Doctor Who: The Lost Stories (The Sixth Doctor)
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Attack From The Mind |
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Writer: David Halliwell |
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Notes: Halliwell was part of the
original writing team for what would become The Trial Of A Time Lord. He and
Jack Trevor Story were asked to develop the “future” element
of the evidence against the Doctor. These would be two linked two-part
adventures, which would share most of their sets (as had also been done
in 1975 with The Ark In Space
and Revenge Of The Cybermen).
Halliwell's story would introduce new companion Melanie Bush. After an
initial meeting of the writers with script editor Eric Saward on July
9th, 1985, Halliwell quickly set to work; Saward assigned his segment
the title “Attack From The Mind” in mid-August. In
mid-September, Saward requested various changes to the scripts. The
planet Fred (which stood for FRee Equal Democracy, with Penelope an
acronym for PENultimate ELegance Order and PoisE) would now be planet
Trike, and the Trikes would not speak with the East End accents
Halliwell had intended. Conflict would be generated amongst the Trikes
by dividing them into militaristic and visionary camps. Several elements
were excised, such as the Doctor being willing to use the TARDIS to
change history, he and Mel being miniaturised by the Penelopeans, and
the Doctor shooting his enemies dead. The story would now end with the
Penelopeans losing their powers and the Trikes in control, to segue into
Story's “The Second
Coming”. However, Story was struggling mightily, and Saward
found “Attack From The Mind” listless. Consequently, after
five drafts, Halliwell's scripts were abandoned on October 18th. The
“future” segment of The
Trial Of A Time Lord was ultimately written by Pip and Jane
Baker.
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Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Mel |
Episodes: 2 |
Planned For: The third segment
of The Trial Of A Time Lord for
Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached: Full
scripts |
Synopsis: At the Doctor's trial for
meddling, the Valeyard presents evidence from the future to show that
the Doctor will not learn the error of his ways. The TARDIS is lured to
the planet Fred, where tunnels are being excavated by the rodent-like
natives, who are plagued by vivid mirages. The Doctor and Mel are
captured by the Freds, but the Doctor is freed by the lemurine
Penelopeans, beings who now dwell within their own imagination. The
Freds are hunting for their control centre to prevent them from
returning to corporeal form; the hallucinations are the Penelopeans'
defense system. The Doctor agrees to bring a Fred back in time so that
the Penelopeans can devise a form of protection against them. However,
he is recaptured by the Freds, who complete their excavation. In fact,
the Penelopeans are homicidal beings who retreated into their own minds
so that they would not wipe themselves out. They have been toying with
the Freds -- a peaceful race -- out of boredom. The Doctor and Mel
escape to the TARDIS as war breaks out between the Penelopeans and the
Freds. The Valeyard explains that the intervention of the High Council
would be required deal with the consequences of the Doctor's meddling.
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #201, DWM Special Edition #3 |
Cat's Cradle |
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Writer: Marc Platt |
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Notes: In 1984, this unsolicited
idea was submitted to script editor Eric Saward, who rejected it as
being too complex. When Andrew Cartmel became Doctor Who's script
editor in early 1987, Platt offered him a reworked version of
“Cat's Cradle”. Cartmel felt that the concept could not be
achieved on the programme's budget, but encouraged Platt to continue
pitching story ideas; the result was 1989's Ghost Light. Platt later
redeveloped the storyline as the basis for his Doctor Who: The New
Adventures novel Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible, released in
February 1992 by Virgin Publishing.
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Characters: The Sixth
Doctor (original submission; the revised version featured the Seventh
Doctor) |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Seasons
Twenty-Two and Twenty-Five |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: The TARDIS is turned
inside-out, forcing the Doctor to navigate through an alien landscape in
order to restore his time machine.
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #190 |
The Children Of January |
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Writer: Michael Feeney
Callan |
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Notes: Callan was commissioned on
February 5th, 1985. “The Children Of January” was probably
intended to be the sixth and final story of Season Twenty-Three, to be
made by Bob Gabriel, a director new to Doctor Who. However, on
February 27th, it was announced that production of Doctor Who was
being suspended until Spring 1986, with the programme then returning for
a season of twenty-five-minute episodes. Callan was asked to rework his
storyline for this format. But then, at the end of May, it was decided
that Season Twenty-Three would consist of only fourteen episodes,
leading to the development of The Trial
Of A Time Lord and the abandonment of all of the original
Season Twenty-Three serials.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Probably the
sixth story of Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: Unknown
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3 |
The Children Of Seth |
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aka May Time, Manpower, Man Watch,
Children's Seth |
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Writer: Christopher Bailey |
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Notes: After Bailey completed work
on Snakedance, he was
commissioned to write a storyline called “May Time” on
August 24th, 1982. Full scripts were then requested on September 16th,
by which time the adventure was known as “Manpower” or
“Man Watch”. Bailey became disillusioned with the project,
and had ceased its development by February 1983. On July 17th, however,
he was commissioned to revise the scripts for the Sixth Doctor as
“The Children Of Seth” (originally given the apparently
erroneous title “Children's Seth”). By this time, Doctor
Who was in the process of shifting from 25-minute to 45-minute
episodes. Bailey had trouble devising a structure for his story, and
found himself unable to come up with an appropriate nemesis for the
Doctor. Frustrated by the lack of collaboration he was receiving from
the Doctor Who production office, Bailey decided to withdraw from
the television industry. In December 2011, Big Finish Productions
released an audio adaptation of “The Children Of Seth” by
Marc Platt.
