Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, HBO, Preview, streaming, Trailer, TV, YouTube | Tagged: bbc, bbc america, bleeding cool, cable, captain jack, daleks, doctor who, graham, jodie whittaker, john barrowman, preview, revolution of the daleks, Ryan, streaming, tardis, television, torchwood, tv, Yaz

Doctor Who: John Barrowman Teases No Longer Being a TARDIS Virgin

The countdown to the "Revolution" is quickly coming to the end, with the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and her companions facing off against the Daleks one more time- and this time, they've got company in the form of John Barrowman's Captain Jack Harkness. Which is a good thing because there are still a whole bunch of question marks surrounding just how much the Doctor will actually be able to help- but more on that in a minute. Earlier today, we checked in on showrunner Chris Chibnall and Mandip Gill (Yaz) as they discussed the importance of the show focusing on important issues surrounding mental health. This time around, we're doing a 180-degree turn and giving Barrowman a chance to show off a first. Yes, Barrowman does still have a few "firsts" hidden up his sleeve.

In the following clip, Barrowman teases a "first" that caught us by surprise but actually makes perfect sense: the festive special will be the first time we see Barrowman's Captain Jack walk through the front doors and into the TARDIS under Whittaker's watch- which you can almost see in the clip below:

In the special, the Doctor finds herself still locked away in a space prison, leaving it to series-returning (for this round) Captain Jack, series-departing Graham (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan (Tosin Cole), and series-staying Yaz to save the Earth from another version of the Doctor's arch-enemy. That's where things kick-off when "Revolution of the Daleks" debuts on New Year's Day. Joining the special are Chris Noth (Sex and the City) as the returning (and disgraced) Jack Robertson, as well as Dame Harriet Walter (Killing Eve, Succession) making her Doctor Who debut alongside television star Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (The Trial of Christine Keeler). Now here's a look back at the original announcement trailer for the special, followed by some more intel on our new Daleks.

Viewers last saw the Thirteenth Doctor at the end of season 12, where her fate was left hanging in the balance as she was locked away in a high-security alien prison with no hope of escape. In the upcoming New Year's Day special, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham are far away on Earth and having to carry on with their lives without her. However, they soon discover a disturbing plan forming. A plan which involves a Dalek. How can you fight a Dalek without the Doctor? Even with Captain Jack's help, the gang is set to face one of their biggest and most frightening challenges yet.

As we mentioned in previous posts, something viewers should know about "Revolution of the Daleks" is that it's pulling double-duty: serving as both a stand-alone episode as well as a sequel to 2019's "Resolution (of the Daleks)." In fact, from what showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens had to say, it sounds like a rewatching before "Revolution" might be in order. "I kept to using just one Dalek in 'Resolution' because they're powerful things singly anyway, so that's fun just to be able to give one that space. But also I was planning to bring them back in greater numbers for this episode," Chibnall revealed.

"We knew that when we said goodbye to the Reconnaissance Dalek, when it was jettisoned out of the Tardis doors into a supernova at the end of 'Resolution,' that that would not be the end of it. Chris already had the idea of this return, that the next time we see the Daleks, it'd be straight into a sort of origin story for the version in our era of the series."

When it came to designing a new look for the iconic villains, Chibnall wanted to make sure that they went with a look that would be unique while still staying true to the Daleks. "We wanted something sleek, shiny and powerful, and slightly different from any Dalek you've seen before," he revealed. "There's always a pressure when you refresh any Doctor Who monster. But equally, that's part of the job and that's part of what keeps it new and interesting." That said, neither Chibnall nor Strevens are looking to replace what came before them.

"You're never replacing what's gone before, you're just adding a new variant," Chibnall explained. "It's just this story is about these black and red Daleks, which light up at night and do all sorts of things." Strevens agrees, adding, "You want to contemporize them, and make them hold up to scrutiny under modern filming techniques, and to look as high-end as you possibly can. You can't stray too far from the classic design – but then what can you do within that? How can you make them feel different and relevant, and sexy, and lethal as well?"

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