Doctor Who | Season 26B | Daughter of Karn

Complete rubbish but feel free to read...
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After the 1996 American Doctor Who TV Movie failed, the BBC were loath to begin work on any new Doctor Who projects. The existing novel and comic series were continuing successfully, however the financial risk involved in bringing Doctor Who back to the screen was deemed too much to risk.
Enter Steve Pearson.
Mr Pearson had a vision to bring Doctor Who back to the BBC, as an updated version of the original show, returning to its British roots. Using the Paul McGann Doctor as the base from which to launch off, the new series would update the key concepts of the Doctor, the companion and the TARDIS for the modern day.
With the arrival of Colin Adams as "Head of Drama" at the BBC, Pearson submitted three story ideas from which Adams could choose one to adapt as a screenplay or reject the new series. This screenplay, if successful, would go on to be adapted into a series pilot.
Pearson submitted three scripts, titled "Memoirs in Time", "The Girl That Time Forgot" and "Daughter of Karn". Impressed by Pearson's writing style, Adams partnered Pearson with a young executive producer and together, the screenplay was written. Neither experienced, the two stumbled from stepping stone to stepping stone.
The screenplay completed, a pilot for a new Doctor Who story was commissioned. Paul McGann was quickly drafted to play the Doctor and it was decided to crossover with the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip by using companion Izzy Sinclair alongside the Eighth Doctor. However, Colin Adams requested that her origin story be changed -- worried that her complicated origin involving the Celestial Toymaker may put off potential viewers. Jemima Rooper was quickly cast as Ms Sinclair.
Building upon the successful computer generated effects from the American co-production; Daughter of Karn would pioneer imagery of a standard never seen before in the programme. It was also decided that the series would bring in a powerful actor to portray the lead villain, in an effort to prove the new show worthy of being considered serious drama -- rather than the cheap science fiction it had become known as.
Trying to keep costs down, Pearson was able to negotiate the delivery of sets from the American co-production for use in this new series. Having been held in storage for just a couple of months, only a little work was required to bring them up to a perfect standard.
Filming on the pilot episode concluded, Daughter of Karn was screened to both the executives at the BBC and a select group of critics. The response was muted. After the failure of the American co-production, the image of Doctor Who was tainted in the public eye. Despite a well written, engaging story, BBC studio passed on producing a series.
No publicity had taken place regarding this new series and so Daughter of Karn quietly slipped away. All copies destroyed and with non-disclosure agreements in place, the series was quickly forgotten.
With the successful return of Doctor Who in 2005, the "would have been series" from 1997 was quickly discovered with a copy of the pilot film turning up just a few months later.
While the episode is unlikely to be ever released officially, what is presented here is a complete, untouched version of the finished episode. Unfortunately, the episode suffers from extensive damage to the audio and video quality and is time-stamped. However for an episode languishing in a basement for nearly twenty years --the quality could have been a lot worse.
And for anyone who may be in any doubt -- everything you have just read is complete bullcrap. Enjoy the end of the Season 26B hiatus with this "missing episode" version of the official Season 26B episode "Daughter of Karn".

[@frontios1014]

I think this is in need of a remaster. I love the episode but the quality needs improvement. Thank god season 26 is here to help out with that.

[@mail4mattmt]

This is fantastic!