List of unmade Doctor Who serials and films

Submitted for season 1 The Giants The series' first serial, The Giants, was to be written by C. E. Webber. In the first episode, "Nothing at the End of the Lane", the four main characters (then the Doctor, Cliff, Lola, and Biddy) are shrunk to a miniature size and attacked by giant animals. The serial established the Doctor's original backstory; the Time Lord escaped from "his own galaxy" in the year 5733, seeking a perfect society in the past. He was pursued by agents from his own time who sought to prevent him from stopping their society from originating. The story was rejected on 10 June 1963 as too thin on characterisation, and the giant monsters were considered clichéd and too expensive to produce. and Gould abandoned work on it altogether a month later. In March 1964, the story idea was offered to writer Louis Marks and eventually became Planet of Giants. The Masters of Luxor The Masters of Luxor, originally entitled The Robots, was a six-part story submitted by Anthony Coburn while he was part of the BBC Script Department. It was considered for the second serial of Season 1, in which the Doctor faces a self-aware robot which is trying to gain a soul. The story was rejected by the production team in mid-September 1963 in favour of Terry Nation's first Dalek serial, but Titan Books published the unused scripts in August 1992. Edited by John McElroy, the text of Coburn's script was amended to fit accepted conventions – for example, consistent use of the name "Susan" rather than the "Suzanne" and "Sue" used by Coburn. It was adapted by Nigel Robinson for Big Finish's The Lost Stories in August 2012. The Hidden Planet Malcolm Hulke's The Hidden Planet, commissioned in December 1963, was to be the fourth or fifth serial of Season 1 after the insertion of The Edge of Destruction into the production block. It was further postponed in January 1964 when it was realised that substantial rewriting would be needed. the story involved the departure of the Romans from Britain around the beginning of the fifth century amid clashes with the Celts and the Saxons; the time travellers brought the indigenous savages back to the safety of the TARDIS. Britain 408 AD was first submitted on 2 September 1963. Story editor David Whitaker asked Hulke to revise his original storyline because he felt that the plot, with its many opposing factions, was too complicated and its conclusion echoed that of An Unearthly Child. It was hoped that an amended version of Britain 408 AD directed by Christopher Barry would fill the sixth slot of Season One (Serial F), but on 23 September it was decided that the production block did not need another historical story and Hulke's serial was abandoned. The spot in the schedule was ultimately occupied by The Aztecs, and Hulke began work on The Hidden Planet. After Whitaker's departure, Hulke resubmitted Britain 408 AD. It was rejected on 2 April 1965 by Dennis Spooner, Whitaker's successor, because Romans had already appeared in his own story. The Red Fort Terry Nation had intended his second seven-part serial, commissioned on 24 September 1963, to be set during the British Raj in India (probably as the eighth serial). The story was abandoned; the Daleks were a success, and demand for further science-fiction adventures grew. Farewell Great Macedon Farewell Great Macedon (also known as Alexander the Great in the script's early stages) was a six-part story for Season 1 written by Moris Farhi. The Doctor and his companions are framed for murder as part of a conspiracy to kill Alexander the Great and must endure several trials, including walking on hot coals, to gain the trust of their bodyguard Ptolemy. The script was published by Nothing at the End of the Lane in October 2009. The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance, the first script sent by Moris Farhi, was one episode long and was never seriously pitched for production. It was included in the 2009 publication of Farhi's script for Farewell Great Macedon. Untitled storyline (Gould) An idea suggested by Robert Gould when he abandoned work on the "minuscule" storyline in February 1964 involved a planet where plants treated people the way people treat plants. It was rejected by Verity Lambert, who felt that it was too close to the book The Day of the Triffids. Submitted for season 2 The Dark Planet Written by Brian Hayles, the story was Hayles' first submission to the series. It focuses on the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki landing the TARDIS on the planet Numir, whose sun is extinguished, and encountering surface-dwelling "light people" and subterranean "shadow people". Submitted for season 3 The New Armada Written by David Whitaker as he planned to leave as story editor. He submitted The New Armada in late February 1964 for season 2, but was rejected in the wake of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Whitaker resubmitted it for season 3 in late 1965, but it was rejected by story editor Gerry Davis on 17 January 1966. The six-part story was set in sixteenth-century Spain. The Space Trap Robert Holmes' first story submission for the series was submitted to story editor Donald Tosh on 25 April 1965. The four-part story idea involved the Doctor and his three companions arriving on an uninhabited planet to discover a spacecraft controlled by robots while its human occupants are in suspended animation waiting for additional crew members to again operate the crashed ship. The Doctor and his companions are taken captive and trained by the robots as replacement crew members. Only three additional crew members are required, so the least-useful member of the Doctor's party will be killed by the human crew. The serial was rejected primarily due to the robots' similarity to the Mechanoids in the previous season's The Chase. Holmes resubmitted the story idea to producer Peter Bryant on 20 May 1968, which led to the commissioning of what became The Krotons. Untitled storyline (Lucarotti) John Lucarotti's storyline about Leif Eriksson was turned down by Donald Tosh because Vikings had already appeared in The Time Meddler. Lucarotti used the plot in "Who Discovered America?", a 1992 short story for issue 184 of Doctor Who Magazine. Submitted for season 4 The Hounds of Time The Brian Hayles storyline was submitted in mid-1966, around the time Hayles completed The Smugglers, and may have required the Second Doctor. A mad scientist kidnaps humans from points in Earth's history. The scientist works for an alien warlord who wants to study humanity to determine the best time to invade. The Nazis Brian Hayles was commissioned to write a storyline for The Nazis on 8 March 1966. Hayles was hired to write The Smugglers shortly afterwards, which he was told had a higher priority. The Nazis was abandoned on 15 June of that year because its events were considered too recent. The Ocean Liner Written by David Ellis, the storyline was submitted as a spy thriller in January 1966 and was rejected by Gerry Davis in April of that year. The People Who Couldn't Remember Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, the story was submitted to the production office in April 1966. Script editor Gerry Davis rejected it on 15 June of that year because he wanted to avoid comic serials after the poorly-received The Gunfighters. ==Second Doctor==