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Characters: The Fifth Doctor,
presumably with Tegan and Turlough (original submission); the Sixth
Doctor and Peri (resubmission) |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Seasons
Twenty-One and Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached:
Script |
Synopsis: Forthcoming
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #s 227, 327, DWM Special Edition #s 1, 3,
Doctor Who: The Complete History #36, Doctor Who: The
Eighties |
Dark Labyrinth |
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Writer: David Banks |
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Notes: Banks, who had played the
Cyberleader since 1982's Earthshock, proposed this story idea
around the time that he reprised the role for Attack Of The Cybermen. Script editor
Eric Saward liked Banks' concept, but felt that it would be too costly
to realise.
|
Characters: The Sixth
Doctor, Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Story idea |
Synopsis: Unknown
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3 |
Doomwraiths |
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Writer: Philip Martin |
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Notes: Martin submitted this idea
on December 28th, 1983, while awaiting feedback on Season Twenty-Two's
Vengeance On Varos. It was inspired
by the theories of astronomer and author Sir Fred Hoyle, who posited
that the origins of life on Earth lay in outer space. On March 9th,
1984, script editor Eric Saward noted that more development would be
needed before he could properly assess “Doomwraiths”; the
notion was not pursued further.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached: Story
idea |
Synopsis: Millennia ago, the Doomwraiths
seeded the Earth with their own genetic code in order to save their
dying species. Now the Doomwraiths have reemerged to discover that life
on Earth did not evolve to their design. The Doctor and Peri must stop
the Doomwraiths from recovering their genetic code and destroying the
human race.
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #309 |
Elektaron Five |
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Writer: Peter Howell |
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Notes: Howell was a member of the
BBC's Radiophonic Workshop; he had composed incidental music for
Doctor Who, and was responsible for the new arrangement of the
theme tune which debuted in 1980. He submitted a storyline to the
Doctor Who production office on July 19th, 1984. However, it was
deemed to be unfeasible within the Doctor Who budget.
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Characters: Presumably the
Sixth Doctor, Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: Unknown |
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #575 |
The First Sontarans |
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Writer: Andrew Smith |
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Notes: Smith, who had written Full Circle for Season Eighteen,
was commissioned to provide a storyline for “The First
Sontarans” on January 10th, 1984 after impressing script editor
Eric Saward with two unsolicited ideas entitled “The Dark Samurai” and “The Metraki”.
However, Smith's concept was abandoned in mid-February when it was
decided that Robert Holmes, the creator of the Sontarans, would revisit
them in The Two Doctors. Smith
later adapted “The First Sontarans” as an audio play for Big
Finish Productions, released in July 2012.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: Forthcoming
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #432, DWM Special Edition #3 |
Gallifrey |
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Writers: Pip Baker and Jane
Baker |
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Notes: This was the first story to
go into development after the yearlong postponement of production on
Doctor Who's twenty-third season. The Bakers -- who had recently
completed The Mark Of The Rani --
were commissioned to write the scripts on March 11th, 1985 (under the
misspelt title “Gallifray”). However, no work appears to
have ever been performed on the project, and it was soon supplanted by
The Trial Of A Time Lord.
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Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 4 |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Story idea |
Synopsis: May have involved the
destruction of the Doctor's home planet, Gallifrey.
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References: Doctor
Who: Magazine Special Edition #3, Doctor Who: The
Eighties |
Ghost Planet |
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Writer: Robin Squire |
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Notes: Squire, who had briefly been
Doctor Who's assistant script editor in late 1969, was
commissioned to write a storyline for “Ghost Planet” on
January 5th, 1983, followed by full scripts on May 20th.
|
Characters: The Fifth or
Sixth Doctors |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-One or Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached: At least
partial script |
Synopsis: Unknown
|
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #1, DWM Special Edition #3,
Doctor Who: The Eighties |
The Guardians Of Prophecy |
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aka The Place Of Serenity |
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Writer: Johnny Byrne |
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Notes: After completing work on
1984's Warriors Of The Deep,
Byrne was asked to develop a sequel to his 1981 story The Keeper Of Traken. He submitted his
storyline around July 1983. However, discord had arisen between Byrne
and script editor Eric Saward during the development of Warriors Of The Deep, and there was
little enthusiasm from either Byrne or the production office to develop
“The Guardians Of Prophecy” any further. In May 2012, Big
Finish Productions released an audio adaptation of “The Guardians
Of Prophecy” by Jonathan Morris.
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Characters: The Sixth
Doctor |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: The Doctor and Peri arrive on
the planet Serenity, which is part of the same Benign Union that once
counted Traken as a member. Serenity is ruled by the aristocratic Elect,
assisted by a mighty computer known as Prophecy. The Doctor is accused
of stealing relics from the vaults of the Elect, but the true culprits
are Auga, recorder to the court, and Mura, commander of the Guard. Aided
by the mercenary Ebbko, who has kidnapped Peri, they have sabotaged
Prophecy's power supply and used the relics to gain access to the tomb
of Malador, the immortal creator of the Melkur. Auga and Mura hope that
Malador will help them overthrow the Elect, but Malador has his own
plans and kills them. Peri escapes only with Ebbko's aid. Malador is
actually Prophecy's evil counterpart; once he has repaired their mutual
power supply, he will transmit a signal that will corrupt all the worlds
touched by Melkur. The Doctor manages to destroy the power supply,
however, creating a dimensional fracture which consumes Malador.
