Doctor Who: The Cartmel Masterplan - What Could Have Been

You get the depressing sense that come Survival's conclusion the work is half done, leaving so much of Andrew Cartmel's hard work left unfinished. It's unclear how long it would've taken to finally seed in his changes, and how much longer Sylvester McCoy would've stuck around.

There's indication that he may have regenerated at the end of Season 27, or perhaps stayed on for a further season. Either way, there were plenty of vague ideas as to where the show would be taken next, alongside a list of writers that Andrew Cartmel wanted to use to expand his creative new version of Doctor Who.

Whether or not this whole 'masterplan' would've paid out is uncertain. Although for those who have read the New Virgin novels during the Wilderness Years will have delved deep into Andrew Cartmel's plans, with him and his team building upon their ideas and formulating the foundation of the more gritty, adult-like narratives. This ultimately concluded with a novelised version of Lungbarrow, thus finally completing the journey that would've taken place on screen.

Sadly, those books are now extremely hard to come by, making it difficult for modern fans to delve into the wonderous world of Doctor Who that could've been. However, it makes you wonder whether Chris Chibnall took inspiration from 'the Cartmel Masterplan' and wished to finally tap into those uncharted territories. Although, only time will tell whether or not this daring approach to storytelling will pay off, as history prepares to repeat itself.