The recent Doctor Who centenary special The Power of the Doctor brought back all sorts of characters from years gone by – from past Doctors such as Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy to erstwhile companions like Janet Fielding and Sophie Aldred.
And according to the episode’s script, there were initially tentative plans for a couple of other familiar faces to make brief appearances as well.
The script reveals that in one of the special’s final scenes – which saw various former companions meet for a support group – it had been hoped that Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri) and Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) might make cameos, alongside more recent companion Ryan (Tosin Cole).
In setting the scene, the script reads: “Sat in circle. ACE, TEGAN, IAN CHESTERTON, JO GRANT, MEL BUSH, KATE STEWART, DAN LEWIS. Ace has Graham on one side, Yaz on the other, and Tegan just past Yaz. They are all wearing handwritten name stickers for each other’s benefit!”
And it continures: “On a laptop screen we might even see a few others joining in: Martha or Ryan or Jackie Tyler!”
It’s not immediately clear why none of the three former stars were able to appear in the end, but it’s possible it could have been an issue with scheduling conflicts. Agyeman hasn’t appeared in Who since the 2010 Christmas special The End of Time, while Coduri’s last appearance came in 2010 – although both have appeared in several Big Finish audio dramas since then.
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The full script for The Power of the Doctor was added to the BBC’s Script Library last week (4th November 2022) giving fans the chance to peruse the episode as it appeared on paper.
As well as marking the BBC’s centenary, the special was the final episode of Jodie Whittaker’s tenure as the Doctor and Chris Chibnall’s stint as showrunner, with the pair set to be replaced by the returning David Tennant and Russell T Davies respectively for next year’s hotly anticipated 60th anniversary celebrations.
Tennant will be back for three specials before making way for another new Doctor, with Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa set to provide his take on the iconic Time Lord following the anniversary.
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