Originally released as a six-part animated serial on the BBC Red Button service and online in November 2009 before being broadcast in full on BBC Two later that year, Dreamland is a curious but enjoyable side-step in the Tenth Doctor’s tenure. Written by Phil Ford and directed by Gary Russell, this animated special sees David Tennant voice the Doctor in an all-new adventure set in 1950s Nevada, bringing a distinctly pulpy, B-movie energy to the Doctor Who canon. Rewatching it in 2025, Dreamland feels both like a throwback and an experiment—a moment where Doctor Who stretches its multimedia boundaries with charming, if uneven, results.
The story opens in a classic sci-fi fashion: the Doctor lands the TARDIS in Dry Springs, Nevada, a small town near the legendary Area 51. Within minutes, he’s embroiled in a tale of alien refugees, government conspiracies, and secret military installations. Accompanied by two local teenagers, Cassie and Jimmy, the Doctor investigates the mysterious Dreamland military base, uncovers hidden Greys (the archetypal big-eyed aliens), and clashes with the insectoid Viperox, who have plans far more sinister than the usual cattle-mutilation fare.
David Tennant’s voice performance brings energy and nuance to the animated Doctor. His line delivery is crisp and emotive, maintaining the usual blend of humour and pathos that defined his on-screen performance. While the animation—produced in CGI with a distinctive stylised aesthetic—has its limitations, it manages to convey the necessary action and mood, albeit in a stiffer manner than live action would allow. In 2025, the visuals may feel dated, but there’s still a charm to the mid-budget ambition of it all.
The script blends genre tropes with genuine character beats. Cassie and Jimmy, though broadly drawn, are likeable and serve the narrative well, grounding the story in American post-war paranoia and idealism. Guest characters such as Colonel Stark and Lord Azlok provide the standard antagonist fodder, with Stuart Milligan voicing Stark with gruff intensity and David Warner adding gravitas to the alien threat.
One of Dreamland’s strengths is its pace. Across six ten-minute episodes (or viewed as a continuous 45-minute special), the story keeps things moving with little filler. There’s an old-school feel to the story construction—alien races at war, secret tech, and a moral plea for understanding. It fits neatly within the Russell T Davies-era sensibility, with its central message of compassion triumphing over brute force.
Perhaps the most interesting element is the setting itself. The choice to place the Doctor in the heart of Cold War-era America, amid UFO lore and military cover-ups, adds a fresh twist to the kinds of Earth-based stories we’ve seen before. The blending of Doctor Who science fiction with Roswell mythology feels playful and fitting. It’s not a story with galaxy-shattering consequences, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s Saturday morning serial storytelling filtered through the Tenth Doctor’s moral lens.
Rewatching in 2025, Dreamland remains an intriguing oddity—not essential, but rewarding. It captures the spirit of the Tennant era in miniature, offering a brisk, fun, and occasionally thoughtful detour into digital storytelling. While the limitations of animation and a slightly conventional plot may hold it back from greatness, there’s still something joyful in watching the Doctor race around Area 51 outsmarting aliens and militarists alike.
For completists and fans of the Tenth Doctor, Dreamland is worth revisiting as part of the broader tapestry of his era. It might not carry the emotional weight of Journey’s End or the gravitas of his live-action specials, but it has heart, momentum, and that irresistible spark of adventurous whimsy that makes Doctor Who what it is.
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