OPINION: Doctor Who’s Newest Doctor Reveal Has Destroyed My Faith in The Revival
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE SEASON TWO FINALE OF DOCTOR WHO
I started watching Doctor Who in 2008, when Series 4 of what fans had dubbed ‘New Who’ began airing. From that moment on, like many British children, I became infatuated with the adventures of The Doctor and his companions. That Christmas, I was lucky enough to receive the earlier New Who series on DVD, allowing me to revisit the journey from Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor, starting with the aptly titled first episode, “Rose.” I was immediately drawn to the dynamic between The Doctor and Rose, and when David Tennant took over the role, my enthusiasm only grew, especially through the emotionally resonant Bad Wolf arc and the bittersweet end of Rose’s main storyline (not counting her return in Tennant’s final episodes, which I thoroughly enjoyed). I begin this piece this way to emphasize just how much of a fan I am—and remain—of Billie Piper’s performance in Doctor Who, her work with Big Finish, and beyond. I also hold immense respect for Russell T Davies, the brilliant mind behind the show during both the Eccleston-Tennant era and its some of his current revival from the 14th Doctor onwards. His other work, like The Second Coming—an underrated gem starring Eccleston—is also a personal favorite. It is with this deep-rooted admiration that I express my disappointment in the recent finale of the current New Who era: a moment that should have felt monumental instead felt disheartening, as Ncuti Gatwa—ever charismatic—bid farewell to the role, only to be replaced, through the golden light of regeneration, by none other than Billie Piper.
‘"Billie once changed the whole of television, back in 2005, and now she’s done it again! It’s an honour and a hoot to welcome her back to the TARDIS, but quite how and why and who is a story yet to be told. After 62 years, the Doctor’s adventures are only just beginning!’. That is what show writer Russel T Davies has stated on Piper’s return to the show, now not as the companion, but The Doctor. And I am…not thrilled about this. There is a lot of contention in voicing concerns about Doctor Who, due to its open LGBT support, with many complaints coming from those who believe the show has gone ‘woke’. These types of complaints began during Chibnall’s run of the series , when Jodie Whittaker, coming from hit detective drama ‘Broadchurch’, donned the title of Timelord. I am not one of those people. My overall fea about this comes from how Davies has seemingly tackled these last two seasons.
New New Who began with a past doctor returning, and an uproar of mystery about how this could be. Fast forward two years, and we are back where we started, albeit in a different context. It is quite jarring to see such a difference in the show to how Davies tackled interviews before Season 1’s release, stating in one that ‘The amount we talk about previous Doctors on set is zero [...] Doctor Who has moments where it looks back but it’s more exciting to look forward’. There was an idea that this series would be a fresh start. Further seen with the 14th Doctor’s specials, ending the somewhat ‘generational trauma’ The Doctor had been carrying, and allowing the past to rest with the past (Donna and her family), and the future to take off into new horizons.
And yet, both Season One and Two have followed in my eyes, the same path. Beginning with unique episodes which feel new and fresh, before a sudden turning point pulls The Doctor back to his past, and it ends with a finale facing an ‘Old Who’ villain (Sutek in Season One, Omega/Rani in Season 2). Davies is able to create memorable, new villains. Maestro, Mr. Ringading. And yet the main villain at the end always has to be a ‘remember x?’ moment, a piece of nostalgia bait which is not needed, as when allowed, the show's new ideas hold firm on their own (‘Boom’, ‘Lux’, ‘The Devil’s Chord’).
And this leads me to my own proverbial nail in The Doctor’s Trenzalorian coffin. Billie Piper’s return, for me, proves that Doctor Who as a show can never move on from or outrun its own past. The confidence instilled by interviews from Davies serve to sting more as it can clearly be seen that there is no confidence in the idea of The Doctor ever being separate from their past. Watching the before and after of the r/doctorwho feed on Reddit has been astounding, from surprised yelps of excitement, to confused disappointment and anger in 24 hours. One post highlights an old Eccleston quote about Davise’s writing skill, before the fallout between the two, and Ecclestone’s departure:
‘I read in the newspaper that Russell was going to write ‘Doctor Who’, and it was really intriguing to me. I like the idea of a writer as intelligent and rigorous as Russell writing for children, because I think if you can get them early with good stuff, they’re going to demand good stuff as they get older.’(Quoted from Doctor Who: Confidential, 2005).
What started off as ‘the good stuff’ has ended up turning into forcing rose tinted glasses (pun intended) onto the viewer, ‘Look, it's x!/ remember y?’. But the viewer has indeed grown up, and whilst some nostalgia bait can be done in an interesting manner (the twist in ‘The Well’ revealing it to be the Planet ‘Midnight’ from Series 4), this I feel is a weak attempt to grasp at what Doctor Who used to be. Great.
I will miss Gatwa as the ever charming and charismatic 15th Doctor, and I can only wish that under different circumstances, he was provided with a Season 3 for more development of his version of The Doctor. But only time will tell if Piper’s Doctor will be more than a nostalgia driven ride, or spell Doomsday for the franchise.
Let me know your thoughts below!
