10 Doctor Who Flops The BBC Has Buried

When K9 returned to Doctor Who in the second series of the revival, it was hoped that we'd continue to see more of the beloved robo-mutt. And we did! The very next year, K9 appeared in a spinoff show that was adored by fans and was a ratings hit, cementing his position as one of the greatest Doctor Who companions ever.

We're talking, of course, about The Sarah Jane Adventures, because the words "adored" and "hit" cannot be used to describe the other K9 spinoff we're actually here to talk about.

K9 (as it was titled) is the TV equivalent of a knock-off food brand. Sure, it did star K9, and it was even developed by Bob Baker, the man who co-created the cyber-dog way back in the 1970s. But on the other hand, the show wasn't considered a part of Doctor Who canon, it was produced without any input from the BBC, and K9's hideous redesign made him look like a discount, wannabe version of our favourite talking pooch.

That redesign was one of many sticking points fans had with the show, and a second series never materialised. It was a baffling decision to go ahead with this elseworlds spinoff in the first place, because fans were already getting a K9 fix on The Sarah Jane Adventures - y'know, that proper, official Doctor Who spinoff - and with no support from the BBC, this particular K9 outing was doomed from the start.