The Ultimate Guide (2013 documentary)

The Ultimate Guide was a documentary made by BBC Events Production in London which aired on BBC Three in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of the Doctor Who. It gave a broad overview of the show's history, and interviewed many people involved in its production over the years, including five of the actors who portrayed the Doctor: Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann and David Tennant — as well as the current executive producer and head writer Steven Moffat.

The documentary also featured former Doctor Who cast members Nicola Bryant, Sophie Aldred, Noel Clarke, Karen Gillan, Louise Jameson, Bruno Langley, and Katy Manning. Moreover, it contained interviews with a series of British personalities, such as, Jon Culshaw, , , Konnie Huq, McFly, , and.

The documentary was book-ended by a short sketch featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Clara Oswald in the TARDIS.

Sketch
Clara arrives, bags in hand, ready to go on a holiday to a sun destination, only to find a very confused Doctor in the TARDIS. She soon discovers that the Doctor has somehow erased most of his memories due to fiddling with the TARDIS' telepathic circuits. To help him restore them, she pulls the Doctor's 1,200 Year Diary out of a storage compartment and together, the two begin reminiscing about his lives.

Finally, the Doctor's memories are restored thanks to the book, which leaves him saddened as he says it was easier not remembering the people he'd lost over the years. Clara reassures him that he is a man who never runs from danger and has helped save billions of lives. Cheered up, the Doctor puts the TARDIS in flight as they resume their holiday.

Continuity

 * Clara says the Doctor is 1,200 years old. He has a 1,200 Year Diary.
 * Clara reminds the Doctor that he never runs from danger. (TV: ''The Rings of Akhatan)
 * The Doctor quotes the Seventh Doctor's first words (TV: Time and the Rani) when he sees Clara.

Musical tracks
Although the documentary wasn't produced by the same team that had done Doctor Who Confidential, it shared with Confidential a musical soundtrack dominated by extremely modern music. Indeed, most of its soundtrack came from no earlier than 2008, with many tracks coming from 2013 itself, including:

Though the soundtrack definitely skewed towards 2013, the odd older track made its way in, such as when 's "" was used to introduce the character of Mickey Smith, or "" for the Fourth Doctor.
 * "" by, underscoring a discussion of Leela
 * "" by the, underscoring a discussion of Peri
 * "" by, underscoring a discussion of Ace
 * "" by, underscoring a discussion of the Fifth Doctor's self-sacrifice in The Caves of Androzani
 * "" by, beginning the discussion on the Tenth Doctor
 * "" by, underscoring a discussion of the Eleventh Doctor's development in The Eleventh Hour

Cut downs
A Cut down version is available in at least two parts.

Home video releases
The Ultimate Guide was released on both DVD and Blu-ray in the 50th anniversary collector's edition box set.

External link

 * Official site for the programme