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #170, DWM Special Edition #3, Doctor Who: The
Sixties |
Hex |
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Writers: Peter Ling and Hazel
Adair |
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Notes: Ling (who wrote 1968's The Mind Robber) and Adair
had co-created the mid-Sixties soap opera Compact. In 1982, they
began developing Impact, a relaunched version of Compact,
with Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner. He hoped to leave
Doctor Who to produce Impact, but when the project was
shelved by the BBC, Nathan-Turner offered Ling and Adair a Doctor
Who assignment as consolation. They were inspired to write
“Hex” after observing some beehives that Adair had been
asked to keep in her orchard. They also wanted to take advantage of the
Fifth Doctor's youthful apparance by including a quasi-romantic subplot
for the Time Lord. The storyline for “Hex” was commissioned
on July 12th, 1983. Nathan-Turner liked the submission, but script
editor Eric Saward grew gradually less impressed as work on
“Hex” progressed. The story evolved from a six-part to a
four-part version, and was then adapted as two 45-minute episodes for
Season Twenty-Two, before finally being dropped on November 7th, 1984.
In November 2011, Big Finish Productions released an audio adaptation of
“Hex” by Paul Finch under the title “Hexagora”.
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Characters: The Fifth Doctor
(original version), the Sixth Doctor (later version), Peri |
Episodes: 6 (original
version), 4 (revised version), 2 (45-minute; final version) |
Planned For: Seasons
Twenty-One and Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: The Earth's most brilliant
minds are being kidnapped, and the Doctor traces the disappearances to
the planet Hexagora. Confronting Queen Zafia, the Doctor learns that
Hexagora is spiralling away from its sun, and the Hexagoran civilisation
risks destruction. She claims that the kidnappings are intended to
provide them with the brainpower to find a solution to the dilemma. The
Doctor offers to help move the Hexagorans to an uninhabited planet, but
Zafia will agree to this plan only if the Doctor agrees to a
“marriage of state”. However, Peri discovers that the
Hexagorans are actually bee-like creatures who are transforming
themselves into clones of the kidnapped humans. Their plan is to
infiltrate Earth, but Zafia will first absorb all of the Doctor's
knowledge when they are married. A renegade Hexagoran named Jezz sets
fire to the Hexagoran hives, and the Doctor and Peri grimly rescue the
abducted humans while Hexagora burns.
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #s 213, 214, DWM Special Edition #3 |
The Hollows Of Time |
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aka In The Hollows Of Time |
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Writer: Christopher H Bidmead |
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Notes: On June 19th, 1984, Bidmead
was commissioned to provide a storyline inspired by the writer's
interest in physics and, in particular, string theory. By the time full
scripts were requested on November 21st, the serial had gained the title
“The Hollows Of Time”. It was probably earmarked as the
fifth story of Season Twenty-Three, to be directed by Matthew Robinson,
who had recently worked on Attack Of
The Cybermen and would also be the director of season premiere
“The Nightmare
Fair”. However, on February 27th, 1985, it was announced that
production of Doctor Who was being suspended until Spring 1986,
with the programme then returning for a season of twenty-five-minute
episodes. Bidmead was asked to rework his storyline for this format. But
then, at the end of May, it was decided that Season Twenty-Three would
consist of only fourteen episodes, leading to the development of The Trial Of A Time Lord and the
abandonment of all of the original Season Twenty-Three serials. In
February 2010, Bidmead's audio adaptation of his storyline was released
by Big Finish Productions.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Probably the
fifth story of Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: Forthcoming
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3, Doctor Who: The Complete
History #42 |
Iceberg |
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aka Flipback |
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Writer: David Banks |
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Notes: Banks, who had played the
Cyberleader since 1982's Earthshock, proposed this story idea
around the time that he reprised the role for Attack Of The Cybermen. Also known as
“Flipback”, it was not taken forward, but Banks later used
it as the basis of a 1993 novel in Virgin Publishing's Doctor Who:
The New Adventures range, featuring the Seventh Doctor.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Story idea |
Synopsis: In 2006, human scientists in
Antarctica race to construct a device which will undo an imminent
reversal of the Earth's magnetic field. However, the Cybermen are also
present in Antarctica and are plotting to sabotage the device, giving
them the opportunity to conquer the planet in the confusion caused by
the reversal. The device is activated prematurely, crippling the
Cybermen, and giving the Doctor the opportunity to stop the invasion.
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References: Doctor
Who: The New Adventures: Iceberg, Doctor Who Magazine Special
Edition #3, DWM Special Edition #10 |
League Of The Tandreds |
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Writer: Peter Grimwade |
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Notes: Grimwade submitted this idea
after completing Planet Of Fire in
1983, at a time when his relationship with both producer John
Nathan-Turner and script editor Eric Saward was in decline. A storyline
was commissioned on August 13th, 1984. On November 8th, however,
Nathan-Turner decided to drop “League Of The Tandreds”,
apparently for budgetary reasons.
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Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two or Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: Unknown |
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3, Doctor Who: The
Eighties |
Leviathan |
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aka Livanthian, Lords Of Chaos |
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Writer: Brian Finch |
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Notes: Finch was a veteran writer
who was known to producer John Nathan-Turner from his scripts for All
Creatures Great & Small, on which Nathan-Turner had served as
production unit manager; Finch's other credits included episodes of the
science-fiction classic The Tomorrow People. Finch was
commissioned to write “Livanthian” (a misspelling of
“Leviathan”) on August 14th, 1983. His scripts were
submitted in November -- with the title appropriately amended -- but
they were apparently deemed too costly to make. It appears that Finch
was paid for the work he had completed to date in September 1985, by
which time the story was known as “Lords Of Chaos”; however,
it's possible that this was a separate submission. After Finch's death
in 2007, his son, Paul, offered the scripts to Big Finish Productions
for their forthcoming range of Doctor Who audio plays based upon
unmade serials. Paul himself performed the necessary rewrites on
“Leviathan”, which was released in January 2010.
