Doctor Who, season 14

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Doctor Who, the longest-running science fiction television series in the world, has continually reinvented itself since its debut in 1963. The latest rejuvenation, under the aegis of Disney+, introduces Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, accompanied by Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. This new series, characterized by its innovative blend of magic realism and traditional science fiction elements, marks a significant shift. Russell T. Davies, returning as showrunner, has emphasized his intent to break new ground (Bhuvad 2022), casting Gatwa to bring a fresh emotional depth to the character.

While Doctor Who is not averse to magic realism, having used it in several stories in the classic (1963-1989) and new series (2005-), this was sporadic, usually as part of a deux ex machina narrative enabling the Doctor to get out of an impossible situation. In this series it is used in almost every episode, appearing first in the 2023 Christmas special The Church on Ruby Road.  Released earlier than the rest of the series, the story features goblins, evoking European fairy tales, yet explained through characteristic pseudoscientific rhetoric with “the language of rope” and a goblin ship that surfs “the waves of time”. This sets a precedent for the supernatural themes that follow. Also, the Doctor and Ruby engage in a musical number with the goblins, a first for the series, signaling a new direction under Davies’ vision.

Featuring a space station baby production factory run by toddlers, the official first episode Space Babies reflects an absurd yet poignant commentary on innocence and technological exploitation. The parallels with The End of the World (2005) and The Beast Below (2010) are clear, as both episodes place the new companion in a futuristic, perilous setting with an underlying problem. This episode emphasizes the theme of uniqueness and survival, also drawing emotional responses from the Doctor on being the last of his kind. The inclusion of a bogeyman and the threat of an exploding ship inject classic Doctor Who peril, blending it with the new series’ emotional and whimsical tone.

The Maestro, a god from another reality who consumes music, played by Jinx Monsoon, introduces a mythological dimension to the series in The Devil’s Chord. This fun, bombastic romp, with Monsoon eating the scenery at every opportunity, and featuring The Beatles, explores the nature of artistic inspiration and its exploitation, connecting to broader philosophical debates about creativity and its commodification. The narrative’s reliance on mythological allusions, particularly Greek and Egyptian pantheons, enriches the intellectual tapestry of the series, inviting comparisons to ancient myths and their modern reinterpretations. This story also parallels The Pyramids of Mars (1975) with a reimagining of a scene from that classic episode to remind us why the Doctor tries to keep the relative timeline on track—with a visit to a destroyed alternate-future London. The episode’s climax, featuring a musical number in the rain, underscores Davies’ intent to infuse the series with unprecedented elements, blending musical theater with science fiction.

Boom confines the Doctor to a landmine, forcing him to confront his vulnerability while chaos ensues around him. The writer, Steven Moffatt, expressed the importance of disrupting the Doctor’s characteristic and expected behavior, saying, “It would take so much away from him – he can’t run about, he can’t bamboozle people, and he literally can’t move” (BBC Media 2024) . This episode challenges the traditional dynamic hero role of the Doctor, emphasizing his reliance on companions and the importance of collective action. This episode also explores the moral and ethical implications of power and control, echoing themes found in Marxist critiques of capitalism, and biblical allegories of human frailty and redemption. Interestingly, with Doctor Who having a penchant for unsafe space career stories since the 1980s (Hogan and Jürgens 2024), this is another story in that long running theme with, in this case, humans continuing to fight wars far into the future. On the special effects side, the use of ‘volume’ screens to create realistic environments marks a technological advancement, moving Doctor Who beyond its reliance on greenscreen (Johnston 2024), and showcases the influence of Disney’s production capabilities and budget.

73 Yards delves into horror and Welsh folklore, with the Doctor vanishing after stepping on a fairy circle, leaving Ruby to face a haunting figure and an alternate timeline that continues into her 80s. The episode’s unexplained supernatural occurrences challenge Doctor Who’s historical emphasis on rationalism, turning towards a more surreal, David Lynch-esque narrative style. An especially poignant scene in this children’s show carefully alludes to rape, and the fear of speaking out against someone powerful, in a way that only adults would understand. This episode parallels Turn Left (2008), exploring alternate realities and the consequences of small actions. The portrayal of Ruby’s life and aging, and her encounter with a malevolent politician, adds layers of social commentary, particularly regarding the exploitation and sacrifice of individuals within power structures.

