Barking up the right Dr Who legend, that's tinny K9
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- Publication: The West Australian
- Date: 2010-03-30
- Author:
- Page: 5
- Language: English
Living up to the legend of a much-loved television show is always going to be a big ask.
But when that show is Doctor Who, the longest-running science-fiction program in history and one that comes with its own dedicated fan base, then according to television producer Penny Wall, there is only one thing to do put the legend to one side and go your own way.
That is what Wall has done with K9, the robotic dog best known from Tom Baker's stint as the eponymous Doctor, who has been regenerated as the star in his own children's series.
The joint British and Australian production, which was filmed in Brisbane, follows the adventures of the robotic dog.
He teams up with a new generation of adventurers set on investigating all manner of mysteries and menaces from outer space.
Bob Baker, who owns the K9 character in the original Doctor Who, decided this wonderful dog should have his own life in his own show, Wall says. It has a pedigree. We do acknowledge that it has been inspired by Doctor Who, that K9 is the dog from Doctor Who, and that he is a new, regenerated dog.
We have this wonderful dog that is not just the tin dog that doesn't move much on set, we have this wonderful flying dog that can do all sorts of things.
After an experiment goes haywire, the robotic dog is pulled through time and space to land on a slightly futuristic Earth, where he is immediately forced to battle some warmongering aliens.
From the smoking wreckage of the battle, K9 regenerates into a new metal body but the trauma has left him with an incomplete memory of his past or origins.
It is this nifty little plot device which Wall says allows her free reign to create an entirely new world, populated with a new range of aliens and bad guys that are completely separate from the Doctor Who mythology and the continuing story lines of K9 in another children's spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Crossovers between the various series are unlikely after the BBC declined to be involved in K9, effectively putting other familiar characters off limits. But in a coup for Wall and fans alike, John Leeson, who has provided the voice of K9 in almost every appearance of the dog since 1977, came on board to voice the character again.
There is an absolute joy in doing a sci-fi or fantasy story where you can create images and monsters that you have never seen before, Wall says.
When you look at some of the major feature films that young adults are watching, even Avatar, they all have a fantasy and elements of excitement and adventure outside of the world we live in and I think that is always attractive.
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- APA 6th ed.: (2010-03-30). Barking up the right Dr Who legend, that's tinny K9. The West Australian p. 5.
- MLA 7th ed.: "Barking up the right Dr Who legend, that's tinny K9." The West Australian [add city] 2010-03-30, 5. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Barking up the right Dr Who legend, that's tinny K9." The West Australian, edition, sec., 2010-03-30
- Turabian: "Barking up the right Dr Who legend, that's tinny K9." The West Australian, 2010-03-30, section, 5 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Barking up the right Dr Who legend, that's tinny K9 | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Barking_up_the_right_Dr_Who_legend,_that%27s_tinny_K9 | work=The West Australian | pages=5 | date=2010-03-30 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Barking up the right Dr Who legend, that's tinny K9 | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Barking_up_the_right_Dr_Who_legend,_that%27s_tinny_K9 | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=21 March 2025}}</ref>
