Doctor Who: An introduction to Season Twenty-Seven

In 1989, after twenty-six seasons, Doctor Who was cancelled. But what if it hadn’t been? What stories would’ve been told in the season that was never made?

We’ve had so many Doctor Who stories over the years. Just in the Classic Series alone, over 150 stories were made. It’s unsurprising, therefore, that many other stories came close to production, but sadly didn’t quite make it that far.

Sometimes, this is due to the producers wanting something different. Sometimes, it’s as simple as a story being too costly to produce realistically. (I still have no idea how Remembrance of the Daleks was made. It’s one of the greatest stories ever, but that’s an incredibly explosive story in every sense of the term.)

But there are other times when a story becomes so close to being produced. Everything’s in place: a workable script, a reasonable budget, a planned out location. And then…you get cancelled. Not just one story, no. But an entire season.

Oddly enough, this actually happened twice on Doctor Who. The first time, an entire season of stories was scrapped, simply because the BBC halved the stories and therefore the budget, too. This happened with the originally planned Season Twenty-Three in 1986, which took a very different route when it was eventually broadcast.

However, there was one other season that was cancelled at a crucial stage. One that wouldn’t be replaced, not until 2005, anyway. Yes, I’m talking about the originally planned season twenty-seven.

In the originally planned season twenty-seven, we would have been introduced to brand new companion Raine Creevy in Crime of the Century.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

What could have been

When Doctor Who was cancelled in 1989, the production team did already have plans for the next season. This season would have included some major ideas and changes.

One of which was that it was supposed to feature the departure of popular companion Ace. This would have been the resolution to an arc that had slowly built up over her TV stories, in which the Doctor was essentially training her to be a Time Lord. At the end of her departure story, she would have gone to Gallifrey.

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This story also would have seen the birth of Raine Creevy, who would grow up to be the Doctor’s next companion. Created by Andrew Cartmel, Raine was a highly skilled cat burglar, and a very different companion to Ace.

While the stories of season twenty-seven were never produced on television, in 2011, Big Finish adapted a few of the suggested stories into audios. However, they made a few key changes.

One of the biggest was Ace’s storyline. Unlike what was originally planned on television, Ace stays with the Doctor, and travels alongside Raine. However, stories have been told of her on Gallifrey at a much later point, including Gallifrey: Time War, so Big Finish have adapted that idea to a partial extent.

So how are the stories of season twenty-seven? Do the audios give us a good idea of what might have been? Find out soon, as we review each of The Lost Stories of the season that never was.

Next. Condemning old Doctors isn’t the same as praising new ones. dark

Do you wish season twenty-seven had been made? Do you wish Raine had been an on-screen companion? Do you approve of Big Finish’s adaptations? Let us know in the comments below.

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