Dot and Bubble critiques social media, privilege, echo chambers, and systemic racism, featuring genetically engineered creatures and a digitally dependent society. This episode mirrors contemporary anxieties about technology’s impact on human relationships and societal structures, drawing comparisons with works like Black Mirror. The portrayal of AI-designed creatures raises ethical questions about artificial intelligence, aligning with current debates in science fiction literature and media. The Doctor’s encounter with racism in this episode provides a powerful commentary on discrimination, leveraging Gatwa’s casting to explore themes previously untouched in the series. A stimulating classroom debate could be on which side the Doctor should be: the “human” white supremacists who plan to invade and colonize the rest of the planet, rejecting everyone that is not like them, or the A.I.’s “alien” slug creatures, solely designed to eat them alphabetically for their crimes.

Rogue takes the Doctor and Ruby to a dance party in 1813, encountering shapeshifters and a Harknessian bounty hunter, Rogue (Jonathan Groff). The episode’s meta-textual references to Bridgerton and the exploration of identity and transformation reflect contemporary discussions on performative identity and the fluidity of self. While there had previously been a potential for a romance between the female 13th Doctor and her companion Yaz (see Condon 2023), Rogue is the first time to see strong romantic chemistry between the Doctor and another character since the 11th Doctor’s adventures with his wife River Song. The historic setting and the depiction of a same-sex kiss between the Doctor and Rogue address LGBTQIA+ representation, continuing Doctor Who’s tradition of inclusive storytelling. The episode’s playful and dramatic elements highlight the series’ ability to blend historical fiction with science fiction narratives.

The Legend of Ruby Sunday sees the return of Sutekh, last seen imprisoned in the time vortex by the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) in Pyramids of Mars (1975), drawing on Egyptian mythology and the show’s own history with the character. The episode’s focus on family—Ruby’s search for her birth mother, the Doctor’s loneliness, the reappearance of previous companion Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford), and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave)’s describing memories of her father (Brigadier Gordon Allister Lethbridge-Stewart)—provides emotional depth and continuity with past series. The use of non-diegetic music from previous episodes as red herrings during a dramatic reveal showcases the series’ intricate narrative weaving and its respect for long-term fans. The incorporation of magic realism and supernatural elements throughout the episode exemplifies the series’ thematic boldness and narrative innovation, while also emphasizing for concerned long-term fans that this element has always been there.

Empire of Death focuses on Sutekh’s destruction of the universe. This episode employs apocalyptic imagery and explores themes of death and rebirth, aligning with classic science fiction tropes. The Doctor’s use of a ‘remembered’ TARDIS and quantum mechanics to reverse the destruction highlights the show’s creative approach to resolving seemingly insurmountable crises. Ruby’s emotional reunion with her birth mother adds a poignant human element to the grandiose narrative, emphasizing themes of family and identity. The episode’s cinematic quality and detailed production design reflect the increased budget and technical advancements brought by Disney’s involvement, and its release to cinemas in the UK at the time, reflects Davies’ ongoing plan for Doctor Who to be available through several kinds of media outlets.

This series features a heightened level of meta-commentary, meta-textuality and self-awareness which reflects the increasingly popular use of self-critical commentary in amateur performative meta-narrative role-playing videos on social media. Examples include: in The Devil’s Chord, when Ruby is dragged away by a physical manifestation of music, the Doctor says, “I thought it was non-diegetic”, a laugh-out-loud moment for anyone who has studied film, but also a line in-universe that emphasizes the higher-dimensionality of the Doctor; character Kate Lethbridge-Stewart lamenting, in the alternate timeline of 73 Yards, that “Things seem to have been getting more supernatural of late”, foreshadowing more science-less imaginings to come; the shocked Bridgerton-esq dancers at an event that could double for a science fiction convention cosplay party commenting about the “scandal” of two men together, an acknowledgement that various forums will fill with complaints about a white man and a black man kissing, and the character Carla Sunday blurting “It’s the Beast” when first hearing the voice of Sutekh, a character voiced by Gabriel Woolf, not only reprising his voice-acting role as Sutekh from 1975, but also returning to the series after voicing The Beast in The Satan Pit (2006).

