Doctor Who: The Lost Stories (The Seventh Doctor) Jump: A | C | E | G | I | L | N | P | S | U | X | ? Action At A Distance see Crime Of The Century Alixion Writer: Robin Mukherjee Notes: Mukherjee was new to television when he was commissioned to provide a storyline for “Alixion” on November 18th, 1987. It was still being worked on a year later and was a candidate for inclusion in Season Twenty-Six, but development was slow due to Mukherjee's inexperience. It then became a strong possibility for the final slot of Season Twenty-Seven, before the cancellation of Doctor Who in 1989. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, Ace Episodes: 3 Planned For: Seasons Twenty-Six and Twenty-Seven Stage Reached: Partial(?) scripts Synopsis: The giant beetles of the planet Alixion, led by their Queen, produce an intelligence-boosting elixir. However, the Doctor discovers that this is because the Abbot of a human monastery on Alixion is feeding people to the beetles. The Abbot now intends to see what happens when the beetles consume a Time Lord. References: Doctor Who Magazine #255, DWM Special Edition #10 Avatar Writer: David A McIntee Notes: “Avatar” was inspired by the works of horror pioneer HP (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft, creator of the Cthulhu Mythos in the early twentieth century. The serial's Arkham setting was a fictional town created by Lovecraft, and indeed a supporting character was called “Howard Phillips”. Since location filming in New England was not feasible, McIntee was asked to rewrite “Avatar” for Cornwall; he also anticipated that lack of content would result in the story being trimmed from four episodes to three. He had completed the script for Episode One when Doctor Who was cancelled in September 1989, resulting in the story's abandonment. McIntee would later write numerous Doctor Who novels for Virgin Publishing and BBC Books, beginning with another Lovecraft-inspired tale, White Darkness, published in June 1993. Characters: The Seventh Doctor Episodes: 4 Planned For: Season Twenty-Seven Stage Reached: Partial script Synopsis: In 1927 Arkham, Massachusetts, aliens with the ability to possess and reanimate cadavers plan to clone the fossilised remains of a Silurian god. References: Doctor Who Magazine #255, DWM Special Edition #10 Bad Destination see Earth Aid 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 Clone The Drone aka Drone The Clone Writer: Ian Briggs Notes: This was the first concept proposed by Briggs when script editor Andrew Cartmel asked him to develop ideas for Doctor Who. It was rejected as being too steeped in cliche, and Briggs instead wrote Dragonfire. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, Mel Episodes: Unknown Planned For: Season Twenty-Four Stage Reached: Story idea Synopsis: The Doctor and Melanie help a group of rebels in their struggle against a tyrant. References: Doctor Who: The Complete History #44 Crime Of The Century aka Action At A Distance Writer: Ben Aaronovitch Notes: The intended third story of Season Twenty-Seven was meant to be a direct sequel to the second story -- known as “Thin Ice” -- which introduced Raine Cunningham as a baby born in the 1960s. Now she would be seen again as an adult in modern times, and become the Doctor's new companion. Script editor Andrew Cartmel envisaged Raine as an aristocratic graduate of fine finishing schools -- providing a sharp contrast with her streetwise predecessor Ace -- yet very adept at taking care of herself, given her father's career in the London underworld. In particular, Cartmel thought in terms of the classy spy Emma Peel, as played by Diana Rigg in The Avengers from 1965 to 1967. Only the first scene -- in which Raine stole away from a dinner party at a country house and cracked a safe to find the Doctor inside -- had been mapped out when Doctor Who was cancelled in September 1989. Indeed, it was not a certainty that Aaronovitch would ultimately have written these scripts. The title “Crime Of The Century” was assigned by Doctor Who Magazine in 1997. Cartmel preferred “Action At A Distance”, but hewed to the established name when he created an audio adaptation for Big Finish Productions, released in May 2011. Characters: The Seventh Doctor Episodes: Unknown Planned For: Probably the third story of Season Twenty-Seven Stage Reached: Story idea