The Doctor In The TARDIS

Since early 2011, I've been excited by the prospect of a new version of Shada to be released.

Today, the new book was released written by the author of many Doctor Who books and Head Writer for the first season on Sarah Jane Adventures, Gareth Roberts.  An Audiobook was also released.  This got me thinking, whatever happened to Ian Levine's version.

Ian Levine, for those who don't know, is one of the most influential people in Doctor Who history.  He is the hero stopped the BBC from destroying old episodes, and encouraged them to formally begin the process of recovering the missing ones.  He collaborated with the Restoration Team on various DVD releases of old episodes, wrote the theme tune for 'K9 and Company' and was an unofficial continuity consultant for Doctor Who in the 80's.

In 1983, along with Richard Landen, James Russell and Kevin Davies, he put together a reconstruction of the episode 'Shada', written by Douglas Adams, which filming had never been completed on due to strike action by BBC workers.  This 1983 version had the footage that had been filmed, with on-screen text describing the missing scenes, and was shown at the Doctor Who Appreciation Society (DWAS) convention that year, Panopticon 5.

In 2011, Ian Levine announced that he was working on a new Shada project, which incorporated animation sections for the missing parts of the episode.  Once it was complete, at the end of 2011, it was due to be released by 2|entertain and BBC Worldwide.  Unfortunately, at the end of 2011, Ian vented his frustrations continuously on Twitter when his version of Shada was rejected.

More info about it can be found here: Tardis Wiki Forum Post (http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Forum:2entertain_Shada)
And tantalising screenshots are here: Starburst Magazine: Shada Review (http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/doctor-whotv-episode-reviews/929-doctor-who-shada) and Starburst Magazine: The Shada Man (http://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/feature-articles/915-doctor-who-and-the-shada-man)

So, my question is, does anyone know if this Ian Levine version will ever see the light of day.  Personally, I really hope so, but I am unable to find any positive evidence...  Even Ian Levine's last tweet (https://twitter.com/#!/IanLevine/status/153180376477614080) on the subject was on the last day of 2011...

The problem with the his version is that he did it off his own back without being asked or commissioned and then expected 2E to jump up and put it out for release while he reaped the roylties for it. He made a long and whiny statement a little while back about how they asked him personally to make the recon and then once it was done said they were no longer interested, but he had made earlier comments about how he was doing it for himself and couldn't wait to pitch it to them. 2E also made comments saying that they never asked for it as they already have something planned. The reason he got so mad is because things didn't go his way. His dedication to the show is to be admired but calling him a 'hero' and 'one of the most influential people in DW history' is pandering to a hype that was mainly created by the man himself. Don't get me wrong, credit is deserved because he has done some great things in the past when it came to the junkings and whatnot, but as someone who has had the (dis?)pleasure of a lengthy conversation with the man in person I can also confirm that he would have people believe he is responsible for a lot more than he actually is. I'm not saying the man deserves no credit, but he doesn't deserve other people's. I don't see his version getting an official release. That's not to say it won't be released at all, but I don't think it will be BBC endorsed.

I had heard many rumours of his true nature, and as I follow the man on Twitter, I have seen his occasional ranting and attention-seeking behaviour.  Nevertheless, I stated that his actions in preventing the classic who episodes from being destroyed were heroic, not that he was generally a hero.  I just re-read my own earlier post, and it does seem that I'm one of his biggest fans.  I'm not.  I have never met him (and to be honest, am not sure I'd want to), but I do know he has had a major impact on Doctor Who over the years.  I said he was one of the most influential people, but I consider all incarnations of the Doctor, and people like Moffat and Russell T to be more influential.

I wasn't aware that his pet project was thrust unwanted into 2|e's inbox, but I think it's sad that his (by all accounts, excellent) rendition of Shada won't possibly be seen by a larger audience.  Maybe it's for the best though, as it would give Ian Levine the fame and fortune he seems to crave, which may do more harm to the man than good.