Torchwood – Julia H'ere

I will be the first to admit that this post is long overdue. Russell T Davies was announced as the new Doctor Who showrunner months ago, but, since receiving my Masters in Film and Television Studies last May, my brain has been on a bit of a vacation. (I can tell you, however, that crocheting elephants should not be as difficult as the patterns make it.)

I also want to take a quick second to acknowledge and speak about my mental health (because I started writing this blog post in October and am only now finishing it). I love writing, but depression, anxiety, and ADHD sometimes make it difficult to engage in some of the activities I enjoy (we’ve all seen those commercials, right?). The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on everyone’s mental and physical health. Now is the time to be both open about our own issues and supportive of others. You are not alone and neither am I.

A quick summary of the last two years: I had the privilege of studying film, television, and fandom with some amazing professors. It was amazing. I also got married, which was nice too. My Master’s Thesis was on Doctor Who, the very show that first got me interested in television studies way back in 2008 (almost a full decade before I knew what television studies is). One of the chapters in my thesis actually examines the revival’s showrunners, Davies, Steven Moffat, and Chris Chibnall. On September 24 it was announced that when Chris Chibnall steps down as showrunner, RTD will be returning and I have many thoughts on this. (This is my first blog post in 2 years and I have ADHD, so please bear with me.)

First, one thing I recognize is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still very much part of our lives. (I feel confident generalizing since this has literally impacted the entire world.) Specifically, it has had a large impact on media production. In the case of Doctor Who, the most recent season was delayed and also shortened from 10 episodes to 8, and now 6. Following the pattern, 13th Doctor Jodie Whittaker will be leaving after 3 seasons (and 2 specials airing this year in addition to the most recent New Years Day special). This means that Davies and his new Doctor will be making their return/debut in 2023, just in time for the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who.

In the 50th Anniversary Special of Doctor Who, Steven Moffat reversed what Davies did from his first episode: he saved the time lords. He also had a huge budget and a global simulcast. When Davies was showrunner, the budget was significantly smaller and no one expected Who to become the global property it is now. While Davies was acknowledged as a fan of the series, this was not a central feature of the marketing, however, it is difficult to ignore as he makes his return. One specific quote regarding his return notes that there is content for him to enjoy as a viewer before he makes his return. Davies has always demonstrated appreciation and respect for the work of previous Doctor Who creatives. When he originally revived the series, he deliberately built on what was already there rather than trying to retcon and I think this is another opportunity for him to do that. I believe that it is because he is a fan that he is making his return.

There is also so much more money to work with. The 50th Anniversary, which occurred 3 years after Davies’s departure, was given blockbuster treatment both in terms of marketing and production values. Since then, the quality has only continued to improve. I would think that it was frustrating to miss out on working on such an exciting anniversary, which is why he will be back just in time for the 60th. There’s also so many more resources to play with. Although Doctor Who was historically a show that works with a limited budget– and Davies can obviously work within those constraints (did you know he invented the psychic paper?!) – a larger budget obviously increases the narrative possibilities.

The show is also no longer just a British staple, but has worldwide relevance now and these anniversaries receive far more attention and build up than they did when Davies first revived the series in 2005 (when there were supposedly only 8000 dedicated Doctor Who fans). Davies is responsible not only for the successful revival, but for one of the best eras of the series (Tenth Doctor David Tennant is still voted favorite Doctor over a decade after his departure). He is also the only showrunner to create a Doctor Who spin-off that lasts more than one season (The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood). To the BBC, Davies has already proven to be a profitable entity. Therefore it makes sense that he would jump at the chance to return and that the BBC would be eager to have him.

Tl;dr: Davies loves Doctor Who and is good at making Doctor Who content, so it makes sense that Davies and the BBC would both welcome this return.

In the weeks following the Davies announcement, I had a lot of thoughts as to what this era would look like, along with many questions. For example, I was certain that David Tennant would not be the Fourteenth Doctor, but that is now rumored to be the case. (Apparently, there is precedence as the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton almost returned as the Seventh Doctor.) I’ve also learned recently that this year is the BBC’s 100th birthday, which has added an additional element of pomp and circumstance. So I have to wonder how long Davies will be at the helm this time. Will he only be around for the 60th anniversary or will he have another multi-season tenure? The announcement suggests that the latter will be the case, but for some reason, I cannot help having doubts, especially now that David Tennant is rumored to return as the official Fourteenth Doctor.

Regardless of whether or not he is the Fourteenth Doctor, I do believe that Tennant will be part of the 60th Anniversary Special. Actually, I think Davies is going to get as many Doctors as he can. During the 50th Anniversary, Davies had a brief cameo in the short film, “The Five(ish) Doctors,” which was made by Fifth Doctor Peter Davison and depicts his attempts to be part of the 50th Anniversary Special, along with Sixth Doctor Colin Baker and Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy. So, I have to wonder if the joke will be on everyone else when they do appear in the next anniversary special. Although, these Doctors could be recast, as was the case with First Doctor William Hartnell.