Synopsis: In the present day, the Doctor's goddaughter Raine Cunningham has grown up to become a burglar and a safe cracker, even as her father -- once an East End crime boss -- is trying to go straight. References: Doctor Who Magazine #255, DWM #433, DWM Special Edition #10 The Dark Dimension aka Lost In The Dark Dimension Writers: Adrian Rigelsford and Joanna McCaul Notes: On June 10th, 1993 BBC Enterprises announced that it was making a direct-to-video special to celebrate Doctor Who's thirtieth anniversary. The script, originally called “Lost In The Dark Dimension” and then simply “The Dark Dimension”, was planned to be written by Rigelsford and McCaul, before Rigelsford became the sole author. He drew links with the Doctor Who: The New Adventures line of original novels from Virgin Publishing: Summerfield was a take on Professor Bernice Summerfield, the Doctor's companion introduced in the 1992 novel Love And War, while Ace's full name had been revealed to be Dorothy McShane in 1993's Set Piece. The producers of “The Dark Dimension” were to be David Jackson and Penny Mills; BBC Drama then decided to become involved with the project and former Head of Series and Serials Peter Cregeen took Jackson's place. “The Dark Dimension” was now intended to air on BBC1 on November 28th. Former producer John Nathan-Turner was invited to participate as a consultant, but declined. Graeme Harper agreed to direct, with filming scheduled to begin on August 24th. It was hoped that either Brian Blessed or David Bowie might be cast as Hawkspur. However, the project's meagre budget meant that not all of the Doctors could play a major role, and so Rigelsford chose to showcase Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor -- who was seen as the most popular -- with a secondary role for Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor. This drew objections from Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison and Colin Baker, who felt that they were being relegated to cameo appearances. At the same time, Philip David Segal was negotiating a co-production agreement with the BBC to bring Doctor Who back to television on a regular basis. He felt that “The Dark Dimension” might be unflatteringly conflated with his proposal, which would eventually bear fruit as Doctor Who (1996). With all of these circumstances working against it, the BBC chose to cancel the special on July 9th. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, the Sixth Doctor, the Fifth Doctor, the Fourth Doctor, the Third Doctor, Ace, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Episodes: 1 (96 minutes) Planned For: 1993 Special Stage Reached: Full script Synopsis: Professor Oliver Hawkspur is running for Prime Minister, but is in fact trying to push the Earth towards an ecological crisis. Troopers from the future, led by Summerfield, arrive and encounter a schoolteacher named Dorothy McShane and her boyfriend Alex, the son of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. They find the Doctor, who is in his fourth incarnation because a force prevented his regeneration at the Pharos Project. He has been an amnesiac for fifteen years, but Dorothy -- really Ace -- possesses the memories of his future incarnations, which heal his mind. The Doctor now knows that they are trapped in a dark dimension: an alternate reality. Using Summerfield's technology, the Doctor opens a vortex so that he, Ace and the Brigadier can travel through time. They discover that Hawkspur was possessed by an alien entity in 1936, and also encounter the Third, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors. In the present day, Hawkspur is unleashing an army of the Doctor's foes, cloned from the Time Lord's mind; he plans to eliminate humanity so that he can populate the Earth with creatures like the one that has possessed him. This entity is made of chronal energy, and used the Doctor's aborted regeneration to create the dark dimension. Alex is killed as the Doctor draws the creature out of Hawkspur's body and banishes it into the vortex. Time resets, and the Doctor regenerates back into his seventh body. References: Doctor Who: The Nth Doctor, Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #5 Destination: Holocaust Writer: David Roden Notes: When former producer John Nathan-Turner agreed to create a short 3-D Doctor Who sketch for the BBC's 1993 Children In Need charity appeal -- which would double as a celebration of Doctor Who's thirtieth anniversary -- he contacted David Roden to help develop a storyline. “Destination: Holocaust” was Roden's first attempt, but it was quickly dismissed on the grounds of cost. Nathan-Turner and Roden would instead write Dimensions In Time. