Reeltime Pictures Ltd is a British film, television and video production company and a distributor of the films of other companies, founded in 1984
by Keith Barnfather.
As well as producing corporate and business television, it has made a number of broadcast documentary series including ''Lost Trains of Cyprus'' and ''Phoenix – A Story from the Diaspora''.
The company is also known for its many documentaries about the long-running television series ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' (Barnfather was a founding member of the
Doctor Who Appreciation Society
The ''Doctor Who'' Appreciation Society (DWAS) is a society for fans of the television series ''Doctor Who''. It was founded in May 1976, emerging from the Westfield College ''Doctor Who'' Appreciation Society, and the editors and readers of th ...
) and in particular for ''Myth Makers'', a series of interviews with people associated with the making of the series. Many of these programs were hosted by actor
Nicholas Briggs
Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Da ...
, who provided the voice of the
Dalek
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of extremely xenophobic mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in th ...
s in the 2005 series of ''Doctor Who''.
Reeltime Pictures also pioneered a technique of creating
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
''Doctor Who'' spin-offs, despite the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's close guarding of the series, by building the spin-offs around incidental characters and monsters licensed directly from the writers who created them. Their first effort, 1987's ''
Wartime'', was a small-scale piece built around
Sergeant Benton
Unit may refer to:
General measurement
* Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law
**International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system
**English units, histo ...
of
UNIT
Unit may refer to:
General measurement
* Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law
**International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system
**English units, histo ...
, a recurring character from the 1970s. In 1987, Reeltime produced ''Myth Runner'', a parody of ''
Blade Runner
''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...
'' written, directed by and starring Briggs, featuring outtakes from the ''Myth Makers'' video series.
Later and more ambitious productions include ''
Mindgame'', ''
Downtime
In computing and telecommunications, downtime (also (system) outage or (system) drought colloquially) is a period when a system is unavailable. The unavailability is the proportion of a time-span that a system is unavailable or offline.
This is ...
'', and ''
Dæmos Rising''. Despite its non-BBC-licensed status, a novelisation of ''Downtime'' was released as part of the BBC-licensed
Virgin Missing Adventures ''Doctor Who'' spin-off novels. The narrative of ''Downtime'' was expanded to incorporate the
Doctor
Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to:
Titles and occupations
* Physician, a medical practitioner
* Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree
** Doctorate
** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...
, a character missing from the video version for copyright reasons, with the narrative of the original production forming the middle third of the novel.
The success of these ventures inspired and opened the door for later releases by
BBV and
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...
with storylines featuring characters and races from ''Doctor Who'', but not necessarily the Doctor himself (although BBV produced two series featuring Doctor-like characters portrayed by
Colin Baker
Colin Charles Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor. He played Paul Merroney in the BBC television drama series ''The Brothers (1972 TV series), The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the Sixth Doctor, sixth incarnation of The Doctor (Do ...
and
Sylvester McCoy
Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith (born 20 August 1943), known professionally as Sylvester McCoy, is a Scottish actor. Gaining prominence as a physical comedian, he became best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the long ...
, while Big Finish also obtained a license that allowed them to feature the Doctor).
The company continues to output a wide variety of programming, including patient information films for
Moorfields Eye Hospital
Moorfields Eye Hospital is a specialist National Health Service (NHS) eye hospital in Finsbury in the London Borough of Islington in London, England run by Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Together with the UCL Institute of Ophthal ...
.
Video dramas
*''
Wartime'' (1988) – the first independent spin-off production from ''Doctor Who'', and the only one released while the series was still broadcasting. The storyline features
UNIT
Unit may refer to:
General measurement
* Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law
**International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system
**English units, histo ...
soldier
John Benton finding himself trapped in an alternate reality.
*''
Downtime
In computing and telecommunications, downtime (also (system) outage or (system) drought colloquially) is a period when a system is unavailable. The unavailability is the proportion of a time-span that a system is unavailable or offline.
This is ...
'' (1995) – more popular characters were revived, as
The Brigadier (
Nicholas Courtney
William Nicholas Stone Courtney (16 December 1929 – 22 February 2011) was an Egyptian-born British actor. He was best known for his long-running role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. ...
),
Sarah Jane Smith
Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running BBC Television science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' and two of its spin-offs. Sarah Jane is a dogged investigative journalist who first encounters alien ...
