Doctor Who Series 9 alternative opening title sequence and credits from 1899

The Vimeo user Nereusmedia thought about how Doctor Who would have been like if it was made in the earliest eras of movies and filmed entertainment: he has made two clips showing the Season Nine credit sequence as it might have looked if it was made sometimes in the past.

First there was this series zero 1936 to 1957 version, with eccentric clockwork and a slightly out-of-breath version of the theme tune: let’s watch Doctor Who Series 9 alternative opening title sequence from an alternate universe. This video is meant to have the feel of TV from that era and it was inspired by features of the Series 8 title sequence, with the gears and some of the implied motion styles.

Doctor Who Series 9 Alternative Opening Title Sequence (Series Zero 1936-1957) from nereusmedia on Vimeo.

Then Doctor Who credits as if from 1899, complete with piano accompaniment, has come though on the same channel: the user has imagined that Doctor Who first aired as a silent movie in 1899. Not without problems: the Police Telephone Boxes were called Police Signal Boxes at the time, and that period of time was the dawn of film so special effects were very simple and bizarre. The user chose a pinwheel as the symbol of time travel, with an 1890’s Glasgow Police Signal Box as the TARDIS, complete with sparks and black smoke spewing out the bottom. When the TARDIS does materialize in London its in a puff of smoke, in a nod to the early silent films that had lots of this kind of magic effect. The audio piano track was sped up a bit, to give it that 78 rpm feel from the time, along with a bundle of make it old like effects. Seems to have a bit of steampunk to it as well. Just a bit of fun.

Steampunk Doctor Who? Imagining Doctor Who as a Silent Movie from 1899 (Series 9 Alternate Title Sequence) from nereusmedia on Vimeo.