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Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached: Complete
script |
Synopsis: Forthcoming |
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3, DWM #575 |
The Lost Power Of Abraxis |
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Writer: Unknown |
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Notes: Reference to “The Lost
Power Of Abraxis” was found in the archives of producer John
Nathan-Turner after his death.
|
Characters: The Fifth or
Sixth Doctors |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Unknown |
Stage Reached:
Unknown |
Synopsis: Unknown
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #575 |
The Macro Men |
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aka The Macros |
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Writers: Ingrid Pitt and Tony
Rudlin |
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Notes: Pitt had just appeared in
1984's Warriors Of The Deep when
she and her husband, Rudlin, submitted several story ideas to the
Doctor Who production office. Of those, only “The Macro
Men” -- inspired by the 1979 conspiracy theory text The
Philadelphia Experiment: Project Invisibility by William L Moore and
Charles Berlitz -- seems to have been pursued. It was conceived as a
Fifth Doctor story, but was refashioned for the Sixth Doctor by the time
the script for the first episode was commissioned on January 19th, 1984.
During the drafting stage, the adventure's title was amended to
“The Macros”. Although Pitt and Rudlin worked closely with
script editor Eric Saward, the tone of their work was deemed to be too
much like that of a comic strip, and the project was abandoned on March
9th. Big Finish Productions released an audio adaptation of “The
Macros” in June 2010.
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Characters: The Fifth Doctor
(original version), the Sixth Doctor (later version), Peri |
Episodes: 4 (original
version), 2 (45-minute; revised version) |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached: Script for
episode one |
Synopsis: Forthcoming
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References: Doctor
Who: The Eighties, Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #3,
DWM #575 |
Mind Of The Hodiac |
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Writer: Russell T Davies |
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Notes: Davies was likely writing
“Mind Of The Hodiac” in 1987, after the revelation that
Colin Baker would not be returning as the Sixth Doctor but prior to the
announcement that Sylvester McCoy had been cast as the Seventh Doctor.
However, the story was formatted as two forty-five-minute episodes, as
per Baker's first full season in 1985. Ultimately consisting of a script
for Episode One and an outline of Episode Two, “Mind Of The
Hodiac” was submitted to the Doctor Who production office,
much as Davies had also offered the narrative which would eventually
become 2005's The Long Game.
In 1989, script editor Andrew Cartmel responded encouragingly about the
quality of Davies' work but, by that time, it was known that the BBC
was winding down the production of Doctor Who. Nonetheless,
Davies would go on to spearhead the programme's revival in 2005. During
the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, during an online event organised by Emily
Cook of Doctor Who Magazine, Davies revealed that he had
rediscovered his materials for “Mind Of The Hodiac”. Cook
subsequently produced an audio adaptation for Big Finish Productions,
with Scott Handcock completing Davies' script; it was released in 2022.
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Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Mel |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Presumably Season
Twenty-Four |
Stage Reached: Partial
script |
Synopsis: The ruthless Hodiac is
manipulating the Galactic Stock Exchange. His goal is to raise funds to
hire mercenaries, in order to help him find his missing half. Meanwhile,
on modern-day Earth, the Maitland family is plagued by poltergeist-like
activity. These events attract the attention of Mrs Chinn, a sinister
researcher into psychic phenomena.
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine #574 |
Mission To Magnus |
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aka Planet Of Storms |
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Writer: Philip Martin |
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Notes: Producer John Nathan-Turner
was happy with the villain Sil whom Philip Martin had created for 1985's
Vengeance On Varos. He quickly
asked Martin for a sequel, and “Mission To Magnus” was
commissioned on August 29th, 1984. (The title “Planet Of
Storms” may also have been considered.) It was decided that this
story would feature the return of the Ice Warriors, last seen in 1974's
The Monster Of Peladon.
“Mission To Magnus” was probably intended to be the fourth
story of Season Twenty-Three, directed by Ron Jones, who had handled Vengeance On Varos. On February
27th, however, it was announced that production of Doctor Who was
being suspended until Spring 1986; ultimately, all of the stories
originally planned for Season Twenty-Three were abandoned in favour of
The Trial Of A Time Lord. Martin
was instead commissioned to write The Trial Of A Time Lord (Segment
Two). Target Books published Martin's novelisation of “Mission
To Magnus” in July 1990, while December 2009 saw the release of
Martin's audio adaptation from Big Finish Productions.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Probably the
fourth story of Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached: Partial
scripts |
Synopsis: The Doctor is lured to the
planet Magnus Epsilon by Anzor, a Time Lord who used to bully him at the
Academy. The planet has been ravaged by a virus which is fatal to any
male exposed to sunlight. However, Zandusia, ruler of Magnus Epsilon,
believes that the neighbouring planet Salvak has found a cure and plans
an invasion. She petitions the Time Lords to travel back in time and
prevent the virus from ever being released. When Anzor refuses, Zandusia
tries to steal the secrets of time travel. Meanwhile, the Doctor's old
enemy Sil is on Magnus Epsilon, apparently in Zandusia's employ. The
Doctor lays a trap for Zandusia in Anzor's TARDIS, but it snares the
other Time Lord, who is locked into a slow course back to the origin of
the universe. Peri join forces with a runaway boy named Vion to rescue
the Doctor. Together, they investigate ice tunnels and discover that Sil
is really working with the Ice Warriors, led by Ice Lord Vedikael, who
set off a series of explosions to change the tilt of the planet's axis.
