Why Did Doctor Who Pass on Stephen Fry’s Script, and What Was It About?
Was it not good enough?
If there is one thing everyone needs to know about Doctor Who, it is that the sci-fi show has a cult following across the UK, and has done so for decades. The fun and dynamic show about the human-like alien and his ever-changing companions traveling through time and space has been glued to the screens of thousands of families since 1963 and continues to do so today.
Knowing this, it's not surprising to find out just how many A-list celebrities, most famous authors and other creative personalities wanted to be a part of the show. Stephen Fry was no exception, but his contribution to Doctor Who was never produced.
Did Stephen Fry Write for Doctor Who?
The most attentive Whovians know Stephen Fry as part of the in-show universe as C, the head of MI6, who made his appearance in the series 12 premiere, Spyfall. However, that wasn’t the end of the author’s involvement with the show, as back in 2005 he was meant to write a two-part story for the second series of the newly rebooted Doctor Who.
Starring Chris Eccleston as the 9th Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion Rose, Fry’s story was supposed to take viewers back to the 1920s, but never saw the light of the day. Fry explained what happened to it in an interview with The Sunday Times.
“It was based on the legend of [Sir] Gawain and the Green Knight, one of the Sub-Arthurian legends. <...> It needed rewriting and cutting down in budget terms, and by that time I just didn’t have time to rewrite it. I said ‘Look, maybe next season,’” he said.
Considering that Doctor Who has been struggling to produce the sci-fi show on a shoestring budget for most of its history, it's understandable that the showrunner at the time, Russell T Davies, had to stop production. However, the hope was to pick it back up later.
Even though it appears that the time never came to alter the story, Fry clearly stayed in touch with the Doctor Who team to make his next appearance. If that is the case to this day, viewers may still bear some hope for the script to be revisited, now that Doctor Who has the Disney Plus budget to support its wildest ideas.
If you are interested in watching Doctor Who episode written by Stephen Fry, keep an eye out for news and updates. Until then, be sure to tune in to the show’s next season on Disney Plus in 2025.
Source: The Sunday Times