4. The Stories
Along with the introduction and development of new characters we will get to explore new story lines. We'll have an entirely new Doctor to get to know in season 8. On top of that we get to find out about the whole "What's Up With John Hurt" thing. There is a reason Doctor Who has been so successful. The show has always done a great job of making you care about the characters. Once you care about them the show puts them in harms way. Once they are in danger the Doctor swoops in to save the day. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. The great thing about Doctor Who is that it REALLY puts its characters in harms way. Companions die, or get marooned in parallel dimensions, or trapped in 1930's New York. Heck, even the Doctor dies every few years. The storytelling magic of this show isn't leaving with Matt Smith. Which leads us to.....