This will make Magnus Epsilon an arctic world suitable for the Ice
Warriors, and Sil will profit by selling cold weather gear to the
natives. However, when the Ice Warriors decide to eliminate Sil now that
his usefulness is at an end, he reveals the existence of back-up
explosives. The Doctor sets these off, restoring Magnus Epsilon's
orientation. The Ice Warriors are killed by the return of the heat, and
the Salvakans arrive to help rebuild the planet.
|
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References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3 |
Music Of The Spheres |
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Writers: Paul Norris and
David Gottlieb |
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Notes: Norris and Gottlieb
submitted their idea on July 19th, 1984. It was accompanied by a bottle
of champagne, prompting script editor Eric Saward to rebuke them for an
unprofessional act that could be construed as an attempt at bribery. The
champagne was donated for use in a charity auction at a Doctor
Who convention.
|
Characters: Presumably the
Sixth Doctor, Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached:
Story idea |
Synopsis: Unknown |
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #575 |
The Nightmare Fair |
|
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aka Arcade |
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Writer: Graham Williams |
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Notes: On September 25th, 1984,
former producer Graham Williams was commissioned to provide a storyline
called “Arcade”. This would be set in Blackpool at the
suggestion of producer John Nathan-Turner, who was inspired after Colin
Baker was invited there for the grand opening of the Space Mountain
attraction. Williams and script editor Eric Saward travelled to
Blackpool to find suitable locations, and Saward proposed that an
appropriate villain would be the eponymous being from 1966's The Celestial Toymaker. Scripts were
requested on November 17th under the title “The Nightmare
Fair”. It was lined up as the first story of Season Twenty-Three,
to be made by director Matthew Robinson -- who had recently completed Attack Of The Cybermen -- with
Michael Gough returning as the Toymaker. Rehearsal scripts were ready by
February 7th, 1985, with location filming at Blackpool scheduled to run
from May 20th to 24th. On February 27th, however, it was announced that
production of Doctor Who was being suspended until Spring 1986;
ultimately all of the stories originally planned for Season Twenty-Three
were abandoned in favour of The Trial Of
A Time Lord. Target Books published Williams' novelisation of
“The Nightmare Fair” in May 1989. In November 2009, Big
Finish Productions released an audio adaptation by John Ainsworth, with
David Bailie replacing Michael Gough -- who had retired from acting --
as the Toymaker.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: First story of
Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Full scripts |
Synopsis: Vacationing at Blackpool
Pleasure Beach, the Doctor and Peri meet a young man named Kevin whose
brother has vanished, and learn of a spate of recent disappearances from
the funfair. Investigating, they discover that the culprit is the
Doctor's old foe, the Celestial Toymaker, who is studying humans to help
him design a deadly videogame. This videogame, which is about to be
distributed around the world, sees the player battle deadly monsters
which can come to life and exit the game. The Doctor agrees to playtest
the videogame, while Peri and Kevin work with the Toymaker's menagerie
of alien prisoners to construct a device which will distract the
Toymaker at a critical moment, freeing the Doctor. The Doctor then
rewires a piece of the Toymaker's own equipment to trap the immortal
being for all time in a forcefield powered by his own thoughts.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3 |
Paradise Five |
|
|
aka End Of Term |
|
Writer: PJ Hammond |
|
Notes: When script editor Eric
Saward rejected “Pinacotheca”, the
planned “future” segment of The Trial Of A Time Lord, former
continuity adviser Ian Levine suggested he contact Hammond, who had
created the cult classic Sapphire & Steel. On February 10th,
1986, Hammond was commissioned to write “End Of Term”, which
soon became known as “Paradise Five”. Although Hammond
worked quickly, producer John Nathan-Turner was unhappy with his work,
and the scripts were abandoned towards the end of the month. The
“future” segment of The Trial Of A
Time Lord was then taken over by Pip and Jane Baker. Had
Hammond's script been retained, it would have been revealed in the
season's final episodes that Gabriel's business partner was in fact the
Valeyard, and Lorelei was the Valeyard's companion cum mistress. In
March 2010, Big Finish Productions released an audio adaptation of
Hammond's scripts under the slightly amended title “Paradise
5”. Written by Andy Lane, it saw Peri replace Mel as the Doctor's
companion.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Mel |
Episodes: 4 |
Planned For: The third segment
of The Trial Of A Time Lord
for Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached: Full
scripts |
Synopsis: The nine moons of the planet
Paradise form a vast holiday complex. The Doctor's evidence at his trial
depicts his adventure on Paradise Five, where he suspects something is
very wrong. Mel poses as a hostess and befriends Lorelei, an assistant
to the sinister Gabriel who runs Paradise Five. With the help of
holidaymakers Tapp and Aht, they realise that people are disappearing,
and nobody has booked their time on the pleasure world themselves;
rather, the trips are always last-minute surprises. Investigating one of
the collection ships which ferries people away from Paradise Five, the
Doctor discovers that it is a slave vessel, with angelic aliens
kidnapping the holidaymakers. Gabriel uncovers Mel's ruse and Lorelei
reveals herself as one of the alien slavers in disguise. The Doctor,
Mel, Tapp and Aht are trapped on the ship. But Aht, a scientist, deduces
that the aliens are vulnerable to elevated temperatures, and Mel
