It’s 1999. The BBC is essentially a wasteland for sci-fi fans. Doctor Who has been off the air as a regular series for a decade, and the 1996 TV movie starring Paul McGann—while stylish—didn’t exactly set the world on fire enough to trigger a full revival. Then comes Comic Relief. For a few minutes on a Friday night, the TARDIS returned, but it wasn’t quite what anyone expected.
Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death is a weird piece of television history. Written by a then-rising star named Steven Moffat, it was intended as an affectionate "piss-take" of the show’s tropes. But looking back from 2026, it’s basically the blueprint for everything the show became when it finally returned in 2005.
The Night the Doctor Had Too Many Faces
The plot is classic Moffat: fast, clever, and borderline nonsensical. Rowan Atkinson plays the Doctor. He’s weary. He’s retiring. He wants to get married to his companion, Emma (played by Julia Sawalha). But of course, the Master—played with delicious camp by Jonathan Pryce—is there to ruin things with a plan involving "terrible, terrible gas" and a series of increasingly absurd regenerations.
What makes this special isn't just the jokes. It’s the cast.
Think about the lineup. You’ve got Rowan Atkinson, Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, Joanna Lumley, and Hugh Grant. That is an insane amount of talent for a Red Nose Day sketch. It’s arguably one of the most "expensive" casts the show has ever seen, even if it only lasted about 20 minutes.
Most people remember the "Etheric Beam Locators" joke. It’s crude. It’s silly. It involves the Master having two prosthetic bumps on his chest that look exactly like what you think they look like. But beneath the toilet humor, you can see Moffat testing out ideas. The way the Doctor talks about time travel—the "timey-wimey" logic before that phrase even existed—started right here.
Why Fatal Death Was Actually a Dry Run for 2005
Honestly, if you watch Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death and then watch "The Girl in the Fireplace" or "Blink," the DNA is identical.
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Moffat loves the idea of the Doctor as a romantic figure. In the 80s, the Doctor was often a sexless academic in a weird coat. In Fatal Death, he’s a man who just wants to settle down and get married. This "Doctor-as-boyfriend" trope became the backbone of the David Tennant and Matt Smith eras.
Then there’s the regeneration.
We see the Doctor cycle through bodies rapidly at the end. Richard E. Grant is the "Quite Handsome" Doctor, Jim Broadbent is the "Kindly" Doctor, Hugh Grant is the "Handsome" Doctor, and Joanna Lumley is the "Female" Doctor.
It’s hilarious, sure. But it also broke a massive glass ceiling. Lumley as the Doctor was a joke in 1999, but it planted a seed in the public consciousness that wouldn't bear fruit until Jodie Whittaker was cast nearly twenty years later. It proved the format could survive a total tonal shift in seconds.
The Production Magic (On a Budget)
They filmed this at Ealing Studios. They used actual sets and props from the show’s history, including a Dalek city that looked surprisingly good for a parody.
The Master’s obsession with "I’ll explain later" is a direct shot at the lazy writing of the 1980s era, where the plot often moved forward simply because the script said so. It’s meta-commentary at its finest. Pryce plays the Master not as a terrifying villain, but as a petulant rival who is constantly falling into sewers because he’s trying to be too clever.
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It’s a bit brilliant.
The sketch also features the Daleks, voiced by Nicholas Briggs. This was Briggs’ first major "official" outing as the voice of the Daleks before he became the staple of the 2005 revival. It’s a tiny detail, but it shows how this parody was actually the bridge between the "Classic" and "Modern" worlds.
Breaking Down the Regenerations
The sequence at the end is rapid-fire. Each actor brings a completely different energy that somehow fits the character perfectly.
- Rowan Atkinson: The "Serious" Doctor. He plays it straight, which makes the absurdity around him funnier.
- Richard E. Grant: Arrogant and dashing. He actually went on to play a version of the Doctor in the animated Scream of the Shalka and then the villainous Great Intelligence.
- Jim Broadbent: Bumbling and sweet. He’s the Doctor your grandma would like.
- Hugh Grant: The quintessential 90s leading man. There were rumors for years that Russell T Davies actually offered him the role for real in 2005.
- Joanna Lumley: Sarcastic and fabulous. She arguably has the best lines in the whole thing.
Each of these cameos lasted maybe ninety seconds, yet they are all considered "official" non-canonical Doctors by the fanbase. It’s a testament to how much people loved the execution.
The Legacy of the "Terrible Gas"
Is it high art? No. Is it essential viewing? Absolutely.
Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death serves as a time capsule. It captures a moment when the show was dead but the love for it was very much alive. It proved that the BBC audience still cared. More importantly, it gave Steven Moffat his "audition" for the real thing. Without this parody, we might never have had the Eleventh Doctor or the high-concept episodes that defined the 2010s.
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It’s also surprisingly moving. When the Doctor "dies" (before the final Lumley twist), the music swells and Emma’s grief feels real. Moffat has always been good at pulling the rug out from under you—making you laugh at a fart joke one second and then hitting you with a genuine emotional beat the next.
How to Revisit the Curse of Fatal Death Today
If you want to dive back into this cult classic, don't just look for clips. Watch the whole thing in its original multi-part format.
- Look for the remastered versions: Fan groups have spent years cleaning up the footage to make it look as "official" as possible.
- Pay attention to the music: Mark Ayres used authentic sounds that mimic the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, making it sound exactly like the 1980s show.
- Watch for the Master’s "sewer" scenes: It’s a masterclass in physical comedy from Jonathan Pryce.
The best way to appreciate it is to view it as a pilot for the 2005 revival. The fast-paced dialogue, the romantic tension, and the self-aware humor are all right there. It wasn't just a parody; it was a promise that the show could work in the modern age if it didn't take itself too seriously.
To truly understand the evolution of the Doctor, you have to look at the moments when the TARDIS was technically in storage. This short film is the most significant of those moments. It's 20 minutes of chaos that paved the way for decades of future stories.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Sync your watch: Re-watch the parody alongside the first episode of the 2005 revival ("Rose") to see how many themes carry over.
- Check out 'The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot': If you enjoyed the meta-humor here, Peter Davison’s 50th-anniversary special is the spiritual successor to this style of storytelling.
- Research the "Shalka" Doctor: Follow Richard E. Grant’s journey from this parody to his short-lived stint as the official "Ninth" Doctor in the 2003 animated series.