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Episodes: 1 (5 minutes) Planned For: 1993 Special Stage Reached: Storyline Synopsis: In the English countryside, the Brigadier collects the Doctor for a UNIT reunion. However, the Cybermen have been tracking the Doctor and their ship crashes nearby. The Doctor and the Brigadier take refuge in a church as the Cybermen advance towards them. References: Doctor Who Magazine #324 Drone The Clone see Clone The Drone Earth Aid aka Bad Destination Writer: Ben Aaronovitch Notes: During the summer of 1988, Aaronovitch and script editor Andrew Cartmel collaborated on War World, an ultimately unused script for the Doctor Who stage play which became The Ultimate Adventure. When considering ideas for Season Twenty-Seven, they decided to revive an alien race created for War World called the Metatraxi. The likely season premiere would have been that year's three-part, studio-bound serial. However, Aaronovitch had only roughed out the script for the first scene and developed vague ideas about the rest of the storyline when Doctor Who was cancelled in September 1989. At this point, the adventure was untitled; it was dubbed “Earth Aid” by Doctor Who Magazine in 1997, although “Bad Destination” was also later proposed. “Earth Aid” was eventually adapted by Aaronovitch and Cartmel as an audio play, released by Big Finish Productions in July 2011. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, Ace Episodes: 3 Planned For: Probably the first story of Season Twenty-Seven Stage Reached: Story idea Synopsis: Ace poses as the captain of a spaceship in a conflict against the Metatraxi, alien insectoid creatures with a Samurai-like code of honour. References: Doctor Who Magazine #255, DWM #433, DWM Special Edition #10 The Endgame Writer: David Roden Notes: In July 1993, it appeared that Dimensions In Time -- the proposed thirtieth-anniversary Doctor Who sketch designed to air as part of the BBC's Children In Need charity telethon -- would have to be scrapped due to issues with the planned crossover involving characters and locations from the soap opera EastEnders. Roden developed “The Endgame” in its place; he had recently appeared with Michael Gough in the play Wittgenstein and believed that the actor would be willing to reprise his eponymous role from 1966's The Celestial Toymaker. Roden hoped that the special could be filmed at Dreamland in Margate, while production manager Gary Downie thought that permission could be granted to use Chessington World of Adventures for free. However, “The Endgame” was dropped when the EastEnders situation was resolved. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, the Sixth Doctor, the Fifth Doctor, the Fourth Doctor, the Third Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Episodes: 2 (5 minutes) Planned For: 1993 Special Stage Reached: Script Synopsis: The Celestial Toymaker has captured the Doctor's earlier incarnations, whom he wants to possess and turn into more Toymakers. The Seventh Doctor agrees to compete against the Toymaker in a game, with all of his lives at stake. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT must locate the TARDIS in a funfair guarded by Cybermen. When the Brigadier wins the game, the Doctors join together to attack the Toymaker. The Brigadier takes advantage of the opportunity to shoot the Toymaker, who is sucked into the sphere he had used to hold the Doctors captive. The earlier Doctors are returned to their proper place in the timestream, while the Seventh Doctor and the Brigadier plan to deposit the sphere in a black hole, trapping the Toymaker forever. References: Doctor Who Magazine #324 Hostage Writer: Neil Penswick Notes: This was an unsolicited submission which script editor Andrew Cartmel deemed too expensive. Nonetheless, he liked “Hostage” enough to prompt a meeting between himself and Penswick. However, it was not long afterward -- in September 1989 -- that Doctor Who was cancelled. Penswick later used some elements of “Hostage” for his Doctor Who: The New Adventures novel The Pit, released in March 1993 by Virgin Publishing. Characters: The Seventh Doctor Episodes: 3 Planned For: Season Twenty-Seven Stage Reached: Script Synopsis: Elite soldiers pursue shapeshifting criminals Butler and Swarfe, who have stolen advanced weapons technology and brought it to a jungle planet where the Time Lords once fought a race called the Scaroth. References: Doctor Who Magazine #255, DWM Special Edition #10 Ice Time see Thin Ice Illegal Alien Writer: Robert Perry and Mike Tucker Notes: Mike Tucker, a visual effects assistant on Doctor Who, wrote under the pen name “Greg Ashby”. He and Perry had already submitted one script under a pseudonym and, when it was rejected, Tucker admitted to script editor Andrew Cartmel that he was one of the writers responsible. Cartmel encouraged Perry and Tucker to try again, and they developed “Illegal Alien” in 1988. At this point, Ian Briggs was working on The Curse Of Fenric, which had a similar setting; as such, he advised the pair to wait before submitting their work. They finally did so in early 1989, having written two scripts and storylined the closing episode. However, any further development ceased when Doctor Who was cancelled in September of that year. Perry and Tucker later adapted “Illegal Alien” as a novel for BBC Books, published in October 1997. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, Ace Episodes: 3 Planned For: Seasons Twenty-Six and Twenty-Seven Stage Reached: Partial scripts Synopsis: The Doctor and Ace confront the Cybermen in World War II London. References: Doctor Who Magazine #255, DWM Special Edition #10 Knight Fall Writer: Ben Aaronovitch Notes: This unsolicited idea was submitted in May 1987. Script editor Andrew Cartmel liked some of the concepts, but he felt that there were too many supporting characters and that it was generally inappropriate for Doctor Who. However, he encouraged Aaronovitch to pitch more stories, and this soon led to Remembrance Of The Daleks. Characters: The Seventh Doctor Episodes: Unknown Planned For: Season Twenty-Five Stage Reached: Unknown Synopsis: Concerned privatisation. References: Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #10 Lost In The Dark Dimension see The Dark Dimension Lungbarrow Writer: Marc Platt Notes: Platt was working on “Lungbarrow” by the autumn of 1988, drawing elements from Mervyn Peake's 1946 fantasy novel Titus Groan and its 1950 sequel Gormenghast. “Lungbarrow” was meant to be a milestone in script editor Andrew Cartmel's redevelopment of the Doctor Who mythos, introducing the notion that Time Lords were sterile and maintained their population through the use of genetic Looms. The Doctor began to realise that he is related, through the Loom at Lungbarrow, to the Other -- a mysterious figure in Gallifreyan prehistory who was part of a triumvirate of Time Lord pioneers with Rassilon and Omega. However, producer John Nathan-Turner was wary of rushing into such a major revelation, and so “Lungbarrow” was reworked as Ghost Light. Platt later used his original storyline as the basis for the final Seventh Doctor release in Virgin Publishing's Doctor Who: The New Adventures range; this Lungbarrow was published in March 1997. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, Ace Episodes: Unknown Planned For: Season Twenty-Six Stage Reached: Storyline Synopsis: The Doctor confronts his bizarre family of cousins at Lungbarrow, his sentient ancestral home in South Gallifrey. References: Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #10 Night Thoughts Writer: Edward Young Notes: Young submitted “Night Thoughts” to script editor Andrew Cartmel in mid-1989. Although Cartmel felt that the script was undisciplined, he also saw a lot of potential, and was interested in following up with Young. However, any such plans were dropped when Doctor Who was cancelled that September. Young later adapted “Night Thoughts” as an audio play, released by Big Finish Productions in February 2006. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, Ace Episodes: Unknown Planned For: Season Twenty-Seven Stage Reached: Script, possibly complete Synopsis: University academics are trapped at a remote house in the winter, not realising that there is a murderer in their midst. References: Doctor Who Magazine #255, DWM Special Edition #10 A School For Glory Writer: Tony Etchells Notes: Etchells and an unknown co-writer submitted this anti-war polemic. Characters: The Seventh Doctor Episodes: Unknown Planned For: Season Twenty-Seven Stage Reached: Script Synopsis: A story of alien possession set in the British trenches of World War I and at an academy located in an English country house. References: Doctor Who Magazine #255, DWM Special Edition #10 Shrine Writer: Marc Platt Notes: After “Cat's Cradle” was rejected, Platt developed this idea in late 1987 with the help of Doctor Who script editor Andrew Cartmel and writer Ben Aaronovitch. It was inspired by Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel War And Peace, as well as the works of Gormenghast author Mervyn Peake. During 1988, however, Platt stopped working on “Shrine” in favour of “Lungbarrow”. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, Ace Episodes: Unknown Planned For: Season Twenty-Five or Twenty-Six Stage Reached: Unknown Synopsis: In 1820 Russia, the Doctor and Ace arrive at the home of Alexei Semyonovitch. Stone-headed aliens arrive searching for their God-King, who has been reincarnated as a serf. References: Doctor Who Magazine #190, DWM Special Edition #10 Thin Ice aka Ice Time Writer: Marc Platt Notes: Sophie Aldred was contracted for eight episodes during Season Twenty-Seven, and so it was planned to write Ace out halfway through the year. Platt was asked to develop an Ice Warrior story, and while his inclination was to write a futuristic adventure set on a terraformed Mars, script editor Andrew Cartmel requested that he use a 1960s setting in light of the success of Season Twenty-Five's Remembrance Of The Daleks. Producer John Nathan-Turner wanted to use the popular London Dungeon attraction as a filming location. Platt's story would be linked with the third story of Season Twenty-Seven (which has become known as “Crime Of The Century”), which would also feature Cunningham and his daughter Raine, but in the present day. The adult Raine would become the Doctor's new companion, while Platt hoped that the elder Cunningham would be a recurring ally in the manner of UNIT's Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Cartmel hoped to involve Ian Briggs, who had essentially created Ace, in the development of Platt's ideas, but the entire project was scuppered when Doctor Who was cancelled in September 1989. The title “Ice Time” was assigned by Doctor Who Magazine in 1997. This did not find favour with Platt, who changed it to “Thin Ice” when he adapted his ideas for Big Finish Productions; the resulting audio was released in April 2011. For this version, Cunningham's surname became Creevy to avoid confusion with a real Raine Cunningham. Characters: The Seventh Doctor, Ace Episodes: 4 Planned For: Probably the second story of Season Twenty-Seven Stage Reached: Story idea Synopsis: The Doctor wants to enrol Ace at the Time Lord Academy on Gallifrey, but she must pass a final test to gain admission. In 1960s England, parts of the armour of an infamous Ice Lord have inadvertently become incorporated into a display at the London Dungeon. Elsewhere, another Ice Warrior awaits the revival of his longtime rival. The Doctor and Ace find an unlikely ally in a hippie named Cunningham with underworld connections; when his pregnant wife gives birth, the Doctor delivers the baby girl, called Raine, and becomes her godfather. Having succeeded in her audition, Ace leaves the Doctor to stay on Gallifrey -- where they both hope that she will become a force for change in Time Lord society, dispelling the lethargy that has burdened it for millennia. References: Doctor Who Magazine #255, DWM #433, DWM Special Edition #10 Transit Writer: Ben Aaronovitch Notes: This idea was submitted in June 1987. Aaronovitch later developed it into a Doctor Who: The New Adventures novel of the same name, featuring the Seventh Doctor and Bernice Summerfield. It was published in December 1992 by Virgin Books. Characters: The Seventh Doctor Episodes: Unknown Planned For: Season Twenty-Five Stage Reached: Unknown Synopsis: In the future, a system of transportation portals spans the solar system, but now seems to have opened a gateway to Hell. References: Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #10

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