August 14, 2025
Alixion writer Robin Mukherjee speaks to Doctor Who Magazine about reviving a lost Sylvester McCoy story on audio...
The Seventh Doctor and Ace are set to embark on a new audio adventure with Big Finish in September - but this story was almost told many years before. Alixion, written by Robin Mukherjee, was originally intended as a TV story that was lost when Doctor Who entered its 1989 hiatus. Checking into a luxury health spa for a little rest and recreation, the Doctor and Ace find themselves at the mercy of a malign entity that craves the conquest of time and space.
Doctor Who Magazine spoke to Robin about the resurrection of this classic story, and what it's like to write for Sylvester McCoy's quirky yet enigmatic Time Lord...
Doctor Who Magazine issue 620 is on sale now. You can order it here.
TV writer Robin Mukherjee on his lost adventure ALIXION – Originally planned for the Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy in the 1980s:
"I saw a screen test for Sylvester, which Andrew [Cartmel, script editor between 1987 and 1989] played me. I think it was written by Andrew, actually. The Doctor was being reflective and slightly melancholy. It was great. I felt that we could keep the humour, but it would be useful to give it a little more gravitas. It was moving towards that. Sylvester is, after all, a natural comedian. He’s a funny guy, so you didn’t really have to work too hard to give him things to make funny. He could easily just take a line, turn it, and throw it back at you, and it would be funny. But he could also do the melancholy, serious stuff.
“I remember saying to Andrew that I felt that the Doctor should be a sort of travelling Socrates, who’s seen it all and done it all. He has questions, and the universe is slightly unfathomable to him, but he loves humanity. Later on, the show took on those elements, which I think it had to, in order to earn its place…”
Read more in Doctor Who Magazine issue 620.
In this issue:
- ZYGONS! SUTEKH! KRAALS! KRYNOIDS! An in-depth exploration of THE COLLECTION – SEASON 13 Blu-ray box set. Including: details of a documentary on Ian Marter who played companion Harry Sullivan, producer Phillip Hinchcliffe visiting the locations from the series, and the creation of new monster effects!
- ENTER THE BLACK ARCHIVE! Join Doctor Who’s brand manager James Page in San Diego as he takes us behind the scenes at this year’s Comic-Con.
- Props art director MICHAEL VAN KESTEREN talks us through the creation of various gadgets for this year’s season, including: colour variants of the Doctor’s sonic, the “Polish! Polish!” robot Scoot, and the Rani’s time ring bracelet!
- THE SEVENTH DOCTOR IN UKRAINE! Dalek and Cyberman performer Mickey Lewis recounts how he joined Sylvester McCoy on a journey to entertain fans in war-torn Kyiv.
- A lost Seventh Doctor adventure! TV writer ROBIN MUKHERJEE talks to DWM about working on Doctor Who in the 1980s and how his story Alixion has finally been realised as an audio drama…
- A royal audience with MARY REYNOLDS who starred as our late Queen in the 25th anniversary serial Silver Nemesis.
- AFTER IMAGE: Simon Guerrier looks back at Lucky Day, The Story & the Engine, The Interstellar Song Contest and Wish World/The Reality War.
- Find out how students across the UK’s universities are testing their Who knowledge with a challenging quiz league!
- Back to 1975 (and 1963): Giving life to the Loch Ness Monster!
- The Randomiser: Gary Gillatt looks into the heroics of the first three Doctors during the Second World War.
- We examine the hidden depths of Dark Water, in the first part of our Fact of Fiction feature on the finale to the Twelfth Doctor’s first season.
- The Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda’s adventures continue in the comic strip.
Regular Features:
- GALLIFREY GUARDIAN: our news round-up including the announcement of a new range of adventures – across books, comics, audio and the web – that will reveal more about JO MARTIN’s Fugitive Doctor.
- Reviews – featuring the latest audio and book releases.
- Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.
- Prizes to be won – including the new Monster Makers Comic Collection from Panini!
Doctor Who Magazine issue 620 is on sale now. You can order it here.