Submitted for season 4 The Ants Written by Roger Dixon, the story was submitted on 16 January 1967. The TARDIS brings the Doctor and his companions to the Nevada desert, where they discover that they have been shrunk to one-tenth of an inch. They learn that local ants have become super-intelligent from atomic-bomb tests and plan to take over Earth. The Big Store Written by David Ellis and Malcolm Hulke, the story was submitted on 15 November 1966 about faceless aliens infiltrating department stores as display mannequins. The Imps was a four-part story involved a race of beings undergoing a butterfly-like cycle of mutations was submitted to the production office on 18 September 1967. It went through several rewrites until 1967, when it was abandoned after producer Innes Lloyd left and the writers had other commitments. The serial was given individual episode titles, although this practice had ended with The Savages in 1966. Episode titles were "The Secret Army", "Chateau of Death", "Lair of the Werewolf", "Friend Or Foe", "Village of the Swastika", and "Crossfire". Big Finish adapted the storyline into an audio drama scheduled for release in July 2024. The Queen of Time The four-part adventure serial was written by Brian Hayles. The Doctor encounters the evil Hecuba, a relative of the Celestial Toymaker. is set in the 22nd century and deals with an outbreak of mutants with ESP which disrupt a spacelane. was commissioned as a scene breakdown on 23 February 1968. The Impersonators Written by Malcolm Hulke, the six-part story was commissioned on 5 July 1968 and cancelled on 30 December of that year. Its production budget was allocated to The War Games (which Hulke co-wrote with Terrance Dicks), allowing that story to be expanded to 10 episodes. The Prison in Space Dick Sharples' The Prison in Space, originally The Amazons, last attempted with The Hidden Planet. The four-part story, The Rosemariners Written by Donald Tosh as The Rosacrutians after Tosh contacted the production staff in early 1968 to gauge their interest, the story originally featured Jamie and Victoria. By the time Tosh delivered the first materials for the story, Patrick Troughton had decided to leave the series. When it was turned down by the production team, Tosh had finished a script for the first episode and notes for the next three episodes. He completed a full storyline for Doctor Who Magazine (DWM) in 1994. Set on an Earth space station, it deals with a conflict between the space-station staff and the Rosemariners (a group who plan to hold the staff hostage in return for Earth supplying them with sophisticated weapons). ==Third Doctor==

Submitted for season 7 The Circles of Power Written by Brian Hayles. The story focuses on a faulty communications satellite which causes the release of robotic "sensorspheres", inducing amnesia in their victims. The Mists of Madness Written by Brian Wright, the Doctor discovers a community of artificially-created humans. The storyline was submitted on 9 May 1969, and was commissioned by script editor Terrance Dicks. It was scheduled to be the season-7 finale, but Wright accepted an academic writing post in Bristol and was unable to write it. The Shadow People Written by Charlotte and Dennis Plimmer, the story was submitted to the production office in the spring of 1971. An Ice Warrior plans to invade the Earth with a Z beam which reduces the temperature of what it strikes to absolute zero, and turns humans into zombie-like slaves. Script editor Dicks rejected the storyline, but the inclusion of the Ice Warriors inspired the development of The Curse of Peladon. The Daleks in London The Daleks in London, commissioned on 25 May 1971 for Robert Sloman, was to be the season-9 finale in 1972 and re-introduced the Daleks after a five-year absence. It would have been similar to The Dalek Invasion of Earth, although it was set in contemporary London. The Mega Written by Bill Strutton, the four-part story was commissioned by Letts on 19 July 1971 and dropped on 25 February 1972. Submitted for season 11 The Automata Written by Robert Holmes, the four-part story was commissioned on 16 January 1973 and was replaced by The Time Warrior. The Final Game The Third Doctor's final story was to be The Final Game by Robert Sloman and Barry Letts as uncredited co-writer, which was commissioned on 15 February 1973. The story was to end with the revelation that the Master and the Doctor were brothers, or opposing aspects of the same being (the ego and the id), and the Master dying in a manner suggesting that he sacrificed himself to save the Doctor's life. Roger Delgado (who played the Master) was killed in a car accident in Turkey on 18 June 1973, and the story was scrapped and replaced by Planet of the Spiders. Elements of its plot were used for the Tenth Doctor special, "The End of Time". ==Fourth Doctor==