Non-diegetic music was used to great effect in misleading fans into guessing incorrectly who the ultimate villain reveal would be, with signature music from The Curse of Fenric (1989) and The Sound of Drums (2007) suggesting villainous characters the Haemovores and The Master, respectively. Davies also returned to his signature use of extensive transmedia storytelling (see BBC Studios 2024), with the marketing of The Whoniverse (see BBC Media 2023), building on the public’s acceptance of other franchise universes. This included the prologue-like series Tales of the TARDIS (see Mellor 2023), filmed after the new series was completed but broadcast before it, introducing various re-edited and rescored classic Doctor Who stories relevant to the future series. Davies also organized regular posts to the Doctor Who YouTube channel, his Instagram account, and other social media outlets of excerpts, interviews, podcasts, and behind-the-scenes clips. Many of the cast and crew previously involved with classic and/or new Doctor Who were quick to supply mutual likes and hearts to any related post, and some, like Katy Manning, who played Jo Grant in the series in 1971, reviewed every episode in reels on Instagram.

Doctor Who has always been deeply rooted in the history of science fiction, drawing inspiration from the genre’s classic tropes and themes. The BBC-Disney+ first series continues this tradition while incorporating fresh elements that resonate with contemporary audiences. Unlike many other arc-focused TV and streaming series where there is a single story stretched across six or more episodes, Doctor Who has retained its encapsulated episode format, allowing for nine distinct multilayered and complex storylines, with several “B” stories culminating dramatically in the final episode. While there has been an increase in supernatural elements, these follow the general idea of magic realism in that they are a normal part of the Doctor Who universe, rather than something alien to it, occasionally explained with science-adjacent rhetoric, yet still acceptable within the canon of the show. This change is ideal for a series that continually renews itself, tapping into the zeitgeist of the public’s wish for more fantasy-oriented shows like Game of Thrones, yet still written within the bounds of a complex, multilayered children’s series that can also appeal to adults, proving its ongoing relevance to science fiction fans and scholars alike.

REFERENCES

BBC Media. “Doctor Who: Welcome to the Whoniverse Where Every Doctor, Every Companion and Hundreds of Terrifying Monsters Live.” BBC News, BBC, 30 Oct. 2023, bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/doctor-who-the-whoniverse-tales-of-the-tardis/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

BBC Media. “Doctor Who’s Steven Moffat on Returning with Boom and Putting the Doctor ‘on a Knife’s Edge.’” BBC News, BBC, 13 May 2024, www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/doctor-who-boom-steven-moffat. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

BBC Studios. “BBC Studios Announce Doom’s Day, a Brand-New Multiplatform Story to Celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary Year.” BBC Studios, BBC, 20 Mar. 2023, bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/bbcstudios/2023/bbc-studios-announce-dooms-day-brand-new-multi-platform-story-to-celebrate-doctor-whos-60th-anniversary-year. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

Bhuvad, Ariba. “Russell T Davies Teases Doctor Who Season 14: “This Is Strange and New.”” Winter Is Coming, Winter is Coming, 17 Feb. 2022, winteriscoming.net/2022/02/17/russell-t-davies-writing-doctor-who-season-14-strange-new/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.

Condon, Ali. “Showrunner Reveals Why Doctor Who and Yaz Never Kissed: “It Was More Heartbreaking.”” PinkNews | Latest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans News | LGBTQ+ News, PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news, 18 Sept. 2023, thepinknews.com/2023/09/18/doctor-who-yaz-never-kissed/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.

Hogan, Neil James and Jürgens, Anna-Sophie. “Work in Space: The Changing Image of Space Careers in the TV Series Doctor Who.” Southern Space Studies, 1 Jan. 2024, pp. 19–43, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51425-8_2.

‌Johnston, Dais. “An Infamously Cheap Sci-Fi Show Just Produced Better Special Effects than Star Wars.” Inverse, 21 May 2024, inverse.com/entertainment/doctor-who-the-volume-special-effects. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

Mellor, Louisa. “Doctor Who Anniversary: What Actually Is Tales of the TARDIS?” Den of Geek, 31 Oct. 2023, denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who-anniversary-what-is-tales-of-the-tardis/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

Neil James Hogan is a researcher and sessional digital humanities lecturer with the Australian National University. His PhD project includes analyzing science fiction stories in early 20^th century Australian newspapers. In his spare time, he is editor and publisher of the space fiction semiprozine Alien Dimensions, and writes the space fiction series Stellar Flash. Check out his Vintage Science Fiction podcast (Vintage SciFi Guy) his space fiction stories on Amazon (Neil A. Hogan), and his research blog (NeilHogan.com). He resides in Melbourne, Australia, and enjoys exploring the universe via his Quest 3.