Doctor Who is the longest-running Sci-Fi show on TV, albeit, with a big hiatus in the middle, the show has been around for almost 60 years since 1953 and has a large fan base ranging from grandparents down to NuWho kids today.
Regardless of where you fall in that range, there is some exciting developments and rumours circling at present that you should know about. Keep reading to know exactly what is happening with Doctor Who right now, we promise, it’s exciting!
New Season on the Way
Way back in August, we reported on a brand new trailer and some talk from Chris Chibnall and the cast at Comic-Con in this article. Since then, official announcements have been pretty sparse but we have had confirmation of Jodie Whitaker’s departure as the thirteenth Doctor and now, John Bishop, the highly anticipated new companion has apparently wrapped recording on his last episodes too!
What!?
The Metro featured a story with Bishop reflecting on his experiences recording the show and moving on to new projects.
I don’t know how you feel, but personally, since the departure of Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat, I have struggled to feel a deeper connection to the show. Season 11 felt like a huge departure from so much of what I loved about Doctor Who. The adventures were ok, but I didn’t feel like the Doctor was connecting with her companions and placing Whittaker into a new Tardis, with 3 new companions, new cinematography and an absence of connection to any previous Doctor Who stories felt like too much was changed all at once and it kind of seemed like a new show.
I get it, they wanted to open it up to brand new fans, but it seemed to lose a lot of the heart(s) of Doctor Who that had been established in the years preceding it.
Enter season 12 and many of these things were changed with an overarching storyline that carried across the season, more dialogue with the companions in the Tardis and enter some classic villains like The Master and the Cybermen and things were brilliant. Add to this some incredible intrigue and cliff-hangers that still have my head spinning and I cannot wait for season 13, but some damage has clearly been done.
The pace slowed as seasons took longer to record and release, COVID sure didn’t help and Doctor Who lost its space on the BBC Christmas Day schedule, and it just felt like the show is spiralling. So, you may ask yourself, how can they come back from all of this?
Well…
What About a Very Special 60th Anniversary Show?
The 50th Anniversary episode, The Day of The Doctor was huge! It played in cinemas across the UK and Ireland and some locations around the US, Steven Moffat, arguably the most successful showrunner in NuWho wrote and we had the pleasure of several Doctors and guest stars from the history of the Who!
Now, with the 60th anniversary around the corner, the BBC and the official Doctor Who Twitter account have both released a very special announcement!
Russell T. Davies is returning to write!
That’s right, the man who brought the show back from the dead with Christopher Eccleston and then David Tennant will be writing the story and who better to bring Doctor Who back to its roots?
Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot about the latest episodes that has been great, the progressive nature of the show with a female Doctor and tackling big issues like race and equality as well as some parts of history that rarely have enough light shed on them such as the story with Rosa Parks or the divide of India, but the show is clearly in a rut and needs some clear direction that can bring together new and old fans to a show that we can all continue to adore.
Any Other Big Surprises?
Well, funny you should ask, there is some exciting speculations out there right now that may point to some old faces returning.
If you are familiar with Time Lord lore, you will know that when the Doctor regenerates, the process can sometimes reflect deeper personal conflicts and challenges within the Gallifreyan as they change. Some return to old faces at a later regeneration to help resolve things left unfinished…
And right now, sources such as Looper have compiled some information from previous interviews with Matt Smith which strongly suggest his regrets about leaving the role too soon and the fact that he would be interested in returning to the role if conditions were right.
What better conditions than the exit of a current Doctor and a little shakeup in casting? Now please take this with a grain of salt as there are a ton of articles with speculation about who could take over as the next Doctor and nothing official has come out yet, but this is a very exciting rumour to keep an eye on!
When Is Doctor Who Back?
The last episode from Doctor Who was all the way back at the start of this year for the new year special Revolution of the Daleks. We know that season 13 has officially wrapped filming and Whittaker will feature in an additional 3 specials to take place in Autumn of 2022, no official dates yet but it does seem like we can expect to see at least that many episodes prior to the 60th Anniversary on the 23rd November 2023.
Season 13 is expected to be released over the end of 2021 and into 2022, sounds like just enough time to go back and rewatch your favourite episodes.
Are you excited for season 13?
For more articles on your favourite fandoms and to keep up to date, check out our news page.
Ben Gibbons