Doctor Who: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Toymaker

10. He Almost Came Back Multiple Times

The first attempt to bring back the Toymaker was in a story outline pitched by his creator, writer Brian Hayles.

In 1975, Hayles pitched a story called The Eyes of Nemesis for Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor. Weirdly, the Toymaker was revealed late in the story outline, only pitting him against the Doctor in the final episode. This idea was rejected.

A decade later, 1980s showrunner John Nathan-Turner planned to bring Michael Gough back as the Toymaker for Season 23. A script was written by former producer Graham Williams, which would've pitted the Sixth Doctor and Peri against the Toymaker in an arcade in Blackpool.

Doctor Who's 18-month hiatus killed this plan however, with JNT deciding to completely redraft his plans for Season 23. This story was later novelised as The Nightmare Fair, before being adapted as a Big Finish audio adventure in 2009.

Years later, JNT suggested bringing back the Toymaker in a straight-to-home movie for the video market. He even considered using the villain in what would eventually become 1993's Eastenders crossover Dimensions in Time!

Toymaker dodged a bullet on that one.