Doctor Who: The Lost Stories (The Sixth Doctor) Jump: A | C | E | G | I | L | N | P | S | U | X | ? Arcade see The Nightmare Fair Attack From The Mind Writer: David Halliwell 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. 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. References: Doctor Who Magazine #201, DWM Special Edition #3 Cat's Cradle Writer: Marc Platt 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. 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. References: Doctor Who Magazine #190 The Children Of January Writer: Michael Feeney Callan 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 References: Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #3 The Children Of Seth aka May Time, Manpower, Man Watch, Children's Seth Writer: Christopher Bailey 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. 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 References: Doctor Who Magazine #s 227, 327, DWM Special Edition #s 1, 3, Doctor Who: The Complete History #36, Doctor Who: The Eighties Children's Seth see The Children Of Seth Dark Labyrinth Writer: David Banks 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 References: Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #3 Doomwraiths Writer: Philip Martin 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. References: Doctor Who Magazine #309 Elektaron Five Writer: Peter Howell 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. Characters: Presumably the Sixth Doctor, Peri Episodes: Unknown Planned For: Season Twenty-Two Stage Reached: Storyline Synopsis: Unknown References: Doctor Who Magazine #575 End Of Term see Paradise Five The First Sontarans Writer: Andrew Smith 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 References: Doctor Who Magazine #432, DWM Special Edition #3 Flipback see Iceberg Gallifrey Writers: Pip Baker and Jane Baker 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. 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. References: Doctor Who: Magazine Special Edition #3, Doctor Who: The Eighties Ghost Planet Writer: Robin Squire 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 References: Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #1, DWM Special Edition #3, Doctor Who: The Eighties The Guardians Of Prophecy aka The Place Of Serenity Writer: Johnny Byrne 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. 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. References: Doctor Who Magazine #170, DWM Special Edition #3, Doctor Who: The Sixties Hex Writers: Peter Ling and Hazel Adair 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”. 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. References: Doctor Who Magazine #s 213, 214, DWM Special Edition #3 The Hollows Of Time aka In The Hollows Of Time Writer: Christopher H Bidmead 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 References: Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #3, Doctor Who: The Complete History #42 Iceberg aka Flipback Writer: David Banks 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. References: Doctor Who: The New Adventures: Iceberg, Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #3, DWM Special Edition #10 In The Hollows Of Time see The Hollows Of Time Incident On Zeta Minor see Project Zeta-Sigma The Last Adventure see Pinacotheca League Of The Tandreds Writer: Peter Grimwade 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. 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 aka Livanthian, Lords Of Chaos Writer: Brian Finch 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. 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 Livanthian see Leviathan Lords Of Chaos see Leviathan The Lost Power Of Abraxis Writer: Unknown 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 References: Doctor Who Magazine #575 The Macro Men aka The Macros Writers: Ingrid Pitt and Tony Rudlin 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. 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 References: Doctor Who: The Eighties, Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #3, DWM #575 The Macros see The Macro Men Manpower see The Children Of Seth Man Watch see The Children Of Seth May Time see The Children Of Seth Meltdown see Power Play Mind Of The Hodiac Writer: Russell T Davies 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. 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. References: Doctor Who Magazine #574 Mission To Magnus aka Planet Of Storms Writer: Philip Martin 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. References: Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #3 Music Of The Spheres Writers: Paul Norris and David Gottlieb 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 aka Arcade Writer: Graham Williams 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 The Place Of Serenity see The Guardians Of Prophecy Planet Of Storms see Mission To Magnus 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 Quantum Mirror see Volvok 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 Space Whale see The Song Of The Space Whale Space-Whale see The Song Of The Space Whale Strange Encounter see Volvok 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

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