Submitted for season 12 Space Station Written by Christopher Langley, Lucarotti was suggested by Terrance Dicks as a replacement writer on the strength of his Moonbase 3 script. to save money by sharing sets with Revenge of the Cybermen. It was replaced by a different story with the same title by Robert Holmes, which shared the setting with the previous version. Submitted for season 13 The Angarath Eric Pringle was commissioned on 11 August 1975 by producer Philip Hinchcliffe to write the first two episodes of the four-part story. Pringle submitted the final two episodes without commission on 10 March 1976, but the story was cancelled on 23 June of that year. It would involve the Doctor and Sarah in a chase between the hunter Torr and his quarry, Lakdem. The Haunting Written by Terrance Dicks, this six-part story was submitted at the start of November 1974 for a six-part story. The world's sun is dying and the underground dwellers, Suranians led by Zorr, are planning to invade the surface world. A group was scaring people away to gain access to a sarcophagus containing wild rice from thousands of years ago to seed Mars and make a fortune. Submitted for season 14 The Gaslight Murders Written by Basil Dawson, was commissioned in May 1976. which used the same basic premise of a villain traveling back in time. Stewart became the script editor of Armchair Thriller and was unable to deliver the scripts, forcing Robert Holmes to rework the story. and submitted after The Silent Scream was rejected in early 1975, it was based on a premise Hinchcliffe and Holmes wanted to use in which people and machines are controlled by a computer that malfunctions. The Lost Legion Douglas Camfield's four-part story was commissioned on 22 January 1976, Submitted for season 15 Killers of the Dark Script editor Anthony Read approached David Weir, with whom he had worked. Weir's six-part script, planned as the season-15 finale, With only two weeks before filming, Read and Williams quickly co-wrote The Invasion of Time. was commissioned by producer Graham Williams He included many ideas from The Krikkitmen in his novel, Life, the Universe and Everything, the second sequel of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. and also known as The Doppelgängers'', the search for the fourth segment of the Key to Time takes the Doctor and Romana to Nottingham, where they meet Robin Hood and discover that he is actually a villain. The scripts for the first two episodes of the season's four-part fourth serial were delivered to the production office on 28 April 1978. Untitled storyline (Boucher) Written by Chris Boucher, this idea was submitted shortly after Boucher completed Image of the Fendahl. The story involved a remote Earth outpost under attack. Untitled storyline (Adams) Proposed by Douglas Adams, the Time Lords mine a planet and use a machine that would sap the aggression from the natives to make them peaceful. One Time Lord would become trapped in the statue and absorb the aggression, driving him insane. He planned to make the machine dematerialise, re-form around Gallifrey and hollow out the planet. Elements of this story were re-used by Adams in his script, The Pirate Planet. Untitled storyline (Baker and Martin) Proposed by Bob Baker and Dave Martin, it concerned two planets (Atrios and Zeos) at war over a catastrophic shift in their orbits. The war was encouraged by a mysterious force, and the Doctor was forced to fashion a Key to Time to temporarily freeze both planets' armies. The Shadow (the mysterious force provoking the war) was planning to use the Key to Time to pit the universe at war against everyone. The Doctor thwarted the Shadow's plan by unfreezing both planets' armies and giving each the co-ordinates of the Shadow's planet, which was between both planets. Elements of this story were recycled in The Armageddon Factor. Submitted for season 17 Shada Shada was a six-part serial written by Douglas Adams that was scheduled to conclude Season 17 and air from 19 January to 23 February 1980. Production was halted during studio recordings due to a strike. The remaining studio scenes were never recorded, and the serial never aired. Child Prodigy Written by Alistair Beaton and Sarah Dunant, this four-part story was commissioned on 12 December 1978. and submitted Shylock, a four-part serial written in Adams' light-hearted style. Williams, still interested in the storyline, planned to involve Allan Prior to work on the scripts. and a script list dated 29 June 1979 links Prior and Lloyd to the project. In the story, the Doctor is summonsed to appear in court when a corporation tries to buy Earth to obtain a matter-transmutation device. Erinella Written by Pennant Roberts, this four-part story was commissioned on 10 January 1979 as Dragons of Fear. The Tearing of the Veil Written by Allen Drury, scripts were commissioned on 2 April 1979 the story was accepted subject to alterations. Adams wrote to Hinchcliffe on 3 January 1979 the story was submitted around the beginning of 1979 and would involve a parallel universe in which the Roman Empire never fell. Submitted for season 18 The Dogs of Darkness A scene breakdown for this four-part Jack Gardner story was commissioned on 29 March 1980, and the scripts were commissioned on 11 August of that year. Into the Comet This James Follett story involved monsters attacking a race of beings who live inside Halley's Comet, unaware that there is anything beyond it. Mark of Lumos Written by Keith Miles, an outline of this four-part story was commissioned on 14 March 1980. Sealed Orders A scene breakdown for this four-part Christopher Priest story was commissioned on 27 February 1980, The story (set on Gallifrey) involved hopping back and forth in time; this resulted in several variants of the TARDIS and a spare Doctor, one of whom was killed. Soldar and the Plastoids Written by John Bennett, a scene breakdown for this four-part story was commissioned on 10 April 1980. was originally pitched by Pat Mills and his writing partner, John Wagner, in 1980 as a Fourth Doctor adventure. When the production office showed interest, Wagner left the project; as the Doctor attempts to protect the creature from being slaughtered by a rusting factory ship. Mills' disagreements with Saward led to the script being delayed until it was too late to be Turlough's introductory story, and it was considered for seasons 21 and 22. The script, revised as two 45-minute episodes, was still listed in July 1985 as an ongoing script; by November 1985, Nathan-Turner confirmed at a convention that it had been dropped. ==Fifth Doctor==

