Doctor Who Series 12 - 8 Major Rumours You Need To Know

The Doctor is coming, and Series 12 is shaping up to push her further than ever before.

Doctor Who Resolution
BBC Studios

After dropping two action-packed, tantalisingly cryptic trailers, the BBC has laid online speculation to rest and confirmed that fans going through timey-wimey withdrawal can expect a much-needed fix of the iconic sci-fi show on New Year’s Day.

And, while often divisive in both its lack of iconic monsters and socio-cultural focus, Series 11 injected the show with fresh bursts of energy, wit, and heart, seeing Jodie Whittaker’s debut series as everyone’s favourite Gallifreyan exile return to the self-contained space and time spanning adventures of series past.

The intrigue-filled teasers suggest changes both welcome and bold, with Series 12 looking set to ratchet up the tempo, reintroduce several iconic villains and offer a glimpse into a much darker side of the Thirteenth Doctor.

But, as ever with Doctor Who, both fan and media speculation is rife, with rumours falling into the categories of probable, possible and oh-my-blessed-fez-and-bowtie what are you doing?

Why is that Judoon so angry? Is that another TARDIS? What is chasing The Doctor? Is that Mary Shelley? Why is everyone crying?

Answers are imminent. And, if whispers from Doctor Who insiders are to be believed, Series 12 is set to be huge.

8. A Larger Role For Yaz

Doctor Who Resolution
BBC

Mandeep Gill’s Yaz, while an engaging character and integral part of Team TARDIS, particularly in the excellent, deeply poignant Demons of the Punjab episode, often felt somewhat underserved in series 11, with her potential screen time eaten up, albeit necessarily, by the exploration of grief and paternal bonding seen in Ryan and Grahame’s twin arcs. However, as the trailer indicates, that is set to change in series 12, which is rumoured to offer the plain-speaking police constable a weightier, more emotionally resonant arc.

Current theories suggest everything from Yaz being at the centre of discord in the ranks of Team TARDIS, a consequence of reckless action taken by The Doctor, to an agonising choice between her life in the TARDIS and her role as a police officer, and even a tempestuous romance with The Doctor herself.

A brief glimpse of Yaz staring mournfully into the mid-distance outside her police station seems to hint towards option B, but, given showrunner Chris Chibnall’s noted focus on diversity in the Whoniverse, a romantic entanglement between Yaz and The Doctor would be a bold and potentially heart wrenching storyline; especially if the second entry on this list is to be believed.

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Award-winning writer of comics, having written for Blue Fox Comics, Disconnected Press and 100% Biodegradable, among others. Sporadic screenwriter. Coffee aficionado. Voted most likely to bore you into a coma with film & TV trivia.