#the future of doctor who

*The following article contains possible spoilers for the upcoming 60th Anniversary Special and beyond.*

Recently, here on Tumblr, a user reblogged my post about “Beep the Meep,” the Doctor Who Magazine comic character who many believe was spotted on location in Cardiff this last week. What stood out about this particular reblog was what was hidden within the hashtags. They had mentioned that the inclusion of a character from the comics was the first thing about the 60th Anniversary special that has them excited. While I don’t necessarily share their lack of enthusiasm, I do understand it. Why just a few months ago the rumour of them bringing David Tennant back as the 14th Doctor made me rather upset. It felt like a step backwards for a show that’s always been about innovation. So how then did I come around to the idea?

Before it aired, it was announced that Billie Piper would be returning to the 50th Anniversary Special. My attitude was closer to the one mentioned previously. I was at the peak of my toxic Rose Tyler hate. I was tired of fans saying “They should bring Ten and Rose back permanently.” I was tired of people still hung up on one version of a show that had already gone through numerous identity crises. The idea of bringing Rose back felt like fan service. Rose had come and gone and her story had a fairly conclusive arc. Then Steven Moffat did something interesting- Billie Piper was not playing Rose Tyler at all. And like that, I was on board. All it took was something new.

Now, much of what I am about to say is based upon a lot of fan speculation. However, along with speculation have come photos and descriptions of scenes as witnessed by spectators. What I am about to go into may be incredibly off-base compared to what makes it to the screen in November of 2023. That said, I feel it’s safe to say that this inclusion of David Tennant is not simply the return of the Tenth Doctor. What I think we’re getting is something almost completely new to the series. I say almost because, well, we’ve seen this happen before. We’ve seen Tom Baker return as a future regeneration known as “The Curator.” And even further back, we’ve seen Romana do it as well. When Lala Ward first steps into the spotlight as Romana, the Doctor turns her away. After “trying on,” numerous bodies, she reemerges with the face of Lala Ward once more. In their own ways, these two instances act as a sort of proof of concept for the idea that the Doctor can revisit old faces.

The reasons to suspect this is a new iteration of the Tenth Doctor are numerous. For starters, the TARDIS that David Tennant has been spotted with matches the one from the Jodie Whittaker era. His new suit and coat have never been seen in any medium. He has a brand new sonic screwdriver, which makes no sense for his previous incarnation, as his original sonic had found its way into the hands of the Eleventh Doctor. Furthermore, the Tenth Doctor said his goodbyes to Donna. Seeing her with her daughter Rose implies that this is after his farewell tour. My hope is that this is a sort of hiccup regeneration sent to fix Donna’s human-Time Lord metacrisis once and for all. In the same way that the TARDIS often puts the Doctors where they’re needed (as opposed to where they want to go), perhaps the Tenth Doctor has popped back long enough to deal with some unfinished business.

Smartly, Russell T Davies introduced us to Ncuti Gatwa before filming got underway. I say smartly because if we had seen David Tennant on set, people may have gotten upset. Going to David Tennant long term would have been like an admission of failure on the show’s behalf. After the divisive Chibnall era, choosing to return to the fan favourite David Tennant would have felt like they were out of ideas. Fans claim that they should bring back David Tennant but don’t realise that what they’re asking for would be terrible. If creators gave fans everything they thought they wanted, it would be boring. Letting us know that Ncuti had been cast in the role was a way of saying “Bare with us, we promise this is going somewhere.” In this way, RTD and co are asking us to go out on a limb and entertain a brief moment of indulgence. But it’s not just indulgence, is it?

While many people may disagree with me about the Chibnall era, I don’t think it would be productive to pretend the show isn’t in the toilet. The ratings are at an all-time low and people have simply lost interest. With the show at what many consider its lowest point in 58+ years, there is a lot of room to shake things up. People expect so little from Doctor Who at the moment, that there’s a decent amount of room to challenge the status quo. This, of course, could backfire with those in the audience yearning for something familiar. For many, the Chibnall era brought too much change at the same time. On a surface level, bringing back David Tennant and Catherine Tate feels like pandering to those fans. In some ways, I too would like a bit of the familiar, but I also want to see the story progress forward. Strangely, this feels simultaneously like both.

In giving us a bit of the familiar while still feeling new, Russell T Davies has allowed the 60th Anniversary to act as both a celebration of the show’s past and a glimpse into its future. We’ve been given something familiar to stand upon while being asked to imagine new possibilities. Just how weird can the Doctor’s life get? How wibbly-wobbly can this Time Lord’s adventures through the space-time continuum be? The only way to know for sure is through innovation. And innovation requires bold choices. For better or worse, the Timeless Child was a bold idea. Mind you, for many, it was as bold as the Sixth Doctor choking Peri Brown, but it was an experiment regardless. Historically, Doctor Who was built upon such experiments.