Submitted for season 19 The Enemy Within The opportunity to write this four-part story was offered to Christopher Priest after his previous script, Sealed Orders, was cancelled. and the scripts on 6 February 1981. After a bitter dispute, Priest was paid and Nathan-Turner and Eric Saward were compelled to write a letter of apology. In it, the Doctor and his companion Felicity arrive on Mondas (Earth's twin, orbiting on the opposite side of the Sun) when the Cybermen are being created. While the Doctor works on the TARDIS, Felicity encounters the gentle Prince Sylvan. Sylvan accidentally activates the TARDIS, sending him, the Doctor and Felicity fifty years into the future. Sylvan's brother Dega is now king, and has used the Doctor's device to begin turning his people into Cybermen. He has constructed a space fleet with which he intends to invade the mineral-rich Earth, and plans to kill any unconverted Mondans with cyanide gas. Felicity appeals to Dega's partly-Cybernised wife, Queen Meta, who shoots her husband dead and is killed by Krail, Dega's chief of staff. Sylvan and a band of Mondan rebels flee to Earth in the spaceships, and the concussion of take-off knocks Mondas out of its orbit into deep space. Former script editor Davis submitted this idea around early 1981, intending it as a prequel to The Tenth Planet (his and Kit Pedler's original Cyberman serial, which also included Cyberman Krail). It borrowed elements of The Ark and The Savages, two stories on which Davis had been story editor. Producer John Nathan-Turner and script editor Antony Root were not interested in Genesis of the Cybermen. Davis wrote his storyline with only the Doctor and one female companion in mind, calling the companion "Felicity" rather than writing with a particular companion in mind. (who had scripted Meglos). The story, concerning nuclear disarmament, was not intended to directly follow the events of Logopolis; instead, the Doctor and his companions would have already left Earth. Commissioned as Project "4G" on 7 October 1980, The Psychrons Written by Terence Greer, a scene breakdown for this four-part story was commissioned on 13 June 1980. Way Down Yonder Written by Lesley Elizabeth Thomas, a scene breakdown for this four-part story was commissioned on 23 April 1981. was commissioned on 2 August 1982. The Doctors and their companions are drawn to the planet Maladoom and trapped by the Master, who is working for the Cybermen. The Cybermen want to isolate and incorporate the genetic material that permits Time Lords to time-travel freely. Submitted for season 21 Children of Seth After completing Snakedance, Saward asked Christopher Bailey to write another story. The initial outline for May Time was commissioned on 24 August 1982, in which the Doctor and his companions arrive at the court of Byzantium. Full scripts were commissioned on 16 September 1982 with the title Man-watch, Circus of Destiny Written by Ben Steed, this two-part story was delivered in January 1983 but not taken forward. The Darkness Eric Pringle submitted this storyline for a four-part story to the production office in August 1981 with The Awakening, but only the latter was developed further. The Elite This Barbara Clegg story, submitted in late 1982, After drafting three or four scripts for the proposed Impact, Nathan-Turner told Ling and Adair that plans for the soap had been cancelled and offered them the opportunity to write for Doctor Who as compensation. was commissioned on 12 July 1983, but after three months of script development which leads the Doctor and Peri to the planet Hexagora. who is trying to save Hexagora's insect race from destruction the script was submitted in late 1982 The Place Where All Times Meet Written by Colin Davis, a scene breakdown was commissioned on 10 June 1982. Poison Written by Rod Beacham, a screen breakdown was commissioned on 27 April 1982 and scripts on 27 May of that year. The Rogue TARDIS Written by Barbara Clegg, the story was submitted in late 1982 and dealt with the Doctor searching for a missing Time Lord who has regenerated to merge with his TARDIS. The SCI Written by William Emms, this four-part storyline was discussed (but not commissioned) in 1983. The Underworld Written by Barbara Clegg, this story was submitted in late 1982 and saw the Doctor travel down the river Styx in ancient Greece. Warmongers Written by Marc Platt and Charles M. Stevens (a pseudonym for J. Jeremy Bentham), this story was submitted on spec in 1983 and was discussed with Saward but not commissioned. It dealt with Sontarans and Rutans in England during the Blitz. The Zeldan Written by William Emms, this four-part storyline was discussed but not commissioned when Emms approached the production office in 1983. ==Sixth Doctor==

