5 Reasons Why Doctor Who Prequel Should Never Happen
5. Nobody Has The Right To Extend The Doctor's Backstory
As a result of its longevity, Doctor Who is an intellectual property that is constantly changing hands. And while the different showrunners shouldnt treat the programme like its made of glass and need to take some risks, at the same time a number of things should be avoided. And chief amongst those things is revealing too much about the Doctors life before he stole the Tardis. Because while the custody of the Doctor Who legacy passes through multiple hands, only Verity Lambert and Sydney Newman should have the right to establish or significantly extend the characters backstory. They are the mother and father of Doctor Who. Regardless of which incarnation it is, the Doctor is fundamentally their character and establishing his backstory should be down to them. And since they have both passed away, there should be a moratorium on revealing significant elements of the Doctors life that precede An Unearthly Child. Which is what the core element of a Doctor Who prequel would be. Admittedly, little bits and pieces about the Doctor's early life have been slipped in over the years and the Series 7 finale The Name Of The Doctor (2013) realised the moment where he steals the Tardis; but theyre all small details used to advance other stories and character relationships. Outside of those smaller moments that have other purposes, the Doctors past should remain a mystery.
JG Moore is a writer and filmmaker from the south of England. He also works as an editor and VFX artist, and has a BA in Media Production from the University Of Winchester.
