The sequence in which Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor and Anita became friends proved to be a standout moment from the episode, but it turns out this wasn't always the case - in fact, at one time the sequence didn't even exist at all.
This was revealed by the episode's writer, former showrunner Steven Moffat, in an interview with this month's issue of Doctor Who Magazine.
"Originally that was very different, and Anita barely featured in it," Moffat explained.
"In fact, the only thing that was significantly changed from the first draft was what the Doctor actually does for the year. I originally had him travel around the whole world."
Showrunner Russell T Davies previously spoke about the way Anita's role expanded in a behind-the-scenes featurette for the episode, saying: "One of the greatest surprises of this episode is Anita, played by Steph, who, honestly, just had 10 lines in the first draft.
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"And then we all liked her so much, and Steven liked her so much, he kept adding lines. And now she's become a major character in it."
While it seems that, at least for now, the Doctor has left Anita behind, Davies and Moffat have both teased that another element of the special could return - the Time Hotel itself.
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Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Davies suggested Moffat could write a spin-off set there, to which he replied: "That’s a show, isn’t it? I mean, that’s Mr Benn for a new generation.
"You could absolutely bring back the Time Hotel. I can’t imagine the Doctor being able to resist going there!"
Doctor Who Magazine 612 is on sale from Thursday 2nd January from Panini priced £7.99 (UK) and is also available as a digital edition from Pocketmags priced £6.99.
Doctor Who will return for season 15 in 2025. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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