1. The Christmas Special With JK Rowling
Oh yes, Doctor Who managed to get plenty more meta than that rejected John Bronsan story. The Christmas specials have become a major part of the revived series, racking up some of the most-viewed episodes in the history of the show and enticing in celebrity guests stars from David Morrisey to Kylie Minogue. And JK Rowling. At least, that was the hope. An untitled script penned for the 2008 Christmas special was set to star the Harry Potter author. The story involved an alien being attaching itself to Rowling's brain and making anything she dreamt up reality, meaning The Doctor had to fight through a world full of witches, wizards, and other non-copyrighted characters. Showrunner Russel T Davies planned the episode as a gift to young fans of the show, but it was eventually scuppered by David Tennant thinking was too silly (Davies had worried that it was either brilliant or more like a Blue Peter crossover). Rowling had previously been invited to write an episode, and declined, so who knows if she'd even agreed to star?
Tom Baker
Contributor
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
See more from
Tom