Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has detailed his ambitious plans for an unmade third series of the BBC science fiction program in his memoir, The Queerest of Folk: A Life in Television, co-authored with Boyd Hilton. Released following the conclusion of the show’s partnership with Disney Plus, the book reveals scripts that were fully written and high-concept storylines that never made it to the screen.
Inside the Unproduced Series 3 Scripts
Work on a potential third series began during the production of Ncuti Gatwa’s second run, despite a shifting television landscape and uncertain futures. Davies shared that three scripts were entirely finished before the collaboration ended, leaving him heartbroken that audiences will never see them come to life.
Among the planned episodes was a historical epic set during the Great Fire of London in 1666, penned by the writing team of Laurence Clark and Jack Thorne. Davies noted that the production finally would have possessed the budget to execute the flames and widespread panic properly. Another script by Lydia Adetunji was set to push the series into brutal horror territory aboard a NASA-style space station, centering around trypophobia.
Additionally, writer Sharma Angel-Walfall drafted an episode set on a council estate in Manchester, which Davies likened to a fusion between Doctor Who and the film Rocks. Other script concepts included bringing back writer Juno Dawson following her work on ‘The Interstellar Song Contest’.
Returning Characters and the Four-Part Dalek Finale
Davies also harbored plans to bring back Jonathan Groff’s Rogue, who served as a romantic interest for Gatwa’s Doctor in the 2024 episode ‘Rogue’. Although a sequel was repeatedly postponed and failed to materialize in series two, writers Kate Herron and Briony Redman were in discussions to map out a 1980s-inspired adventure situated in Blackpool, utilizing video arcades as a central plot point.
The most expansive vision was reserved for the series finale, which would have bucked modern formatting trends by dedicating four episodes exclusively to the Daleks. While plot details remain scarce, the scope demonstrated a massive commitment to the Doctor’s most iconic foes, far exceeding typical single or two-part modern arcs.
Unrealized Specials and Spin-Off Concepts
Alongside Series 3 concepts, Davies pitched a 2026 Christmas Special that juxtaposed an old-world English village with an outer-space festival called Winternox aboard a mysterious spaceship, featuring an abundance of Daleks and a hidden surprise.
The memoir also maps out broader spin-off concepts under ‘The War Between’ banner. While The War Between the Land and the Sea advanced into production, alternate yearly concepts were proposed, including:
- The War Between the Earth and the Moon, following a tyrannical US president taking command of UNIT’s Moonbase.
- The War Between the Men and the Women.
- The War Between the Clever and the Not.
As industry analysts and fans comb through the details of the memoir, the revelations offer a rare, unvarnished look at the complex behind-the-scenes realities of modern international co-productions and the fragile nature of television planning.