organises everyone into an aerobics routine to generate body heat. The
aliens are unable to hold their form, allowing the prisoners to escape
to the shuttle port, where they are able to alert the authorities. The
Valeyard accuses the Doctor of failure, because he was unable to uncover
the identity of Gabriel's mysterious business partner.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #203, DWM Special Edition #3 |
Pinacotheca |
|
|
aka The Last Adventure |
|
Writer: Christopher H Bidmead |
|
Notes: Following the abandonment of
“Attack From The
Mind” and “The
Second Coming”, the two-part stories originally intended to
jointly form the “future” segment of The Trial Of A Time Lord, Bidmead
was approached to fill the gap with a four-episode serial. On October
29th, 1985 he was commissioned to write “The Last
Adventure”, which soon became known as “Pinacotheca”
after the Greek word for a picture gallery. Bidmead worked closely with
script editor Eric Saward, submitting each script and soliciting
feedback before proceeding to the next installment. After submitting his
second draft on January 9th, 1986, Bidmead heard nothing for a month, at
which point he was shocked to learn that Saward had advised producer
John Nathan-Turner on February 2nd to reject “Pinacotheca”
on the grounds of being boring and unusable. The “future”
segment of The Trial Of A Time Lord was
ultimately written by Pip and Jane Baker.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Mel |
Episodes: 4 |
Planned For: The third segment
of The Trial Of A Time Lord
for Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached: Full
scripts |
Synopsis: The latest evidence in the
Doctor's trial by the Time Lords is his investigation of Pinacotheca, a
planet which serves as a museum of key times and places in the history
of the universe.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3 |
Point Of Entry |
|
|
|
Writer: Barbara Clegg |
|
Notes: Clegg, who had written
1983's Enlightenment, submitted
this idea circa early 1985, but it was not taken up by the production
team. In April 2010, Big Finish Productions released an audio adaptation
of “Point Of Entry” by Marc Platt.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: In England around 1590, the
Doctor and Peri meet Christopher Marlowe, who is writing The Tragical
History Of Doctor Faustus. Marlowe has been assisted by a Spaniard
named Velez, who claims to be an immortal alchemist. Investigating, the
Doctor learns that Velez has been possessed by an Omn -- a member of the
Omnim, a race whose conscience was preserved in an asteroid when their
planet was destroyed. Part of this asteroid became a meteorite which
fell to Earth in South America, where the Omn inspired the legend of the
Aztec god Quetzacoatl. Velez acquires a knife made from the meteorite
which can inspire rage in anyone nearby, and which will allow him to
bring the remaining Omnim to Earth. The Doctor discovers that the Omnim
are suspectible to sound at a certain frequency, and with Marlowe's help
succeeds in destroying the Omn and the knife, averting the invasion.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #276, DWM Special Edition #3 |
The Pool Of Death |
|
|
|
Writer: Chris Boucher |
|
Notes: Boucher's proposal was
rejected sometime after July 2nd, 1984.
|
Characters: Presumably the
Sixth Doctor, Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: Unknown
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #575 |
Power Play |
|
|
aka Meltdown |
|
Writer: Gary Hopkins |
|
Notes: Hopkins was working on his
scripts, which would have seen the return of former companion Victoria
Waterfield, when it was announced on February 27th, 1985 that production
of Doctor Who was being suspended until Spring 1986. Together
with the subsequent reduction of Season Twenty-Three to fourteen
episodes, this resulted in the abandonment of all projects considered up
to that point. In June 2012, Hopkins' audio adaptation of “Power
Play” was released by Big Finish Productions.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached: Partial
scripts |
Synopsis: Forthcoming
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3, DWM #575 |
The Queen Of Strangers |
|
|
|
|
|
Writer: Alan McDonald |
|
Notes: Reference to “The
Queen Of Strangers” was found in the archives of producer John
Nathan-Turner after his death.
|
Characters: The Fifth or
Sixth Doctors |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Unknown |
Stage Reached:
Unknown |
Synopsis: Unknown
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #575 |
The Second Coming |
|
|
|
Writer: Jack Trevor Story |
|
Notes: Story was part of the
original writing team for what would become The Trial Of A Time Lord. He and
David Halliwell were asked to develop the “future” element
of the evidence against the Doctor. These would be two linked two-part
adventures, which would share most of their sets (as had also been done
in 1975 with The Ark In Space
and Revenge Of The Cybermen).
After an initial meeting of the writers with script editor Eric Saward
on July 9th, 1985, Story was commissioned for “The Second
Coming” on July 26th. However, despite meeting with Halliwell in
order to ensure that their serials melded well, Story appeared to have
difficulty understanding how to write for Doctor Who. Saward
recalled Story becoming fixated on specific details, such as the image
of a man playing a saxophone inside a gasometer. “The Second
Coming” was abandoned by mid-October, with the
“future” segment of The Trial Of A
Time Lord ultimately written by Pip and Jane Baker.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Mel |
Episodes:2 |
Planned For: The fourth
segment of The Trial Of A Time
Lord for Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Unknown |
Synopsis: Unknown
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3 |
The Song Of The Space Whale |
|
|
|
|
|
|
aka The Space Whale, Space-Whale |
|
Writers: Pat Mills and John
Wagner |
|
Notes: Mills and Wagner were
writing comics for Doctor Who Weekly when they devised this
concept. Mills' wife, Angie, felt that it was too good for the comic,
and should be offered to the Doctor Who production team instead.
