Trade Union Influence On Doctor Who

The recent DVD release of “Shada” contains “Strike! Strike! Strike!”  This extra covers the history of trade union strikes that affected television production of Doctor Who during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.  The documentary listed a number of acronyms for such unions, some of which I could find no description of when searching the Internet.

ABCS

ABS: Association of Broadcasting Staff

ACTT: Association of Cinematograph & Television Allied Technicians

BECTU: Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph, and Theatre Union

BETA

CUBE

EETU/PU: Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications & Plumbing Union

ETA

ETU: Electrical Trades Union (merged in 1968 to form EETU/PU)

EQUITY: (formerly known as) British Actors Equity Union

FAA: Film Artistes Association? (Now section of BECTU)

FFU

NATTKE: National Association of Theatre & Television Employees

NUJ: National Union of Journalists

SOGAT: Society of Graphical & Allied Trades

VAF: Variety Artists’ Federation (Now part of EQUITY)

WRITER’S GUILD (of course, The Writer's Guild of Great Britain, also known as WGGB)

It seems incredible that so many unions could affect production of one television show.  Yet when Doctor Who began in the 1960s, television was a relatively new medium.  Unions regulated virtually every aspect of production, and if union leaders felt their members weren’t being treated fairly, they called a strike.  Strikes altered production schedules, and sometimes viewers in areas of England didn’t get to see episodes of a four or six-part serial because of a strike.  But the only story that really suffered was “Shada,” during which filming was halted, and the production never remounted.  Thus “Shada,” written by (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” creator) Douglas Adams, enjoys a certain cachet among Doctor Who fans as the “great unfinished story.”  Fans mourn its loss, and wish that somehow, the BBC had finished it.

During the era of the first two Doctors, the BBC produced nearly one episode each week.  From the third Doctor on, the BBC produced a more reasonable twenty-six episodes each year.  Production fell again in the late 80s.  Still, there are so many classic stories to enjoy.  Even the first and second Doctor stories that no longer exist have fan-produced telesnap versions.  “Shada” and “Strike! Strike! Strike!” remind us how many more stories might not have been completed, had trade unions exerted a more adverse effect on Doctor Who.

Dragon Dave