10 Ways Doctor Who Was Almost Completely Different

For a show that has change baked into its very DNA, the fact that Doctor Who has almost travelled down many alternate paths is no surprise.

From different actors playing the title role, to legitimate cancellation fears and some seriously weird movie ideas, the history of Doctor Who could easily have been completely dissimilar to the one we have today - with even just the slightest of nudges.

With all its special effects, complicated sci-fi ideas, and dense, decades-deep lore, it's an incredibly difficult show to make, and while it's easy to look back now and think "well, of course that was the right decision", when you're the poor writer or producer who has to make said decision on a tight schedule... it's far from easy.

Since it's still going strong over 55 years after its creation, the decisions that the Doctor Who production team has made over the years were clearly the right ones, but still, it's hard not to look back at several key points in the show's history and wonder... what would have happened if these situations had played out differently?

Although Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman got to do two full series' together, the original plan was for Coleman to leave after their first. Series 8 finale Death In Heaven was - according to then-showrunner Steven Moffat - written and filmed as her exit, even though everyone behind-the-scenes wanted her to stick around.

Eventually, Moffat persuaded Coleman to do Last Christmas - 2014's festive special - as an extra, and this became the end of Clara's story instead. Moffat's idea was to have Clara die as an old lady at the end of the episode, leading into Series 9 without her. But at the read-through for Last Christmas, Coleman told Moffat that she didn't want to leave yet, so her death was removed and she did another series.

So, during the time when Coleman wasn't going to stay onboard, who was going to be the new companion? Well, because Coleman's change of heart was so last-minute, this almost-companion was actually featured in Last Christmas: Shona.

At one point in time, the character was being eyed up as the Twelfth Doctor's new companion, and watching Last Christmas today, you can see that the seed of this idea still lingers. Shona is clearly the standout member of the supporting cast (besides Santa!), and even ends the episode asking the Doctor if she can meet him for a curry.