The Dark Samurai (unproduced TV story)

✅ The Dark Samurai was an unproduced story written by Andrew Smith for Season 21. It was submitted around 1983, and later dropped due to budgetary constraints. Elements of this scripts were later used in the Big Finish story The Barbarians and the Samurai.

The story would have been a pure historical set in 19th century Japan. The Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Kamelion find themselves in the domain of a particularly cruel and xenophobic daimyo, but they manage to earn his respect over time. One of his allies believes he has become a Western sympathiser and sends word to the Shogun. In response, a force of samurai are deployed to level the domain and seize control.