The highly anticipated new Doctor Who series hits screens on Sunday, October 7. Fans are champing at the bit to get their first look at what new showrunner Chris Chibnall is teasing as a ‘new beginning’ to the long-running sci-fi show. While some might say the show has gone from strength to strength, others have, at times, criticised the direction it has taken. But we’re convinced that Series 11 of Doctor Who will be a resounding success. Here’s why.
The New Doctor is a Woman
As Jodie Whittaker shrugs on the yellow braces and rainbow-striped jumper of the Thirteenth Doctor, she’s taking on a lot more than the iconic colours of the famous regenerating Time Lord. She also carries the weight of expectation thrust upon her by an army of staunch Whovians, fervent fans of the show for years — some of whom have been there since it first broadcast on that fateful day of Saturday, November 23, 1963. But while the role has been traditionally inhabited by a white, straight, British male since the show’s inception, for the first time in its history the new Doctor will be a woman.
Whittaker herself has said: “The people that are in these roles that we are excited by or passionate about or look up to don’t always have to tick the same box, and that’s what’s really incredible about it.”
A role this prominent has the ability to change the world and if Whittaker inspires just one young girl to defy stereotypes and push herself to buck the system, her casting will have proven itself to be the ultimate gamechanger. Not only does Whittaker’s casting take the series into previously unexplored territory, it also opens up all sorts of possibilities for the future of the show — and, in turn, its wider impact. A black Doctor, gay Doctor, non-British Doctor, even non-humanoid Doctor anyone?
All this means that, ultimately, Doctor Who has been given a much-needed shot in the arm. Great for our eager eyeballs, if nothing else. But it’s fair to say that the bastion of British TV is now legit woke. And Jodie Whittaker, who brings her considerable talent previously showcased in the likes of acclaimed British drama series Broadchurch and 2008 TV adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, will completely own the role of the Doctor.
A New Time Slot
Traditionally, Doctor Who has lived in an early evening slot on Saturday nights in the UK. But, increasingly, it was finding itself shifted around to accommodate other shows like Strictly Come Dancing. Going up against a batch of Saturday night entertainment and variety shows in recent years has meant it’s struggled a bit in the ratings domestically — not helped by its fluid time slot. In this way, the show has perhaps not always been given the respect it deserves.
Moving to a Sunday evening slot in the UK speaks volumes about the BBC’s belief in the new series. Sunday evenings tend to be reserved for engaging drama. Downton Abbey and recent hit Bodyguard both aired on Sunday nights and both proved themselves to be event TV. Allocating the early evening 6.45pm slot to Series 11 of Doctor Who says they’re fully behind Chris Chibnall’s refreshed series and aim to cater to the families who want to watch it together at the same time every week. It bestows the show with a whole new grandeur. The time it airs might be earlier in the US, but it’s what the shift says about the BBC’s confidence in the new series that matters.
The New Showrunner’s Pedigree
The dearly departed (don’t worry — he’s still alive!) showrunner Steven Moffat did his thing — for SEVEN years — and fans enjoyed it. But new showrunner Chris Chibnall will usher in a whole new era that Whovians, for the most part, are ready to embrace. Chibnall brings his unique blend of familiarity with the property — he’s long been a writer on the series — with the expertise he’s honed working on other high-profile drama series. Creator of the exceptional Broadchurch, from which he plucked his new Doctor, he was also a writer on the acclaimed Life on Mars, as well as Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. How’s that for pedigree?
A Diverse Writing Team
Under Chibnall’s leadership, for the first time in the show’s history, writers of colour are picking up their pens.
“Diversity is important because of the character mix that we have, the stories I wanted to tell and clearly the different perspectives that a diverse writing team brings,” Chibnall told Broadcast. “I want this to feel like there are no barriers to entry.”
The writing team is made up of former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman, who has penned the third episode of the new series, and playwright and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter, Vinay Patel. Blackman told Doctor Who Magazine that her episode is “heartfelt, thought-provoking, and timely”, while Patel’s, in his own words, is “educational, epic” and “emotional”. The rest of the team comprises the skills of rising talent Joy Wilkinson, Skins writer Ed Hime, and Wentworth scribe Pete McTighe.
