10 Terrible Doctor Who Ideas That Nearly Happened

Remember in The Lodger how there was a nefarious alien menace that was tied to an abandoned Silence ship? Writer Gareth Roberts originally had another idea for the episode's villain: he wanted to bring back shape-shifting cactus monster Meglos, who would masquerade as the Doctor and Craig's neighbour, Mrs. Meglos.

So that's a cactus monster, in an episode with James Corden. Talk about annoying pricks.

On one level, Meglos would work quite well as a villain in The Lodger. He could easily assume the forms of the people luring unsuspecting civilians into the Doctor and Craig's building.

But while the return of Meglos amused Steven Moffat, he nixed the idea because, after the Vinvocci and Bannakaffalatta, Doctor Who didn't need any more spiky-faced creatures. Not only that, but an alien posing as a kindly old lady was basically the plot of Amy's Choice, which would've aired a few weeks prior.

Instead, Moffat suggested that the threat should be a malfunctioning time machine, something he would return to again in his era. It was a much better idea, as the sad voices on the other end of the intercom were a far more chilling threat than a cactus would've been.