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During the long history of the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, a number of stories were proposed but never fully produced. Below is a list of unmade serials submitted by recognized professionals. Although the BBC intended to produce the serials, they were not made. Many have become subjects of features in Doctor Who Magazine or other periodicals and books devoted to the television show.
The unmade serials existed during the tenure of each of the previous thirteen incarnations of the Doctor. Reasons include strike action (which caused the partially-filmed Shada to be abandoned), actors leaving roles (The Final Game, cancelled after Roger Delgado's death), and the series' going on hiatus twice—in 1985 and 1989.[1]
The plots of the unmade serials varied. The theme of a civilization in which women are dominant was proposed twice, for The Hidden Planet and The Prison in Space. In some cases, elements of an unmade series were adapted or moved from one project to another. Song of the Space Whale was intended to be the introduction of Vislor Turlough until it was repeatedly postponed, making Mawdryn Undead Turlough's first appearance.
Some unused stories have been adapted for other media. Shada was animated, and several unmade serials were compiled into an audio series released by Big Finish entitled The Lost Stories.