As part of the 50th Anniversary, the BBC produced a biopic depicting Doctor Who’s creation and starring David Bradley as Hartnell. Later, Bradley went on to play the First Doctor in the Christmas Special “Twice Upon a Time.” So there is precedence– although the First Doctor was also recast in the 20th Anniversary Special, following Hartnell’s death. I don’t think it would be surprising if the only recast Doctors were those whose actors have died. With The Sarah Jane Adventures, Davies demonstrated his fondness for the Classic Era, so I can totally see him indulging once again in bringing back all available Doctors (as was also the case during the Classic Era Anniversaries).

I don’t know if this is something we can expect, but I, personally, am hoping for the return of Mark Gatiss both as a writer and as an actor. His most recent Doctor Who performance was in “Twice Upon a Time” as the implied ancestor of Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, a recurring Classic Era character, who also appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures and has been referenced multiple times in the Revived Series. Gatiss is also known to be a huge Doctor Who fan, and has written Doctor Who novels. The episodes he’s written (although they are really hit or miss) include “The Idiot’s Lantern,” “The Crimson Horror,” “Sleep No More,” and “Empress of Mars.” I’m not going to lie, I deeply enjoy Gatiss’s chaotic energy and wondered if he would be the one to take over for Chris Chibnall (although it seems unlikely as he seems to flit around a lot; he also played Mycroft in Sherlock and served as a writer and producer).

I’d also like to see the return of Toby Whithouse (“School Reunion” and “Under the Lake” / “Before the Flood” are two of his) and the more recent addition, Maxine Alderton (“The Haunting of Villa Diodati” and “Village of the Angels”). If I’m going to speculate on writers, I have to wonder if Steven Moffat will contribute. In addition to being showrunner he wrote “The Girl in the Fireplace,” “Blink,” and “Silence in the Library” / “Forest of the Dead” under Davies, which are still considered some of the best. Chibnall also wrote for both Davies and Moffat before becoming showrunner, although I suspect he will likely take a break from Doctor Who for a while (“42” and Torchwood with Davies and “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” under Moffat).

I am far from the only person speculating on what Davies’s return will bring. From what I’ve read, the BBC will be handing control of Doctor Who over to Bad Wolf, a production company founded by Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter who served as producers in 2005. If that’s the case, I wonder how the budget will be affected. How will Davies’s next era compare to his first, before the pop culture explosion that Moffat played up during his era? Or, to the more subdued, but visually stunning Chibnall era? It’s clear that the showrunner has a huge impact on how Doctor Who is perceived worldwide, and it seems many are looking forward to the next Davies Era.

The holiday season is a busy one! So I’m a little late on my blog post(s). Before I do anything else I want to address something truly important…

Doctor Who.

On December 9th, we were treated to the Series 11 finale of Doctor Who, the Thirteenth Doctor’s first, but certainly not last, series in the role. This series is critical not only as the first with a female Doctor, but because it is the first with a new showrunner (and with the first new composer since the show was revived in 2015). Months ago, I reviewed the first episode and speculated on what we could see next from Chris Chibnall and crew. Today, I’m following up on that.

In my earlier review, I noted the gritty, industrial quality to the set and lighting in “The Woman Who Fell To Earth”, which is set in Sheffield and features characters native to that region. I mentioned in my earlier that this is significant for two reasons: 1. because it also reflects Chibnall’s background, 2. because it eliminated any questions about Jodie Whittaker’s natural accent, which she uses in the role. I speculated that Chibnall’s Who would reflect the episodes he wrote under Russel T. Davies and Steven Moffat, which included working class characters, often in an industrial setting, and also referenced familial ties. I also wondered if we would continue to see the kind of lighting and colors that reflected Chibnall’s experience with crime dramas. Doctor Who is a show that allows for many different genres and tones, so it would be easy for Chibnall to take the episodes in whichever direction he wanted.

However, he didn’t. While it could always be argued that Doctor Who is its own sort of crime show, I would say that this series was just as procedural (or not) as those prior. The episodes did continue focusing on the working class and familiar relationships, though:

- In “The Ghost Monument” we open with the same gritty, industrial setting that we saw in Sheffield, but it quickly shifts into something a little more foreign. Two of the characters we meet are clearly struggling members of the working class and both make references to their families and what that means to each of them.

- “Rosa” features working class seamstress Rosa Parks and the start of the American Civil Rights Movement. We also get scenes in Rosa Park’s home while Ryan considers what this would mean to his Nan. The Doctor also confronts this week’s villain multiple times in a very Stand By Me-esque junkyard (with a couple small shout-outs to previous series).

