(Canon to the BLC AU) The Grant Years (1991-1994) Part 1 (1991-1992) "I'm not running away, Raine, I'm running forwards. Towards what's out there." Richard E. Grant was known for his role in the cult classic dark comedy film Withnail & I. In his early 30s, he was on the younger end of the actors they where looking at, but he impressed producers with his audition. A romantic at heart, this Doctor was a gentlemen. He used his charm & wits to get himself our of sickly situations. He was a thespian, fond of big elaborate speeches. But deep down lay a man running from his past, & processing the actions of his previous incarnations. He wore a black suit with green elements. His Tardis interior was wooden & elegant. But he wasn't afraid to be silly, & shared his 4th incarnation's love of sweets. His first companion was safe cracker Raine Cunningham, played by Julia Sawalha , a character created orginaly by Cartmell for the previous season. Sarcastic & dry, Raine would warm to the Doctor over the course of their travels together, begining to see him as a mentor figure. Raine would be his longest serving companion, being replaced in his 4th season by Lisa Bowerman as space archaeologist Bernice Summerfeild. The big change for Grant's era was the choice to move towards singular episodes instead of serials. It also saw a move towards arc based story telling with the "Other" arc. Focusing on a mysterious figure from the ancient history of Gallifrey. The controversial episode Lungbarrow would imply that the Doctor may be a future version of the Other via a technology known as Looms. following McCoy's later stories, the Grant' era would feature darker stories with more thoughtful dialogue & character development. This focus on the characters & their impact on wider societies would mean the producers would want the special effects to go "back-to-basics", including the title sequence. While still being technologically advance for the time, the overall structure meant the audience could launch straight into the show. This was used from Season 28 to Season 29.