(
Elisabeth Sladen
Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen (1 February 1946 – 19 April 2011) was an English actress. She became best known as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series ''Doctor Who'', appearing as a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside ...
) and
Victoria Waterfield
Victoria Waterfield is a fictional character played by Deborah Watling in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. A native of Victorian England, she was a companion of the Second Doctor and a regular in the p ...
(
Deborah Watling) all reprised their roles.
The Yeti also made a comeback. The story also introduced the character of the Brigadier's daughter
Kate Kate may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname
* Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer
* Lauren Kate (born 1981), American author o ...
who later appeared in the official series from the
Eleventh doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is an incarnation (otherwise known as regeneration) of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as five specials. As wi ...
onwards.
*''
Mindgame'' (1998) – a
Sontaran
The Sontarans ( ) are a fictional race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial humanoids principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series ''The Sa ...
, a
Draconian
Draconian is an adjective meaning "of excessive severity", that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offenses had heavy punishments ( Draconian laws).
Draconian may also refer to:
* Draconian (band)
Draconian is a Sw ...
and a Human are trapped together by an unknown enemy.
Sophie Aldred
Sophie Aldred (born 20 August 1962) is an English actress and television presenter. She has worked extensively in children's television as a presenter and voice artist. She played the Seventh Doctor's companion, Ace, in the television series ''D ...
, who had played
Ace
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
in Doctor Who, stars alongside the villainous Sontarans and Draconians.
*''Lust in Space'' (1998) – a film in which features fictionalised versions of
Katy Manning
Catherine Ann Manning (born 14 October 1946) is a British actress. Although she has made many appearances on both screen and stage, Manning is best known for her part as the companion Jo Grant in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doct ...
, Sophie Aldred and
Nicholas Briggs
Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Da ...
and asks the question "Is ''Doctor Who'' sexist?". It also features Nicholas Courtney and
Mark Strickson as Time Judges and interviews with previous companions.
*''
Mindgame Trilogy'' (1999) – following up from ''Mindgame'' with three shorts showing what happened to the characters after their escape.
*''
Dæmos Rising'' (2004) – the story features Doctor Who monsters
The Daemons and was written by
David J. Howe, previously known for writing many successful nonfiction Doctor Who books, and for publishing Doctor Who fiction under the Telos Publishing imprint. Released as a DVD.
*''
White Witch of Devil's End'' (2017) – an independent drama starring
Damaris Hayman
Damaris Ann Kennedy Hayman (16 June 1929 – 3 June 2021) was an English actress, often cast in upper class or eccentric roles. She made numerous performance in films and television series from the 1950s onwards.
Early life
Hayman was born in ...
as Olive Hawthorne, who made her original appearance in Doctor Who in the
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he became known as a comedy actor, playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee (and three other roles) in ...
story ''
The Dæmons
''The Dæmons'' is the fifth and final serial of the eighth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in five weekly parts on BBC1 from 22 May to 19 June 1971.
In the serial, the alien ...
''. This DVD is a collection of monologue stories. Writers are
Sam Stone,
David J. Howe,
Raven Dane,
Suzanne Barbieri,
Debbie Bennett and
Jan Edwards
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Num ...
; script editors
Sam Stone,
David Howe and
Matt Fitton.
*''
Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor'' (2019) – an independent drama starring
Nabil Shaban as
Sil, reprising his role from the
Colin Baker
Colin Charles Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor. He played Paul Merroney in the BBC television drama series ''The Brothers (1972 TV series), The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the Sixth Doctor, sixth incarnation of The Doctor (Do ...
Doctor Who serials ''
Vengeance on Varos'' and ''
The Trial of a Time Lord'': ''
Mindwarp
''Mindwarp'' is the second serial of the larger narrative known as '' The Trial of a Time Lord'' which encompasses the whole of the 23rd season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast in four wee ...
''.
*''
Anomaly'' (TBA) – a follow-up story to ''Downtime'' and ''Dæmos Rising'' starring Tom Chapman as an adult Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and
Beverley Cressman reprising her role as
Kate Stewart.
References
External links
*
Time Travel TV– ''website for DVD, download, or streaming Reeltime Pictures productions''
{{Doctor Who
Film production companies of the United Kingdom
DVD companies of the United Kingdom
Television production companies of the United Kingdom
Video on demand services
Mass media companies based in London
Entertainment companies established in 1984
Mass media companies established in 1984
1984 establishments in England