Submitted for season 22 Cat's Cradle Written by Marc Platt, the story was submitted to Saward in 1984 and rejected as too ambitious and complex for Doctor Who budget. The First Sontarans Written by Andrew Smith, a scene breakdown was commissioned on 10 January 1984. The Guardians of Prophecy Written by Johnny Byrne, a plot outline for this story (also known as The Place of Serenity) was submitted to the production office by Byrne in July 1983. were commissioned as Livanthian on 14 August 1983 was commissioned on 25 September 1984 as Arcade Nathan-Turner hoped to have Matthew Robinson direct the story, which would have included the return of the Celestial Toymaker. The Ultimate Evil Written by Wally K. Daly, this two-part story was planned as the second story of the original 23rd season. Nathan-Turner hoped to have Ron Jones direct the story. He reportedly only completed a story outline before season 23 was cancelled. The Hollows of Time This was commissioned as a two-part story by Christopher H. Bidmead on 21 November 1984. After the news of the hiatus, Callan was asked by the production team to continue with the story as four 25-minute episodes and was backed up for the original two-part 45-minute episodes. Doomwraiths Written by Philip Martin, this story was submitted on 28 December 1983 Flipback Written by David Banks. Gallifrey Gallifrey was a Pip and Jane Baker script for four 25-minute episodes that was commissioned on 11 March 1985 was approached by Eric Saward in early July 1985 as a prospective writer for the "new" Season 23. Halliwell submitted his untitled first draft of the untitled two-part story for episodes nine and 10 to the production office in late July 1985. and 7 October 1985 saw a fifth draft arrive at the production office. who was invited to the same series briefing as David Halliwell. with second-draft scripts of all four episodes delivered by 9 January 1986. Submitted for Season 24 Mel introduction story According to his book, Doctor Who: The Companions (published around the time The Trial of a Time Lord was broadcast), producer John Nathan-Turner intended to chronicle the Doctor's first meeting with Melanie Bush in a later episode. Strange Matter Written by Pip and Jane Baker, Time and the Rani (originally Strange Matter) was planned to be Colin Baker's final story. When it became clear that Baker did not want to return, it was rewritten as the Seventh Doctor's opening story with his regeneration occurring before the titles. ==Seventh Doctor==

Submitted for season 25 Knight Fall Written by Ben Aaronovitch, this story concerned privatisation. It was submitted in May 1987; script editor Andrew Cartmel liked some of the concepts, but felt that it was generally inappropriate for Doctor Who and had too many supporting characters. Cartmel encouraged Aaronovitch to pitch more stories, which led to Transit. if another planned was no longer suitable. It was to take place on a monastic planet Mukherjee would later adapt this story for Big Finish's Lost Stories range. Avatar Written by David A. McIntee, this was a four-part Lovecraftian horror story writer Marc Platt discussed with script editor Andrew Cartmel an idea (inspired by Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace) about stone-headed aliens Bad Destination The opening three-part, studio-bound story was to be written by Ben Aaronovitch: a space opera with a race of samurai insect-like aliens called the Metatraxi. Bad Destination was to open with Ace in the captain's chair of a starship, Thin Ice This four-part second story of the proposed season Ace The story was to introduce a character with underworld connections, intended to become a recurring character like the Brigadier. He said that the name Ice Time was "only ever invented for an article in Doctor Who Magazine" (Dave Owen's "27 up" article). Action At a Distance This story was to have been written by Andrew Cartmel and would have introduced a cat burglar or safecracker as the next companion. futuristic thriller in which a group of soldiers are hunting Butler and Swarfe, two shape-shifting criminals. With Tom Baker not unwilling to appear, an original production was considered and there was a meeting in June 1992 to discuss the special; by 21 July 1992, writer Adrian Rigelsford (later joined by Joanna McCaul) had completed an initial outline for Timeflyers. Shortly afterwards, the project was given the cover name The Environment Roadshow. A production office opened in the first week of September 1992, with shooting planned for January–February 1993. indicating that Graeme Harper was being considered as a director for the special. Budget issues plagued the production, however; Harper was hired to direct the special in June 1993 and wanted Rik Mayall to play the villain, Hawkspur. What was hoped to be the final shooting script was completed on 21 June 1993 and, with the production now aimed for broadcast instead of direct-to-video, Alan Yentob greenlit the special with the completed project planned for delivery by 27 November 1993. and on 9 July 1993 the project was cancelled. Doctor Who thirtieth anniversary was celebrated with the light-hearted Children in Need charity special Dimensions in Time and the documentary 30 Years in the TARDIS. According to a BBC press release, ==Eighth Doctor==