- In “Arachnids in the UK”, we meet Yaz’s family, including her mother, who works at a hotel. Yaz’s mother is a member of the service industry while we are treated to Chris Noth’s (Sex & the City, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) portrayal of a Donald Trump-like figure (with a similar eye on the Presidency).

- In “The Tsuranga Conundrum”, two key characters are essentially interstellar EMTs, another working class job. While Ryan struggles with feelings about his father, the other patients include someone pregnant, but unsure if they want to keep the child, and a brother and sister at odds. Familial relationships come into play for not only the patients, but for Ryan as well (something that happens throughout this series).

- “Demons of the Punjab” takes place during the partition of India. One of the central characters is Yaz’s grandmother, who is about to get married. In the past we’ve had Who episodes that focus on the start of big historic events, or from the point of view of those who do the decision making. In many ways this reminded me of New Earth in “Gridlock” (series 3, episode 3). In “New Earth” (series 2, episode 1) we are taken to New Earth and interact with the upper class, while in “Gridlock” we see New Earth from a more working class perspective. Here, we see the effect of partition at the most basic level. “Demons” also features a misunderstood villain (possibly with connections to the finale– something I only realized as I was writing this) and conflict between family members throughout.

- “Kerblam” was one of my favorites this season. In it, the Doctor and her companions investigate Kerblam, Who‘s version of Amazon. It requires them to go work in the warehouse with the rest of the working class, where we meet characters that are estranged from their families in some way. The main reason why these characters are estranged relates directly to the fact that they are working class/working at an Amazon-like warehouse.

- “The Witchfinders” depicts a small village in 1612 that is currently experiencing a literal witch hunt. These small, not even working class, but farmers, are visited by King James I. A key component of the conflict is family members turning on each other.

- “It Takes You Away” is an episode that focuses solely on a family. We don’t know much about their background, but the family we meet live alone in rural Norway. The aesthetics toggle between a cottage in the woods and a spooky, dark cave with lighting not unlike what we saw in the first episode. Here, Graham’s loss takes the forefront among the Doctor’s companions.

- “The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos” brings back that industrial feel from the first episode in full force. It draws a lot on the politics and societal structure introduced in “The Ghost Monument”. One could argue that this is the only episode that does not feature family in someway, or that it’s about the family you make.

I think it’s fair to expect that future episodes will continue to examine the working class, as well as explore family ties.

This series was also quieter than previous ones. From the music to the marketing to the overarching plot, Chibnall’s Who is just more understated than Moffat’s, or even Davies’. Although not as subtle as ‘Bad Wolf’, little hints are dropped throughout the series, with the destruction or movement of planets and continued references to the Stenza, the race of the villain, Tzim-Sha in episode 1. But, while the Doctor faced yet another possible universe-ending catastrophe, it did not feel as grandiose as previous series finales have.

The universe has almost been destroyed in a number of episodes, beyond just series finales. Even this series features an episode where the universe will be destroyed if the Doctor doesn’t do something. “The Battle of Ranskoor” feels a lot like that. It summarizes the series, and gives us a better idea of the aftermath of “The Woman Who Fell to Earth”, but does not feature the magical deus ex machina we’ve seen so many times before. Composer Segun Akinola, who took over for Murray Gold, does not give us big violin heavy choruses, but something that matches the rest of his work for the series, which is simply a lot more subtle.

Overall, I am still incredibly torn about this new Who. I love Jodie Whittaker– for someone who never watched the show, she manages to evoke many previous Doctors in her portrayal– and feel that she was the perfect fit for our first female Doctor. Chibnall’s work as showrunner, while evocative of Torchwood, is still very much Doctor Who. The ups and downs aren’t as dramatic, but it’s still a family show featuring a character who travels semi-randomly through time and space. I really enjoyed the new composer, and while the visuals take a little getting used to, I LOVE the new opening, which draws heavily on Classic Doctor Who, but with a modern spin.

That is I think what best summarizes this series: a little bit of the old and the new. (Not unlike his predecessors, but with different priorities.) The Doctor only spent a couple episodes trying to get her companions home, then interacted with their regular lives again, before they all decided to continue traveling with her. I am very much looking forward to what happens next…

On New Years Day! This episode’s preview strongly hints at the return of the Daleks and while I loved having a break from Daleks and Cybermen, I’m really hoping we get to see how Chibnall handles them. If he doesn’t use them, I do hope he uses another Classic Who villain/race. The original ran for so long and had so many interesting characters, I’d love to see some more of that brought in.

Tag: Torchwood

“It is returning and he is returning and they are returning…”

Summarizing Series 11