Russell T. Davies pitched Doctor Who's upcoming musical episode as "Die Hard meets Eurovision," says writer Juno Dawson

Doctor Who season 2 is in full flow, with the second episode – which our review called "bold, bonkers" – having dropped last Saturday. The partially animated 'Lux' isn't the only unusual installment this season, however. The upcoming sixth episode, 'The Interstellar Song Contest' is set to mix the worlds of Doctor Who with another iconic institution: Eurovision!

Speaking exclusively in the new issue of SFX magazine, which features The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 on the cover, the episode's writer, Juno Dawson, explained how she came to pen it.

The idea for the episode originated with Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies, Dawson explained to SFX: "Russell is a workhorse who doesn't seem to need sleep, he emailed me at about 1:30 in the morning," the writer revealed.

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"I didn't see it until my alarm went off at 7am," Dawson continued. "Like any modern person, the first [thing] I did was check my phone – like an addict. And I had this email saying, 'Die Hard meets Eurovision. What do you think?'

"I handed the phone to my then-husband, and I was like, 'Am I imagining this?' He was just like, 'Oh my god'. Like, the call had finally come! It was the easiest 'yes' I've ever said."

Dawson also said that she had initially initially pitched an episode inspired by classic disaster movie, The Poseidon Adventure, but it would have been prohibitively expensive to make.

"I look back now with a slight cringe," she added of that idea. "What was I thinking? It was very ambitious. The bare bones are still in the finished product but, God, in one version I had robots wearing lederhosen! They've gone!"

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Doctor Who: 'The Interstellar Song Contest' releases on May 17. Read more in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which will be available from Wednesday, April 23.

Doctor Who streams new episodes every Saturday on Disney Plus and BBC iPlayer, so check back in weekly for the rundown on the latest instalments. Here are our spoiler-free reviews of 'The Robot Revolution' and 'Lux'. For more TV, why not check out our lists of the best new shows headed your way, and the best Disney Plus shows to find out what else is on the streamer.