Former Doctor Who Writer Reveals Chilling Original Story For Season 3’s Villain

Former Doctor Who writer Robert Shearman shines a light on an original concept for a season 1 story that almost featured a season 3 villain in an earlier debut. After a 16-year absence from television screens, the sci-fi series returned to screens in 2005 under showrunner Russell T Davies, with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper leading as the Ninth Doctor and companion Rose Tyler. In Doctor Who season 1 episode 6, “Dalek,” the Doctor and Rose arrive in an underground alien museum, bringing the Time Lord face to face with the last Dalek, the only other survivor of the Time War.

As the revival nears its 20th anniversary, Shearman looked back on his season 1 story to Doctor Who Magazine, revealing unused concepts for “Dalek.” Had the production been unable to acquire the rights to use the Daleks from the Terry Nation estate, the writer would have introduced a species that ultimately became season 3’s Toclafane, with their role in Gallifrey’s destruction and unknowable origin tormenting the Time Lord. Check out his explanation below:

“I think it was quite fun, really. The monster in Henry Van Statten’s cage was now a mysterious sphere, that had come out of nowhere and destroyed the Time Lords – and the anguish the Doctor felt was that he had never found out what they were. I remember a scene where the Doctor is at last forced to kill it to save Rose – and even as it’s dying, he’s cradling it and begging it to tell him what it is. “Shan’t” says the sphere. They were Russell’s idea – We would later find out they were human heads in a ball, the future of humankind. He called them the Toclafane, and used them in series 3. Daleks was better than my other version, though, I’m so relieved we got the rights after all.”

Why The Dalek’s Return Was Important For Doctor Who Season 1

The Daleks Have Always Had An Irreplaceable Place In The Series

It would be hard to imagine Doctor Who returning to the screen without the Daleks. Not only were they the Time Lord’s first true on-screen enemies, but their popularity spawned their own merchandising throughout the 1960s through “DalekMania.” They have always been present in the franchise one way or another, even in the early stages of the pitched 1990s revival when Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor saw them return, though with a drastic redesign. As such, Davies has revealed that they played a major part in pitching his vision for the show’s return.

Furthermore, the use of the Daleks in season 1 played a vital role in cementing the show’s success. Building upon threads from their last appearance in 1988’s “Remembrance of the Daleks,” the villains are not able to bridge the two series, but “Daleks” acts as a major turning point for the Doctor’s arc, peeling back the mystique and bravado of Eccleston’s Doctor and showing a broken, vulnerable person forced to cast aside everything he held dear to save the universe. When paired with the episode providing much rehabilitation for the villain’s terrifying image, “Dalek” is a high point of the revived series.

Our Thoughts On Doctor Who’s Original Toclafane Debut

The Species’ Original Role Could Have Had Major Ramifications For Season 1

While Toclafane would be removed from their original debut story in favor of Doctor Who’s standout original villains, it can be argued that the reworking worked out the best for both. Not only was a classic villain given new life, but Toclafane’s tale being extended across three episodes alongside the return of the Master (John Simm) resulted in a truly dire finale that had some of the series’ highest stakes. As such, it would be hard to imagine a series where “Dalek” wouldn’t be produced.​​​​​

Nevertheless, Shearman’s tease of the original, Toclafane-centred adventure leaves questions about how different the rest of season 1 may have been if the original plans had gone ahead. While the Doctor may not have discovered their identity, the Toclafane would be brought to a dystopian future Earth if they also took the roles the Daleks did in the season finale “Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways,” which may make their true human origin more impactful. While the Toclafane may have not been revisited since 2007, perhaps a future Doctor Who expanded universe story could use this concept in a new adventure.

​​​​​​