Although Wagner was skeptical, it was submitted in late 1980, alongside
three other ideas Mills had conceived. The storyline was commissioned on
September 7th, 1981 under the title “Space-Whale” (which saw
the Fourth Doctor replaced by the Fifth), followed by the full scripts
on December 2nd as “The Song Of The Space Whale”. Around
this time, Wagner decided that he was not interested in remaining on the
project, and Mills forged ahead alone. It was decided that “The
Song Of The Space Whale” would be the introductory story for new
companion Turlough. He replaced Rina's original boyfriend, John, and
would now leave with the Doctor instead of Rina because he claimed that
space travel was in his blood. Soon thereafter, however, the scripts ran
into problems when script editor Eric Saward objected to Mills'
working-class depiction of Greeg, and his portrayal of the castaways as
a colony of mystics. The writer was unable to develop an alternative
which was acceptable to Saward, and so “The Song Of The Space
Whale” was replaced by Mawdryn
Undead. Mills and Saward continued to work on the scripts -- now
simply called “The Space Whale” -- and Mills eventually
replaced the castaways with a marooned family. The Sixth Doctor and Peri
became the main characters, and the scripts were rewritten as two
forty-five minute episodes in accordance with the new format for Season
Twenty-Two. Saward continued to have misgivings about the serial,
however, and around the middle of May 1984, “The Space
Whale” was replaced in the schedule by Vengeance On Varos. It appears that further
development of Mills' scripts was undertaken, but they were finally
abandoned around July 1985. Mills later wrote an audio adaptation of his
story, released as “Song Of The Megaptera” by Big Finish
Productions in May 2010.
|
Characters: The Fourth Doctor
(original submission); the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan (revised version);
the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough (second revision); the Sixth
Doctor, Peri (third revision) |
Episodes: 4 (2 45-minute
episodes, third revision) |
Planned For: Third story of
Season Twenty; second story of Season Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached: Complete
script |
Synopsis: The TARDIS is captured by
Captain Greeg of the spaceship Orkas when the Doctor interferes
with his attempts to hunt a massive Ghaleen -- a “space
whale” with the ability to travel in time. Also on the
Orkas are Krakos, an alien Tuthon who wants to steal the orb
which powers the Ghaleen's time travel, and Rina, who believes that a
community of castaways is living in the belly of the Ghaleen, and who
has stowed away aboard Greeg's vessel in the hope of rescuing them. In
fact, the castaways have constructed a “raft-ship” which
would permit them to escape, but their leader, Waldron, has not
disclosed the fact that the device works, because he believes that by
remaining within the Ghaleen, they are living a life safe from the
outside universe. Krakos succeeds in seizing the orb, however, causing
temporal energy -- which induces “time necrosis” -- to flood
out of the Ghaleen. The Doctor uses the raft-ship to reverse the damage,
and Krakos is killed trying to escape the Ghaleen's belly. The castaways
are rescued, but Waldron has been inside the Ghaleen for so long that
when he attempts to leave, he dies of time necrosis. Greeg is overthrown
by his second-in-command, Stennar, and the Ghaleen is allowed to return
to its pod.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #s 228, 229, DWM Special Edition #s 1, 3, 9,
Doctor Who: The Eighties |
Space Sargasso |
|
|
|
Writer: Philip Martin |
|
Notes: Martin submitted this idea
on December 28th, 1983, while awaiting feedback on Season Twenty-Two's
Vengeance On Varos. On March 9th,
1984, script editor Eric Saward noted that more development would be
needed before he could properly assess “Space Sargasso”; the
notion was not pursued further.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached: Story
idea |
Synopsis: The TARDIS is drawn to an area
of space filled with wrecked ships. A creature called the Engineer, who
is in thrall to the Master, is using parts from the vessels to construct
an immense warship.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #309 |
The Talisman Of Zakarus |
|
|
|
|
|
Writer: Rod Beacham |
|
Notes: Reference to “The
Talisman Of Zakarus” was found in the archives of producer John
Nathan-Turner after his death.
|
Characters: The Fifth or
Sixth Doctors |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Unknown |
Stage Reached:
Unknown |
Synopsis: Unknown
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #575 |
The Ultimate Evil |
|
|
|
Writer: Wally K Daly |
|
Notes: “The Ultimate
Evil” was probably intended to be the second story of Season
Twenty-Three, to be made by director Fiona Cumming, who had most
recently handled 1984's Planet Of
Fire. On February 27th, 1985, however, it was announced that
production of Doctor Who was being suspended until Spring 1986;
all of the stories originally planned for Season Twenty-Three were
abandoned in favour of The Trial Of A Time
Lord. Target Books published Daly's novelisation of “The
Ultimate Evil” in August 1989.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Probably the
second story of Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached: Full
scripts |
Synopsis: The continents of Tranquela and
Ameliora have been at peace for fifty years. However, a Salakan arms
dealer called the Dwarf Mordant has entered into an alliance with
Escoval, second in line for the Tranquelan throne, to foment war so that
Escoval can overthrow his ruler, Abatan. The Dwarf Mordant is blanketing
the planet with rays that induce fits of rage. Arriving on Tranquela,
the Doctor is overcome by the Dwarf Mordant's influence and attacks his
old friends, scientists Ravlos and Kareelya. Peri meets Abatan's
disconsolate son, Locas, who murdered his lover, Mariana, during a fit
of mania. Ravlos and Kareelya have invented a helmet which protects the
wearer from the Dwarf Mordant's rays, and use it to save the Doctor.
