20 Cancelled Doctor Who Episodes You Need To Know About
11. Sleep No More: The Sequel
Like the stories directly before it, Sleep No More was originally conceived as a two-parter, featuring businessmen trying to “colonise” sleep to increase productivity.
One interaction involved two opposing factions, one who used sleep-eliminating technology and one who didn’t. Another saw the Doctor discover this technology in part one, before going back in time to discover its origins in part two.
When the story became a single-parter, writer Mark Gatiss (him again) put some of his original ideas aside with the intention of developing a sequel – something he pitched for Series 10.
This saw the Doctor arrive on present day Earth, where bankers were using a new technology to work longer hours, and thus make more money. Although the technology would've been different from that used by Rassmussen, its side effect (the creation of carnivorous Sandmen) would have been the same.
Upon realising that Series 10 could be his last chance to write for Doctor Who, Gatiss changed course, instead opting to do the story he’d always dreamed of: Ice Warriors on Mars.
It’s a shame, because Sleep No More isn’t the most popular episode ever. But a sequel might have helped fix that.