull. This will update very slowly, but I’ve gotten the first three done.

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Not much going on right now, so here’s Chris Barrie as Dr Who