Peri and Locas uncover Escoval's treachery. The Doctor traces the Dwarf
Mordant's transmissions to his spaceship and forces him to train a peace
ray on the planet, while Abatan executes Escoval and Locas learns that
Mariana survived her apparent death.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3 |
Valley Of Shadows |
|
|
|
Writer: Philip Martin |
|
Notes: Martin submitted this idea
on December 28th, 1983, while awaiting feedback on Season Twenty-Two's
Vengeance On Varos. On March 9th,
1984, script editor Eric Saward noted that more development would be
needed before he could properly assess “Valley Of Shadows”;
the notion was not pursued further.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached: Story
idea |
Synopsis: While visiting an excavation
in Egypt, Peri is seemingly crushed to death. To save her, the Doctor
embarks on a journey to the Egyptian underworld. He finds himself in
ancient Egypt, where the Pharoah Akhenaton rules with the aid of alien
power.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #309 |
Volvok |
|
|
aka Quantum Mirror, Strange
Encounter |
|
Writer: Ian Marter |
|
Notes: Marter had played companion
Harry Sullivan during Season Twelve, and had also written several
Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books. On February 2nd, 1984,
he was commissioned to write a storyline for “Strange
Encounter”. A script for the first episode was later commissioned
under the title “Volvok”, but the adventure was ultimately
dropped.
|
Characters: Presumably the
Sixth Doctor, Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached: Script for
episode one |
Synopsis: Apparently involved hospital
overcrowding.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who: The Eighties, Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #3,
DWM #575 |
Whitewolf |
|
|
|
|
|
Writer: John Buckeridge |
|
Notes: Reference to
“Whitewolf” was found in the archives of producer John
Nathan-Turner after his death.
|
Characters: The Fifth or
Sixth Doctors |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Unknown |
Stage Reached:
Unknown |
Synopsis: Unknown
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #575 |
Yellow Fever And How To Cure It |
|
|
|
Writer: Robert Holmes |
|
Notes: For Season Twenty-Three,
producer John Nathan-Turner hoped to take Doctor Who on a
location shoot to Singapore, where two episodes of the BBC drama
Tenko had been filmed. He and production manager Gary Downie
travelled there on October 19th, 1984. After viewing their footage,
Robert Holmes was commissioned to write the first episode of
“Yellow Fever And How To Cure It” (sometimes referred to
simply as “Yellow Fever”) on October 26th. Shortly
thereafter, Nathan-Turner asked Holmes to add the newly-introduced Rani
to his storyline, alongside the Autons (not seen since 1971's Terror Of The Autons) and the Master.
Holmes requested the postponement of his delivery dates until the
Singapore locations and rights to use the Rani were all confirmed,
having suffered through substantial rewrites on 1985's The Two Doctors. As such, all three
episodes were commissioned together on February 6th, 1985. “Yellow
Fever And How To Cure It” was likely intended to be the season's
third story, made by director Graeme Harper, who was then completing Revelation Of The Daleks. On
February 27th, 1985, however, it was announced that production of
Doctor Who was being suspended until Spring 1986, with the
programme then returning for a season of twenty-five-minute episodes.
Holmes was asked to rework his storyline for this format, with the
Master no longer appearing. At the end of May, however, it was decided
that Season Twenty-Three would consist of only fourteen episodes,
leading to the development of The
Trial Of A Time Lord. Unlike the other planned Season
Twenty-Three scripts, some thought was given to incorporating
“Yellow Fever And How To Cure It” into this new framework,
but the programme's reduced budget would preclude location filming in
Singapore. As such, Holmes was instead commissioned to write The Trial Of A Time Lord
(Segment One).
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 3
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Probably the
third story of Season Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: The Master and the Rani are in
Singapore, disguised as street performers, and working with the Autons.
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3, Doctor Who: The Trial Of A Time
Lord DVD Production Subtitles |
(untitled) |
|
|
|
Writer: Wendy Graham |
|
Notes: In 1983 and 1984, Graham
appeared in a production of French Without Tears at the Grand
Theatre, Blackpool. One of her castmates was Deborah Watling, who had
played Victoria Waterfield, companion to the Second Doctor. Together,
they discussed the possibility of Victoria returning to Doctor
Who, and Graham submitted a story idea to the production office. It
was still under consideration in June 1984, but would not ultimately be
pursued.
|
Characters: Presumably the
Sixth Doctor, Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached:
Story idea |
Synopsis: Unknown
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #575 |
(untitled) |
|
|
|
Writer: Mark Morris |
|
Notes: Morris submitted a storyline
to the Doctor Who production office on July 13th, 1984. Although
it was rejected, he would subsequently write a variety of Doctor
Who novels, short stories and audio plays, starting with 1997's
The Bodysnatchers from BBC Books.
|
Characters: Presumably the
Sixth Doctor, Peri |
Episodes: Unknown |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Two |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: Unknown
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine #575 |
(untitled) |
|
|
|
Writer: Bill Pritchard |
|
Notes: Pritchard's serial may have
been intended as a potential back-up in case one of the stories planned
for late in the original Season Twenty-Three run -- probably either “The Hollows Of
Time” or “The
Children Of January” -- fell through. The postponement of
production on Season Twenty-Three to Spring 1986, and its subsequent
reduction to fourteen episodes, resulted in the abandonment of all
projects considered up to that point.
|
Characters: The Sixth Doctor,
Peri |
Episodes: 2
(45-minute) |
Planned For: Season
Twenty-Three |
Stage Reached:
Storyline |
Synopsis: Unknown
|
|
References: Doctor
Who Magazine Special Edition #3 |
|