Doctor Who Series 11: 10 Big Questions After 'The Woman Who Fell To Earth'

6. Will Sharon Clarke Be Back?

One of the most common criticisms of Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who was the ease with which characters could cheat death, and in some cases come back to life (even if only temporarily). The Woman Who Fell to Earth includes several irreversible deaths and it’s hard not to see it as part of the quest to establish a clear break from the past. For all the hype about bringing Doctor Who to the masses, it is clear than the complaints of a certain subsection of fans have been listen to and perhaps even shared.

But what of Sharon Clarke as Grace? The actress was one of the first to be officially announced and we were led to believe she would be a recurring character. Is this simply a case of the production team covering up one of the biggest potential spoilers for episode one? Probably not, especially given that when she is first introduced as Ryan’s Grandmother, it’s pretty clear that Ryan had been talking about her in the opening segment, as he mourns a woman he loved.

It would be a surprising move to have her character return from the dead, especially given that the three remaining companions will inevitably pull closer together as a result of Grace’s death, a point foreshadowed by Ryan not being able to call her second husband, Graham, his grandfather. If there is a deliberate move away from fairytale endings, then it’s even more unlikely to happen.

One possible clue, could be in the name. Grace was a companion of the eighth Doctor, who way before Moffat claimed the copyright on it, was brought back to life by the Doctor and his TARDIS (together with Chang Lee). Alternatively, the team may simply go back in time and meet a younger version of the character.