10 Fixes For Doctor Who's Future
Please, please, please can the next Doctor be someone other than David Tennant or Billie Piper?
It still seems weird to say it, but the Disney era is over and Doctor Who is once again in a state of limbo.
We do at least have a Christmas special to look forward to this year, though we basically have no idea what to expect from it.
Beyond this the BBC has reiterated its commitment to Doctor Who, but the show’s future is otherwise a blank slate. And while the uncertainty sucks, it’s also exciting. If the stars align, there could be great things ahead.
But first some lessons need to be learned. After all, we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with if it wasn’t for some underlying issues with recent seasons.
Every era is, to some extent, a reaction to the one that went before. And this time it feels more important than ever that Doctor Who takes a moment to reflect before starting on its next chapter.
To quote the First Doctor, "It’s far from being all over". The show can and must succeed, and looking at these ten areas would set it on the path to doing so.
10. Adopt A More Serious Tone
While there’s always been light and dark within Doctor Who, the show has perhaps veered a bit too silly in recent years.
For every grounded story like 73 Yards and Lucky Day there’s something much more daft – from talking babies, singing goblins and the Twist at the End to Kate Lethbridge-Stewart telling the Doctor that we’re all his children (shudder).
This doesn’t mean that the show needs to deal with more adult themes in every single episode – rather that it needs to take itself seriously if it wants to be taken seriously by viewers.
Something that goes hand in hand with this is making Doctor Who scary again. Recent episodes haven’t been without their scary moments, but it feels like sending kids behind the sofa is no longer the biggest priority.
Kids love watching stuff that feels “too old” for them, so making the show scarier and more “grown-up” would almost certainly broaden its appeal. When you think back to the most iconic and beloved episodes in the modern series, they all fit this mould – whether it's Blink, The Waters of Mars, Heaven Sent or even something like Amy's Choice. So doesn't that tell you something?
These dark and complex tales should be the backbone of Doctor Who going forward, which hasn't been the case in recent times.