Doctor Who Series 11: Everything We Know So Far
2. From A Mild Curiosity In A Junkyard
If we took at face value the ‘everything is new’ marketing line, we might mistakenly think that series eleven will be one step short of a full reboot. After all, following a period of falling ratings, BBC is clearly hoping to breathe new life into the show by attracting a more inclusive audience. But Chris Chibnall isn’t planning to severe the series from its past. He is as much a fan as Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, and there is no doubt that, if not in 2018, we will eventually see some returning characters and monsters.
We could easily overplay the fact that Chris Chibnall has introduced the first female Doctor, and set up a false division between her and all the others, as if the personality changes will be more pronounced than ever. But judging from the brief clips so far, the thirteenth Doctor will be closer to both Matt Smith and David Tennant’s characters than Peter Capaldi ever was. Gender should be irrelevant, according to Jodie Whittaker.
When it comes to most other aspects of the series, Chibnall is taking a fairly traditional approach, stripping the show back to its bare essentials. If there is any doubt about his respect for Doctor Who of yesteryear, take a look at his Silurian two-parter from series five (Cold Blood, The Hungry Earth), which was almost a love letter to the Jon Pertwee era.
There was plenty of talk at comic-con about Doctor Who’s legacy and of honouring the spirit of the show. The producer describes the new Doctor as being the same character we have grown to love over the years – a fresh embodiment of all the essential ingredients – the sense of humour, the eccentricity, and her preference for brain over brawl. He has also confirmed that whilst the series has been written with viewers completely new to the programme in mind, there will be plenty of references to Doctor Who’s back catalogue to excite the fans.