Writer Russell T. Davies, who revived Doctor Who for modern audiences in 2005, elaborates on his decision to return to the series for season 14. After Doctor Who’s cancellation in 1989, the series seemed as if it may remain a relic of 20th-century British television kept somewhat alive via a dedicated fanbase and ancillary media, such as novels and audio dramas. All this changed in 2005, when lifelong fan and acclaimed writer Davies took the bold decision to bring the series into the 21st century with an incredibly popular revamp that has since continued under subsequent showrunners Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall.
After a break of over 10 years, in which he has written award-worthy dramas such as It’s A Sin, Davies is now set to return as showrunner for Doctor Who, from the 60th anniversary special in 2023 into season 14. Davies will take the reins back from Chibnall when he and current Doctor Jodie Whittaker depart in a feature-length special later this year, which will tie into the BBC’s centenary celebrations. Season 14 will be made under Bad Wolf Productions, and Davies will be rejoined by several key behind-the-scenes figures from his run, including Executive Producer Julie Gardner and Producer Phil Collinson.
In an interview with the Radio Times, Davies details his reasons for returning to the show and what he finds so exciting about writing new Doctor Who episodes. Davies notes that he had a track record of working on mostly standalone dramas, as opposed to ongoing series, saying, “I like looking at a new set of challenges every time and a blank page – but Doctor Who is always a blank page.” He then goes on to give very slight teases about the new episodes, and what his experience writing them has been like.
There are things coming up that are brand new ways of telling the stories that have never been done before, so it just feels new. I wouldn’t go back if it wasn’t feeling new. But that’s the thing about Doctor Who – every episode is new. Every single episode. I’m sitting here now, 10 pages away from a climax thinking, ‘God, I’ve never written in this territory before – this is strange and new’ – so it’s always new. It’s a self-renewing show.
Davies’ rationale keys into one of the inherent strengths of Doctor Who: its ability to constantly renew. This is most obviously seen in the concept of regeneration, which has led to numerous actors taking on the lead part, each giving their own unique spin on the character. However, the reinvention Davies seems to be referencing is how, on a script level, every episode or serial in Doctor Who has to be a completely different beast from the one before. This mainly comes from the central conceit of travelling through time and space, meaning the TARDIS team could be exploring an alien planet in one episode before finding themselves in a Western in the next.
Davies’ palpable excitement in how he talks about his upcoming episodes should be encouraging to any fans anticipating his new era, inspiring confidence that the writer will not simply rest on his laurels despite the numerous returning crew members from his previous run. This also raises speculation as to how season 14 of Doctor Who could be written differently, especially in comparison to Davies’ prior seasons. The last season of the show, subtitled Flux, was notable for being a serialized, six-part adventure as opposed to the episodic narratives that have been the standard in modern Doctor Who. Fans will have to see whether Davies continues this approach in an age of streaming and on-demand entertainment, sticks to the tried and tested formula, or perhaps tries something new entirely.
