What Chibnall has done has found an effective way for the series to evolve and change – which has been the key to its success for more than five decades. Already have an account with us? In the beginning, it wasn’t just a title but a question – Doctor Who? Because everything is about to change.” Those were The Master’s words leading into this week's Doctor Who finale. This is because the writing is preachy and crappy. It was during the Sylvester McCoy years that Doctor Who became interesting again. Season 11 featured episodes like “Rosa” and “Demons of the Punjab,” which centered around American and British institutions of racism, as well as “The Witchfinders,” which examined sexism through the eyes of the Doctor, who’d only recently regenerated into a woman. A PSA That The Holy Grail Of Chrysler Minivans Is For Sale In North Carolina For Only $2,500. But when Russell T Davies left the show in 2009, Steven Moffat’s tenure became so entangled with its own internal logic of time loops and timey-wimey continuity that storylines about the Pandorica, the Silence, the Impossible Girl, and the Name of the Doctor were almost impenetrable to casual audiences. Jodie Whittaker’s first series as the Doctor was accused by some of political correctness, but the head writer says it’s “a response to the times we’re living in”, Doctor Who boss Chris Chibnall has defended the BBC sci-fi drama’s focus on social issues during the most recent series, telling fans that “you want to be writing about the world that we live in.”. His decision to cast Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor had some Whovian purists fleeing from the show in outrage; the politically correct stories from his first series in charge last year led to accusations of liberal agenda setting; and some quarters of Who fandom have complained all the way through this follow-up series. All essential for the evolution of a series and character, which by that point had been on television for more than a decade. Access exclusive energy deals! Though amusingly, it does make one fan-favourite detail from the show's past canon. My doppelganger is that rebelling greeting card from Futurama. For more, make sure you’re following us on our new Instagram @io9dotcom. Even watched now, the early to mid-Eighties era – encompassing late Tom Baker, Peter Davison, and Colin Baker – still feels like fodder for the hardcore fans only. In the Tom Baker serial The Brain of Morbius, a mental projection of The Doctors' identities shows eight unknown incarnations from his past – fans have debated ever since who these Doctors were and how they fit into the continuity. Any nostalgia was about discovering the show’s past, not being buried under it. Video Editor and Staff Writer at io9. But Chibnall’s decision to rewrite The Doctor’s entire past – and more than five decades of continuity – could the best thing to happen to Doctor Who since the show's relaunch in 2005. Russell T Davies wanted to explore what survivor’s guilt did to The Doctor. By entering your details, you are agreeing to Radio Times privacy policy. The Doctor is in fact the "Timeless Child", found under a portal to another dimension; the history of Gallifrey is not what we thought it is; the Time Lords aren't to be trusted (all right, that's not exactly a revelation); and there a many more – possibly countless – incarnations of The Doctor out there, including Jo Martin's "Fugitive Doctor", and several millennia unaccounted for in The Doctor's wiped memory. It was no surprise that in 2013, to celebrate the series’ 50th anniversary, Moffat brought back the Time Lords, the old bastions of overdone, self-interested continuity. Not only does Doctor Who have a long history of tackling issues of social justice and discrimination, but the character’s whole M.O. Because Chris Chibnall is bad at picking a theme. is about living for the common good, fighting for the rights of people and beings everywhere. Guess we can start this argument all over again in a year or so, then…, This article was originally published in December 2018, Indulge in a premium cheese, charcuterie and wine bundle – delivered direct to your door. But Davies' stories were still about human interest, with new characters Rose, Martha, or Donna at the forefront, not the complex history of The Doctor himself. Find out more, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) meets the Cybermen, Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford in Doctor Who, Think Dominic West is bad? His replacement Jon Pertwee ushered in a new era of Doctor Who: now in colour, with the Doctor now stranded on Earth – thanks to a punishment handed down by the Time Lords – the real question was which monsters would come to invade the home counties each Saturday teatime. You can unsubscribe at any time. “And when it comes to things that affect people’s lives – I think particularly things that children and young adults are going through – that feels really important. Yes, really. The show is not a standalone thing, it’s a response to the times that we’re living in and the world that we’re in,” Chibnall said. Critics love it, but viewers, not so much. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Bottom line - the writers suck, the show runner is barely hanging in there, and Jodie Wittacker is not very good as the Doctor. But there’s a parallel to what happened to Doctor Who in the Eighties and what happened to it once again after the revival in 2005. Yea, bullshit. Strictly Come Dancing 2020: when does it start, and how will this year's show work? Not only has it performed well in ratings with the biggest season opening since the series reboot, but it’s also done a number of episodes focusing on important social and political issues. Chris Chibnall defends Doctor Who’s focus on social issues: “It’s fundamental” Jodie Whittaker’s first series as the Doctor was accused by some of political … Last night’s TV: what Telegraph reviewers made of Escape to the Farm with Kate Humble and Bake Off. The new puzzles website is now live - sign up now and enjoy a 7-day free trial! It also doesn’t track with the series’ history as a whole. McCoy’s performance returned a sense of the unknown and a darkness to the character. When? It was more just writer Ben Aaronovitch having fun by re-inserting some much-needed enigma back into the character. Dr. Who season 11 rating on Rotten Tomatoes by viewers is 24%. Now, just two series into his reign as showrunner, Chris Chibnall has reinvented Doctor Who and restored the mystery. If there's one constant in Doctor Who other than the Tardis, it's this: the show is at its best when there’s a mystery at the heart of The Doctor, when there are questions to be answered. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Showrunner Chris Chibnall says this is vital, as it reflects where we are today. And after last night's twist finale, the question is once again: "Doctor Who?". –that the First Doctor himself asked when Ian Chesterton (William Russell) addressed him as a doctor for the first time. The series is set to return in early 2020, with Jodie Whittaker and all her companions reprising their roles. Save up to £497* a year -Compare Lots of Deals - Switch in Minutes. Chibs doesn't really care about doctor who as long he gets his political agenda across and it shows through season 11 and 12 . Doctor Who had, if you will, disappeared up its own time hole. It was more than just a narrative hook – the decision cleared The Doctor’s history for a lean slate. Pop culture – particularly in this age of reboots and sequels – is rife with examples of mysteries that were better off not answered: the Jedi and Anakin Skywalker, a backstory built up in Star Wars fans’ minds to be close to mythical, but revealed to be actually rubbish when the prequels were released; the mysterious “Space Jockey” from Alien, a fascinating elephant-like being that  could have been Xenomorphs, but turned out to be deeply uninteresting bald bloke in Prometheus; or villains such as Hannibal Lecter, who became less frightening with every new story that explained his backstory. Even his change into Patrick Troughton goes relatively unexplained beyond Troughton calling it a "renewal". After the first couple of episodes the ratings fell back down. She doesn’t seem to be suited to the role. No this is not because she is a woman, or because of the black companions (there have been black companions before, and women time lords). The show is not a standalone thing, it’s a response to the times that we’re living in and the world that we’re in. There's enough Doctor Who to go around: cling on to the stuff you like best, and forget about the creative decisions you don't. “I think you want to be writing about the world that we live in. Though saddled with a question mark-motif knitwear and umbrella (honestly, where did he get this clobber?) A subset of viewers have complained that the series is focusing too much on socio-political issues nowadays, although it hasn’t seemed to affect the ratings much. The revelations in the episode really have changed everything – the entire fabric of Doctor Who’s space-time continuum, at least as we've understood it since the show's debut in 1963, has been torn up; Doctor's Who's history has been completely rewritten. Miss one episode and were booted out of the story; miss any more and you might as well give up on the entire season. Why Chris Chibnall was right to rewrite Doctor Who history The showrunner's radical reinvention of Whovian lore hasn't destroyed the Doctor – it's … Old monsters and characters were revived, with densely packed references to previous events and adventures – things that only dedicated fans would understand or care about – closing the series off to the casual viewers. Even the Doctors’ increasingly daft costumes – beginning with Tom Baker’s question mark-motif shirt collar and reaching its unfortunate zenith with Colin Baker’s hideous patchwork ensemble (hey, it was the Eighties) – only served to undermine what little mystery was left of the character. The latest season of Doctor Who has been breaking ground in a number of ways. “Too PC” has become a familiar jibe levelled at the sci-fi hit since 2018 when Jodie Whittaker became the Thirteenth Doctor and new showrunner Chris Chibnall took up the mantle. “I think the character of the Doctor, and [her friends] as well, is a great conduit into discussing all that…and then you add monsters as well,” he concluded. Thanks! Many more fans, meanwhile, noted that Doctor Who has always been a show that examined issues of prejudice, hate and social justice, while some of the series’ actors (including Whittaker herself and companions Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill) argued that the storylines were an accurate reflection of modern society. Decision cleared the Doctor ’ s history for a lean slate does make one fan-favourite detail from the was! Performance returned a sense of the unknown and a darkness to the character a. 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