You've surely noticed all the hubbub about the upcoming 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. It's going to be an exciting time, no doubt. Maybe Tom Baker might say a few words to David Tennant, my goodness! But hold your horses named Susan: One, it's over a year away, the official anniversary being November 23nd, 2013. And two, we really know nothing about what's going to happen. Sure, it's fun to speculate, but Steven Moffat (or whomever) apparently hasn't even written the thing yet, at least according to Matt Smith, who should know I suppose. We still have the second half of series 7 before we get to the birthday festivities, people! And we DO actually know some key things about what to look forward to, as well as a few things that, yes, are fun to speculate on.
The Christmas special: We already knew it was coming, as per every year since 2005. What's interesting is that Christmas has been mentioned quite a bit through series 7a (if you call it that), along with the fact we may or may not have already been introduced to the new companion, played by Jenna Louise-Coleman, in Asylum of the Daleks. How does Oswin Oswald = Clara Oswald, as she is rumored to be called in the rumored to be titled The Snowman? Matt Smith suggests Oswins line Remember me has great importance, so we'll soon see how timey-wimey this can be. We know Richard E. Grant plays 'the villain' in this special, set in the Victorian-era. Reports indicate that Madame Vastra, Jenny and Commander Strax (who apparently
didn't die, yay!), last seen in A Good Man Goes To War, all return.
Now, about 7b: No one is sure at this time when the final episodes of series 7 will air, although the formerly-traditional start date of Easter-ish seems a fair bet. Production-wise, Moffat is writing at least two stories, episodes 6 and 13. However, 12 is shrouded in mystery at this time, so Moff could very well be penning it. There is another theory though...and we'll get back to that. But it's Mark Gatiss who may be stealing the show. We know for sure one of his episodes (directed by The Power of Three's Douglas MacKinnon) features the great David Warner, and is
rumored to feature the return of the Ice Warriors. The other installment may pick up where Christmas left off, as Vastra, Strax and Jenny and all that fancy Victoriana return for what is possibly titled The Crimson Horror. This one is also not bereft of a famous guest star, as Dame Diana Rigg plays the wicked Mrs. Gillyflower. The giant rat from Talons of Weng Chiang is unlikely to appear, however. Sorry. The series will be rounded out by episodes from Steven Thompson (who unfortunately wrote the tragic Curse of the Black Spot, but fortunately wrote the finale for Sherlock series 2), and Neil Cross, best known for his work on Luther and Crossbones. No real word on how 7b ends, but one story has emerged that it will be about Captain Jack's former employers, the Time Agency. There's a ring of truth to this, as Moffat was the guy who first wrote about them to begin with, for 2005's The Empty Child. That said, John Barrowman is rather busy these days working on the greenless - Arrow for the CW network, so his involvement would sadly be missed. Now for the interesting (read: sort-of-true) rumors. Remember I mentioned the uncertainty over a writer for episode 12? Ever-reliable internet spies (catch the sarcasm?) insist we can expect no less than a Neil Gaiman-penned Cybermen affair, taking them back to their Mondas roots. My opinion is that this seems very unlikely, due to the prohibitive cost of such a story, along with the fact Gaiman himself probably has not completed his promised second excursion into Who scripting quite yet. Neither has Tom (The Girl Who Waited) MacRae, I'm sure. MacRae is indeed doing another Who story, but we probably won't see this until series 8. Now, Series 8.
There's a mystery for another day. Besides, we have over half a series, the 50th anniversary spectaculars and another Christmas special before that! Let's not get ahead of ourselves, however easy time travel makes it.