1990s US reboot – Leekley bible Early in the process that led to the 1996 Doctor Who film, Universal Television had Amblin Entertainment produce a writers' bible detailing John Leekley's proposed pilot and episodes of a new series. Although the series would have established a new continuity rather than following the original series, the bible reused many elements of the original series. It is unclear if clearance could have been obtained for all the episodes. The pilot was to have the half-human Doctor seeking his father, Ulysses, through a number of time periods: contemporary Gallifrey (where Borusa dies and is merged with the TARDIS, and the Master becomes leader of the Time Lords), England during the Blitz, ancient Egypt, and Skaro (where the Daleks are being created). Other proposed episodes included The Pirates, in which the Doctor teams up with Blackbeard, and several remakes of stories from the original series: • The Talons of Weng-Chiang, set in New York City • ''Don't Shoot, I'm the Doctor, a more historically accurate remake of The Gunfighters'' Earlier versions of the bible included: • The Cybs, a story set on Mars in which the Doctor escapes capture by hiding in a gold mine • A remake of The Dæmons, set in Salem, Massachusetts ==Ninth Doctor==

Pompeii Written by Russell T Davies, the episode was intended for the episode 11 slot of Series 1. The Doctor, Rose and Jack would land in Pompeii on the day that Mount Vesuvius erupted. The story evolved into "The Fires of Pompeii". Untitled storyline (Abbott) Written by Paul Abbott, this episode was intended for the episode-11 slot of series 1. In the story, the Doctor manipulates Rose's life to determine the perfect companion. The episode was dropped due to Abbott's commitment to Shameless and other projects. ==Tenth Doctor==

Doctor Who and the Green Knight Written by Stephen Fry, the episode was to be set in the 1920s and would have been about the Arthurian legend of the Green Knight. Drafts were written for the eleventh episode of series 2 in 2006, with Fry attending the first series-2 cast read-through. Due to budgetary constraints, the episode was to be moved to series 3. Fry, with no time to rewrite due to commitments to Kingdom, allowed the team to withdraw the episode from series 3. The Suicide Exhibition This Mark Gatiss episode would have had a Nazi task force assault London's Natural History Museum, which had been overrun by monsters; a secret chamber would have been discovered beneath the museum. Originally written for series 3 with Martha Jones as the companion, it became the third episode of series 4 and was rewritten with Penny Carter and Donna Noble. The episode was removed from the schedules when Russell T. Davies wanted to pursue "The Fires of Pompeii" instead. Gatiss used the World War II setting for his next story, "Victory of the Daleks", and the museum elements were used in Steven Moffat's "The Big Bang". Century House Century House was written by Tom MacRae for series 3. The Doctor was to appear on a live broadcast of Most Haunted, investigating a house haunted by the "Red Widow"; Martha Jones watches at home in a frame story. The episode did not fit into the production schedule, and was pushed back to series 4 with the show watched by Donna Noble and her mother, Sylvia. Due to dissatisfaction with the premise and to avoid two comic episodes in the same series, it was replaced with Davies' "Midnight". This premise was expanded in the Doctor Who audio drama, No Place. An audio drama of "Century House" by VocaLAB Productions was released in 2022 with Tenth Doctor impersonator Elliott Crossley. ==Eleventh Doctor==

Untitled storyline (Graham) Written by Matthew Graham and planned for the 2010 series, the story was to be about an old people's home and a lighthouse that was a spaceship. Trips to the US and Graham's work on Ashes to Ashes precluded him from developing the storyline to the script stage. Untitled storyline (Shearman) In a 2021 interview, Robert Shearman said that he was asked to write an episode for series 5 by Steven Moffat. Shearman attended the read-through, but left after feeling that he could "never get the story right". In a 2025 interview Shearman mentioned that the story was based on The Chimes of Midnight. Untitled storyline (Thorne) Jack Thorne worked on an episode for series 5, which did not progress as he "couldn't get it right". Death to the Doctor This episode was written by Gareth Roberts. Before settling on the storyline that would become "The Lodger", Roberts developed a storyline for the 2010 series which would have featured a disgraced Sontaran named Strom. The idea reached the draft stage before it was abandoned. Untitled storyline (Davies) Steven Moffat asked former showrunner Russell T Davies to return to the programme after his initial departure and write an episode for the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond. Davies ultimately pitched an episode to Moffat in April 2010 for the sixth series, but it was scrapped due to the budget constraints that the heavy visual effects would have required. When Davies reassumed his old position as showrunner in 2023, he adapted this idea into the episode "Dot and Bubble" with the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). == Twelfth Doctor ==

