For the past two seasons, Doctor Who has been going through an identity crisis. What kind of show is Doctor Who now? What kind of character is Jodie Whittaker‘s Doctor? The answer has constantly eluded us, even 22 episodes into showrunner Chris Chibnall‘s era. Russell T. Davies’ era was the campy family soap. Steven Moffat’s was the fairy tale adventure. And now, as we head into a new year and the 3rd season of Chris Chibnall’s era (13th overall), we still have no idea what kind of show our beloved, ever-changing sci-fi series is aiming to be.
But the show has been slowly improving since Whittaker first fell into a Sheffield train car in “The Woman Who Fell to Earth.” A rocky season 11 gave way to a more entertaining, if still overstuffed, season 12 that ultimately ended on yet another uncertain note: a lore-altering twist that piled yet another identity crisis onto a show that was still trying to figure out what it was. The latest episode, “Revolution of the Daleks,” which follows up the game-changing season 12 finale “The Timeless Children,” embodies both the strengths and weaknesses of the past two seasons. It’s a mostly solid 2020 New Year’s special with way too much exposition and some promising glimmers of character conflict and development, that tries to make up for a lack of identity with a lot of nostalgic callbacks to the Davies era. We get it, Jack, you’re immortal.
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Make new friends, but keep the old — Doctor Who is living by the New Year’s mantra with its upcoming 13th season, which BBC confirmed is set to air in 2021. With season 13, which is set to have a shortened episode count due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we’ll be meeting a new companion played by stand-up comedian John Bishop, who will be joining the current TARDIS team of Jodie Whittaker‘s Doctor and Mandip Gill‘s Yazmin Khan. However, per new casting rumors, this team may be short-lived as rumors suggest Whittaker may be stepping away from the role in the near future.
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After months of teasing (and an exciting teaser that revealed the return of fan-favorite character Captain Jack Harkness), BBC has finally released the trailer for the Doctor Who “festive” special “Revolution of the Daleks.” And now we know why they kept calling it the “festive special” — the release date has been revealed for the special holiday episode, which will hit the air on New Year’s Day 2021. Which is a long wait, yes, but not as long as the wait that the Doctor has to endure while trapped in an intergalactic prison. Watch the Doctor Who “Revolution of the Daleks” trailer below.
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Jack is back! On the 57th anniversary of the Doctor Who premiere, the beloved BBC sci-fi show finally released a teaser for its upcoming holiday special with one whopper of a reveal: Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman for four seasons on the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood and in recurring appearances on the flagship show, is back, baby. What else do we know about “Revolution of the Daleks,” the upcoming festive special that may be released either this Christmas or New Year? Very little else. But check out the new Doctor Who “Revolution of the Daleks” teaser and get a glimpse of Jack’s old mug once again.
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In uncertain times like these, we need Doctor Who more than ever. And lo and behold, our favorite time-traveling alien has answered our prayers. The 13th season of Doctor Who has begun filming amid strict coronavirus (COVID-19) safety protocols and guidelines for a season that will be “fun filled and action packed as ever – with plenty of surprises,” BBC teases. But, due to the added time of those safety protocols, Doctor Who season 13 will be shortened to eight episodes (likely meaning seven, plus a holiday special), rather than the usual 11 episodes.
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Dalekmania is back in full force, and this time, the fans are the ones behind the helm. The famous foes from Doctor Who are getting their own animated series. For New York Comic-Con, Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious producer James Goss was joined by Daleks! voice actors Joe Sugg, Nicholas Briggs, and Ayesha Antoine to preview the upcoming animated series Daleks!, which will premiere this November on the Doctor Who YouTube channel for free.
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Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker was joined by her companions played by Mandip Gill and Bradley Walsh to reflect on the game-changing twelfth season of the beloved BBC sci-fi series, and give a tease for the highly anticipated holiday special “Revolution of the Daleks” at this year’s virtual New York Comic-Con. While we didn’t learn much about the holiday special, including what its “holiday” designation means for a release date (is it Christmas or New Years?! Tell us BBC!), we did get two first look images from “Revolution of the Daleks,” which show Team TARDIS in a tight spot. See the first look images, and the details teased by NYCC panel moderator Melanie McFarland from Salon.com, below.
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Here’s some truly fantastic news to lighten up your Monday: Christopher Eccleston, who helped bring Doctor Who to the 21st century with his portrayal of the Ninth Doctor in the modern-day revival of the classic British sci-fi series, is returning to the role after 15 years. Well, in audio form. But regardless of the medium, this is a big deal considering the actor’s famous split with the BBC after his short-lived one season run on Doctor Who, and his reluctance to associate with the role of the beloved time-traveling alien in the years since.
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(Welcome to The Quarantine Stream, a new series where the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.)
The Series: Doctor Who
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: A hyperintellectual alien travels through time and space (though more often than not, to 21st century Britain) in a spaceship shaped like a 1960s British police box, going on wacky misadventures with his/her spunky human companions.
Why It’s Essential Viewing: Doctor Who is often described in reverent terms as the longest-running sci-fi TV series in history. But to categorize this wonderful, baffling, silly, stupendous show as science-fiction wouldn’t do it, or the genre, justice. Sci-fi is really just an umbrella for the famous BBC series to play with genre and structure — it can be a character drama one episode, a campy comedy the next, a mythic fairy tale, a Gothic horror tale. Sure, there’s a loose continuity that runs all the way back to the beginning of the show, but none of that matters. All that matters is that there’s a quirky alien who goes around battling monsters and saving the day with his big old brain and a whole lotta heart (two of them, in fact).
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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic put TV and movie productions around the world on hold, casting doubt on the future of dozens of ongoing TV shows. But, perhaps owing to the show’s gift with time travel, Doctor Who, won’t be one of those shows. The long-running BBC sci-fi series managed to film its upcoming holiday special, titled “Revolution of the Daleks,” right under the wire, wrapping shooting on the episode before the pandemic hit. This was confirmed by series star Mandip Gill, who plays companion Yasmin Khan to Jodie Whittaker‘s 13th Doctor.
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