Diversity within the writing team will likely mean real characters rather than stereotypes — and an assurance that representation is present and correct. The Doctor’s core team in the new season, made up of Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan, Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair, and Bradley Walsh as Graham O’Brien, addresses representation — so it makes sense that the backroom team shaping those characters mirrors that. And, of course, more diverse voices means more diverse stories — which everyone can get behind.
The Scripts Were Written for a Male Doctor
Which means hopefully we’ll see a woman character free of stereotypically ‘female’ characteristics and just a fully rounded person.
Chris Chibnall told SFX magazine that new writers Malorie Blackman, Ed Hime, Pete McTigh, Joy Wilkinson and Vinay Patel weren’t let in on the fact that the new Doctor would be played by Jodie Whittaker: “A lot of drafts of scripts have got ‘he’ in. The writers didn’t know ‒ nobody knew ‒ until that reveal video went out.”
It’s actually testament to the legacy of Doctor Who that it didn’t make any difference. Chibnall feels that scripts didn’t have to change much once the writers knew about the Doctor’s new gender. Just as when the Doctor was male, gender didn’t really ever come into the story.
“It’s very hard for me to think of a decision that the Doctor has taken in 55 years that is a gender-based decision or action,” said Chibnall. “I’d really struggle to think of one.”
It’s Influenced by Star Trek
It may seem strange that a show as independently iconic as Doctor Who would only now look to another legendary series for inspiration. But that’s exactly what it does. It’s not only refreshing to learn that Chris Chibnall is humble enough to know that he, and the show, can learn and benefit from some of the things other classic sci-fi properties do well, but it’s also exciting to think about the new dynamic the parallels will bring.
Bradley Walsh, who plays new companion Graham in Series 11, revealed to Radio Times that he was told by the producers: “‘It’s gonna be a bit like the bridge on the Enterprise. It’s gonna be an ensemble piece. It’s gonna be like…’”
It was at this point that Walsh interjected, deciding that he wanted to be a part of it. “I went ‘I’m in!’ as soon as they said that, because I’m a massive Trekkie. I went ‘I’m in, I’m in, that’s it, OK done it’.”
This suggests that the team could have assigned roles within the TARDIS, and also explore new worlds past, present and future much like, say, William Shatner’s Captain Kirk and his team did in the original Star Trek series — as an ensemble. Whittaker’s Doctor could well step aside somewhat to allow space for new and engaging relationships to develop between the companions and for them to take a more prominent role. And that can only be a good thing, surely.
An Overhaul of Series Length
Series 11 will differ from previous series in that it will have fewer episodes. Instead of the standard 12/13 we’ve come to expect, there will be 10 episodes plus a Christmas special. However, episodes will be longer than usual at 50 minutes rather than 45, while the series premiere will have a run time of 65 minutes. This will give the series more opportunity to explore and develop the new companions, and more time to flesh out stories — as well as giving us more time within a single episode to appreciate it all.
The Historic Episodes Sound Epic
It’s not unusual for Doctor Who to head back in time to a historic era on Earth. But from what we’ve heard about a couple of the episodes, this series looks set to tackle some very interesting periods indeed.
One story is said to be set around the middle of the 20th century during Segregation-Era America and will partially revolve around civil rights activist Rosa Parks. Another episode is set during the 17th century and centres around witchcraft. Alan Cumming has revealed that he’s playing James I in an episode, which looks likely to be this one. Intriguing stuff.
No Daleks
No Daleks makes room for other deadly Doctor Who foe. As well as Daleks, neither will we see Cybermen, nor the Silence. According to Chibnall, we can look forward to seeing some “all-new” monsters; we even got a glimpse of some ribbon-like creatures in the trailer, as well as some kind of electrically charged beast, and humanoid figures in armour. It’s already been reported that we’ll see some elements from “the classic series” which could mean some OG Doctor Who monsters. Excited much?
Which monsters, though, is anyone’s guess. Could we see the return of the Ice Warriors? They did make an appearance in the last series, as well as Series 7 and 9, but before that, the last time we saw them on screen was in the Third Doctor’s penultimate story broadcast in 1974. It would make a nice tribute to Alan Bennion, who passed away recently at the age of 88 and who portrayed a trio of the Martian villains in three Doctor Who stories spanning a five-year period between 1969 and 1974.
Doctor Who Series 11 premieres on Sunday, October 7 at 6.45pm BST/1.45PM ET.