Untitled storyline (Mathieson) This Jamie Mathieson episode would have had the Doctor mistaken for Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General. Moffat found the story too dark, and Mathieson wrote "Oxygen" instead. "Sleep No More" sequel After "Sleep No More" aired, Mark Gatiss developed a sequel set thousands of years before Gagan Rassmussen's Morpheus process experiments at Le Verrier where the Doctor discovers the same process experimented with on Earth. The script was changed when Gatiss learned that showrunner Steven Moffat was leaving and the story he was doing would be his last for the show; he pitched "Empress of Mars" instead. "How the Monk got his Habit" A story idea pitched by Peter Harness, this episode would've seen the return of the Classic Doctor Who nemesis the Monk. The Monk accidentally changes history by playing Boney M's Rasputin to Grigori Rasputin causing the Mystic and healer to go mad. The Monk would then contact the Doctor to try and repair history, getting the Twelfth Doctor instead of the First and they would try to repair the damage. By the end of the episode, unable to fix things, the Monk is forced to regenerate and assume Rasputin's identity, a role the Doctor knows will rub off on him. The idea of a Time Lord assuming the role of Rasputin would later be used in the centenary special The Power of the Doctor with the Master assuming the role. == Thirteenth Doctor ==

Safari This story was based on an early idea Ed Hime had in the first writer's room for series 11. The storyline was set in a former military compound which had been turned into a safari lodge on a war-devastated planet that was home to the Blox (Damaje). The rare life form was a tourist attraction, and a draft of the script was set on the planet Kryll. The story was shelved for series 11 in early 2017 because Hime decided to write "It Takes You Away" before transforming the idea into "Orphan 55" in 2018. Ptings Written by Chris Chibnall, this story would have been a sequel to The Tsuranga Conundrum. Alternate series 13 The original series 13 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring production alterations. Ed Hime and Pete McTighe were commissioned to write untitled episodes for the original series. A pirate-themed story was planned for an episode of Flux, but ultimately didn't happen. This element was reworked into "Legend of the Sea Devils" for the 2022 specials. Alternate 2022 New Year's special Whilst planning the 2022 specials, Chris Chibnall had planned for the 2022 New Year's special to be set aboard a bullet train moving through space. When it was realised that he would not have enough time to allow the production team to build the set in time for production, he wrote Eve of the Daleks as a replacement. A version of the original idea appeared as the opening of the 2022 BBC centenary special, The Power of the Doctor. == Fifteenth Doctor ==

Alternate 2024 Christmas Special (Davies) Whilst writing for Series 15 in late 2022, Russell announced that he was taking on the 2024 Christmas special, which he was still writing by the time he had got to the Christmas period of that year, however due to a lack of time as he needed to move onto Series 15, he texted Steven Moffat in January 2023 to write the Christmas special for 2024, leaving his original unfinished episode behind to be replaced by "Joy to the World" ==Unmade television spin-offs==

Proposals for Doctor Who spin-offs included one featuring the Doctor's friends Professor George Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago from "The Talons of Weng Chiang". The Daleks Dalek creator Terry Nation pitched The Daleks to the BBC on 1 November 1966, writing a thirty-minute teleplay ("The Destroyers") as a possible pilot episode for an American co-production. Lead characters included agents Captain Jack Corey, David Kingdom, his sister Sara Kingdom (from "The Daleks' Master Plan", in which Kingdom died) and Mark Seven, an android. Concept art depicted several possible versions of the Doctor, based on actors such as Peter O'Toole, Jeff Goldblum and Christopher Lloyd, with wardrobe elements of previous Doctors. Production sketches had new versions of allies such as K9, and enemies such as the Daleks and Cybermen. The Master would be a "half-man, half-robot with a cybernetic bird accessory and a face modeled after Sean Connery". The show would include female companions from Earth and space battles which the BBC would not have been able to afford for a live-action series. K-9 and Company Elisabeth Sladen was approached to return to Doctor Who as Sarah Jane Smith to aid the transition between Tom Baker and Peter Davison, but declined the offer. After an outcry when K-9 was removed from the show, producer John Nathan-Turner proposed a spin-off with the character. Rose Tyler: Earth Defence When it was decided that Billie Piper would leave Doctor Who at the end of series 2, executive producer and head writer Russell T. Davies considered giving her character Rose Tyler a 90-minute spin-off production (Rose Tyler: Earth Defence) in the hope that such a special would become an annual bank holiday event. The special would have picked up from Rose's departure in "Doomsday", when Rose joins the Torchwood Institute of a parallel Earth. The special was commissioned by BBC One controller Peter Fincham and assigned a production budget. Davies changed his mind while filming Piper's final scenes for series 2 of Doctor Who. He later called Earth Defence "a spin-off too far", and decided that the audience being able to see Rose when the Doctor could not would spoil the ending of "Doomsday". The production was cancelled. Davies said that Piper had been told about the idea, but the project ended before she was formally approached about appearing in it. The plot element of Rose working with an alternative Earth's Torchwood was revisited in "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End". ==Proposed films==

