Doctor Who Series 11: Everything We Know So Far
9. No Returning Monsters Or Characters?
Everything is new, new, new. That’s the marketing spiel of the moment, and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that this time it’s more than your typical build up to a new series rhetoric. Even the Doctor is at it if the comic-con trailer is anything to go by. “New faces, new monsters, new places.” The message has been promoted so heavily that one news site has even claimed that Doctor Who is breaking from its past. But it’s at that point in which the rhetoric overtakes the reality.
We know that with only two weeks left of filming, the Daleks were yet to have made an appearance on set. Is this Chibnall doing a Steven Moffat and being economical with the truth? Who knows, but we wouldn’t rule out a Christmas Special from the Doctor’s most iconic foe.
There was also a fascinating moment in the interview panel in which Jodie Whittaker had to confer with her boss before giving away what might otherwise have been an overlooked point. When asked by a younger member of the audience if being a female Doctor changed how the character would be played, Whittaker (having checked with Chibnall) disclosed that at one point in the series someone would react differently to the Doctor because of the gender change. Presumably this must be a person, organisation or enemy who had dealt previously with the Doctor?
First likely suspect is the TARDIS, who Whittaker also conceded ‘slightly rejects’ the new Doctor (confirming what some had speculated when she is flung out of the TARDIS in Twice Upon a Time). But it could also be UNIT, Captain Jack or even an old foe. So yes, lots and lots of new monsters have been promised, but it remains to be seen if this is indeed a complete clean sweep.