Since its inception, Doctor Who has needed to be innovative. It’s not just the initial premise of a time-travelling phone box that’s bigger on the inside, no. Doctor Who had to be innovative to overcome limitations. As Plato said, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” David Whitaker was tasked with writing a cheap bottle episode and ended up turning the TARDIS into a living being. The need to replace William Hartnell with Patrick Troughton was a gamble that paid off. What could have ended the show ended up being the thing that gave it longevity. It’s the reason we’re here talking about it today. Doctor Who has grown from a series of innovations with each new change acting as a proof of concept. Missy and Sarah Jane (particularly from the Sarah Jane Adventures) both acted as a proof of concept for a female Doctor. The new series even has to reintroduce classic baddies as proof of concept that they still work with a modern audience.

Doctor Who has always been a bit odd. Some of its innovations come from the fact that it was often trying things no other show was capable of achieving. Throughout the years, showrunners have broken the rules, thrown out the rules, or simply invented new ones. In the years since, many different shows, movies, games, plays, books, and comics have been created by people who grew up on Doctor Who. And while a show like “Loki,” was arguably doing Doctor Who better than Doctor Who was at the time, it’s impossible to discount the influence our favourite Time Lord had on its concepts. Russell T Davies said recently that his goal is to compete with Netflix and Disney+. Chris Chibnall was also tasked with competing with Netflix, but could never have anticipated the spectacle Disney had planned for their Marvel and Star Wars shows, let alone, the budget. The thing is, however, I believe if anyone could keep up with Disney+ and Amazon Prime, it’s RTD.

According to a few different sources, the plan is to expand upon the show with an extended universe. This is nothing new, as Doctor Who has had multiple expansions. But what is most interesting, at least to me, is the inclusion of comic book characters in the show. They flirted with this notion previously with a brief reference to “Abslom Daak: Dalek Killer,” in the 2014 episode “Time Heist.” But you can trace this intermingling of the expanded universe even further back to the Eighth Doctor mentioning the names of his Big Finish audio companions in “The Night of the Doctor.” Even characters like Fitz Kreiner, Trix, Grace Halloway, and Bernice Summerfield have made appearances across multiple forms of media. However, having Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors in the 60th Anniversary is the furthest they’ve ever taken this concept.

If keeping up with Disney+ is RTD’s goal, I would say he’s off to a great start. It seems like everyone these days is getting into the multiverse. From the MCU, to “Rescue Rangers,” to “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” people seem fascinated by the idea of infinite possibilities. Seeing characters like Cad Bane or Ahsoka Tano in the main Star Wars universe is the kind of stuff that has the kid in me jumping for joy. I always loved expanded media, but could never understand why characters from cartoons, books, or comics never made their way into the main universe. Beep the Meep is exactly the kind of character Doctor Who should be embracing. It’s the Doctor Who equivalent of introducing Rocket Raccoon. Judging by the fan reaction to the evil little fuzzball, I have a feeling he’s going to be a hit. We have an embarrassment of riches on the way, and I couldn’t be any more excited.

Another way in which I believe the new RTD era will compete with Disney+ is through actual queer representation. Both the Moffat and Chibnall eras felt regressive in their depictions of LGBTQ+ relationships, despite some occasional successes (e.g. Bill Potts, Vastra and Jenny). Long gone were the days of pansexual Time Agents and sexually fluid Torchwood operatives. Meanwhile, Disney likes to sneak in a gay kiss that is easily edited out for foreign markets. Depictions of this kind do less for representation, and more to highlight our disposability. Considering Davies’ comments condemning Loki’s declaration of his bisexuality as a “ridiculous, craven, feeble gesture,” I think we can expect the future of Doctor Who to be aggressively gay. The “go woke, go broke,” brigade have already shit themselves stupid over the casting of Yasmin Finney, and I say good.

Ultimately, the most telling evidence that the show is on the up and up is the fact that the fandom is abuzz in a way I’ve not seen since maybe “The Fugitive of the Judoon.” People are excited. Fan theories are once again the main topic of discussion. You could compare my own theorising within this article to my reaction to the Grand Serpent which was something akin to “who cares?” It’s hard to feel enthusiasm for something that consistently lets you down. If you were to go back and look at my articles from the beginning of the Chibnall era, you could plot my journey from a hopeful Whovian to a totally defeated Dalek. Not enjoying Doctor Who has been an awful experience. Doctor Who brings me so much joy. During some of my darkest moments, it was all I had. Now, for the first time in a long time, there’s sunshine on the horizon. If that doesn’t get you excited, then it might be you.