An amusing Doctor Who short features the return of Strax. With the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe, Doctor Who fans have decided to make the most of social isolation. They’re conducting a global rewatch of “The Day of the Doctor,” the celebrated 50th anniversary story that featured Matt Smith, David Tennant, and John Hurt as the War Doctor.
The 50th anniversary special was a global simulcast, with a hilarious introductory video. In honor of the rewatch, Doctor Who Magazine‘s Emily Cook approached former showrunner Steven Moffat and asked if he’d write a new introductory video. To her delight, Moffat agreed, and penned a brand new Doctor Who scene.
The scene was filmed at home by actor Dan Starkey and sees him reprise the role of the Sontaran Strax – after a fashion. It’s an amusing short, and gently pokes fun at aspects of Doctor Who lore, as well as at the Chibnall era. It doesn’t exactly have a vast production value, given the U.K. has just instituted a more stringent social lockdown policy; still, that doesn’t mean it’s short of laughs.
Strax was a recurring secondary character in the Moffat era, a member of the so-called “Paternoster Gang.” He’s a member of the warrior race known as the Sontarans, who was defeated by the Doctor and forced to serve as a nurse as punishment. Running jokes involved Strax’s inability to tell the difference between genders – the Sontarans are an asexual race who reproduce through cloning – and his obsession with violent tactics. Naturally, Starkey had to take a creative approach when it comes to reprising the role, given he’s stuck at home and has no access to his costume. But that’s neatly explained using an in-joke about the Master, whose Tissue Compression Eliminator shrinks people. That’s followed by an amusing gag about the current panic buying of toilet rolls. In the end, there’s even a cameo by Madame Vastra – of sorts.
Emily Cook hopes this will be only the first mass rewatch, and it’s entirely possible there will be more “Who At Home” episodes as well. If there are, they could potentially branch out to include companions, given the various actors and actresses would simply wear civilian garb anyway. This particular short is an amusing riff on the introduction that aired at cinemas back in 2013, and it would be fascinating to see how further episodes could work. Who knows – perhaps some of the stars of the current series could be persuaded to join in, helping fans keep going through these difficult times?