Marco Polo adaptation Walt Disney Productions had expressed interest in a remake of the Doctor Who serial Marco Polo as an historical adventure film, without the Doctor and his companions. Third Dalek film Plans to adapt the Dalek serial The Chase were shelved after the poor box office reception of ''Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.''. Doctor Who Meets Scratchman 's conception of a poster for Doctor Who Meets Scratchman, from Doctor Who Magazine #379 During spare time in filming, Tom Baker (the Fourth Doctor) and Ian Marter (Harry Sullivan, who novelised several Doctor Who scripts for Target Books) wrote a script for a Doctor Who film entitled Doctor Who Meets Scratchman (alternatively, Doctor Who and the Big Game). The Doctor encounters the Devil (who calls himself Harry Scratch or Scratchman), the Daleks, robots known as Cybors, scarecrows made from bones and, briefly, the Greek god Pan. Vincent Price and Twiggy were associated with the production; Price would have played Harry Scratch and Twiggy a replacement female companion after Elisabeth Sladen left the TV series. The finale of the film would have taken place on a giant pinball table, with the Doctor, Harry and Sarah dodging balls and battling Daleks. Until the late 1970s, Baker repeatedly tried to obtain funding for the film. In a 1975 interview, he referred to flaws in the two 1960s Peter Cushing Dalek films: "There have been two Doctor Who films in the past, both rather poor ... There are many dangers in transporting a television series onto the big screen ... a lot of things that you could get away with on the small screen wouldn't wash in the cinema." Baker received donations from fans for the film, but returned them in accordance with legal advice. Plans were dropped after the release of Star Wars. ''Dr Who's Greatest Adventure'' In 1984, after failing to finance King Crab (a horror film based on Guy N. Smith's Night of the Crabs), Milton Subtosky (who produced the 1960s Dalek films) adapted the screenplay into a Doctor Who film with two Doctors. Subtosky envisioned Jon Pertwee or Tom Baker as the older Doctor, and a new actor as the younger one. The film's working title was The Lossiemouth Affair, and it became ''Dr Who's Greatest Adventure''. Subotsky pursued production of the film until his death in 1991. Lacuna film proposals (1987–1994) As the original Doctor Who series neared its end and during the first interregnum (1989–1996), a number of attempts were made to adapt the series to film for the first time since the two 1960s Peter Cushing films. Jean-Marc Lofficier profiles a number of film proposals in his book, The Nth Doctor, some of which came close to being produced. The only film version of Doctor Who produced other than the Cushing films was the 1996 made-for-TV film, which was developed as a continuation of the TV series rather than a re-imagining of the concept. The film had the working title of Doctor Who: The Last of the Time Lords. Among script proposals profiled by Lofficier are several submissions by Doctor Who and Space: 1999 alumnus Johnny Byrne and others by Robert DeLaurentis, Adrian Rigelsford, John Leekley, Mark Ezra and Denny Martin Flinn. ==Related works==

Radio series During the late 1960s, a radio series starring Peter Cushing (who played a human version of the Doctor in two films featuring the Daleks) was planned for production. A collaboration between Stanmark Productions and Watermill Productions, a pilot was recorded and a further 52 episodes were to be produced. In the pilot, "Journey into Time", the Doctor and his granddaughter travel back to the American Revolution. The script was written by future Doctor Who television-series writer Malcolm Hulke, but the recording is lost. Doctor Who webcast In 2003, the BBC announced the return of Doctor Who as a series of webcasts on BBC.com; Richard E. Grant was announced as the Ninth Doctor. A webcast by Paul Cornell entitled "Scream of the Shalka" was completed and released on bbc.com; this was followed by an online text short story entitled "The Feast of the Stone". Work was well underway on another webcast story, "Blood of the Robots", to be written by Simon Clark. Its synopsis was, "A blend of adventure, drama and humour. The Doctor arrives to find a world full of intelligent, sensitive robots that have been abandoned by their human owners, who are too squeamish to 'kill' them when they're obsolete. Now ruthless salvage squads are hunting the robots in order to make room for human settlers forced to migrate from their dangerously over-crowded home planet." Before production began it was announced that Doctor Who would return to television with Russell T. Davies as showrunner, and webcast production was halted. ==See also==