Mystery Doctor Who Movie Art Surfaces

By John Freeman on 8 September 2026 • ( 0 )

Some intriguing storyboard art, possibly commissioned for an aborted Doctor Who theatrical film has resurfaced online.

Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords Storyboard 6 Time Vortex

Shared by writer Tim Kirsopp on the Doctor Who Screen Used Props group on Facebook, he’s trying to find out more about the illustrations, some drawn by artist Steve Burg, whose den work also includes Star Trek and Babylon 5, others, all dated 1989, by an unidentified artist, their signature near indecipherable.

Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords Spaceship Design by Steve Burg — *Spaceship design by Steve Burg*

A third artist may be responsible for a costume design shared. It carries no signature.

Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords Storyboard Costume Design — *Who designed the proposed costumes for Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords?*

“Many years ago, there was a chap I was chatting to online who had a folio of 38 original concept art pieces he believed were for an unproduced Doctor Who movie for sale,” he outlined. “I am trying to get in touch with him again or with the person who bought the art, as I believe I may have some more information I can offer about at least one of the artworks and I am hoping to write an article on unproduced Doctor Who.”

If anyone can help Tim track them or their owner/seller down, he would be very grateful. Direct Message him on Facebook here.

Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords Storyboard: Victorian London

Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords Storyboard 3: Kerne

Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords Storyboard

Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords Storyboard 9

Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords Storyboard Garden

The artwork is most likely to be commissioned for what was eventually to become known as the unmade feature film, Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords, a project launched by Coast to Coast in 1987, in agreement with the BBC, which was renamed Green Light in late 1990.

As Paul Scoones has previously related, the script was originally written by Mark Ezra and edited by Johnny Byrne in early 1988.

“Byrne brought first-hand knowledge of Doctor Who to the project (he wrote The Keeper of Traken, Arc of Infinity and Warriors of the Deep),” Paul notes in his background feature to the project. “In 1991 the screenplay was completely re-written by Johnny Byrne and titled Doctor Who: Last of the Time Lords.

“The story involved a chase through time and space in which the Doctor and his companions had to prevent villains from using a pair of unique crystals to create an all-powerful being.”

Can you identify the mystery storyboard artist? Were you that artist? Who created the costume designs? If you know, please do comment below!

• TVNZ: Whatever Happened to…Doctor Who – The Motion Picture? by Paul Scoones

• Art Station: Steve Burg | Star Trek Memory Alpha Profile

About the Author
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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.