Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, Preview, Trailer, TV | Tagged: bbc, doctor who, preview, russell t davies, series 14

Doctor Who S14: So When Is A "Second Re-Boot" Not A "Second Re-Boot"?

See? Who says there still isn't a reason to keep your Facebook account open? It's not like social media doesn't already own our souls a thousand times over already anyway, so why not use it to our benefit every now and then? Especially when it can help feed our raging dumpster fires of random speculation regarding the future of the BBC's Doctor Who.

So you know the deal by now, right? This fall, The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Yaz (Mandip Gill), and Dan (John Bishop) return for the "Centenary Special"- and they're not coming alone. As we saw from the official teaser released after "Legend of the Sea Devils," we have Cybermen, the Master (Sacha Dhawan), Ace (Sophie Aldred), Tegan (Janet Fielding), and more familiar faces showing up for what is the final run from Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall. After that, Russell T. Davies returns as showrunner, bringing the Fourteenth Doctor along reportedly in Fall 2023 (though there are rumblings about some one-off specials focusing on returning Doctors & companions, with David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Catherine Tate some of the names being buzzed about).

And then earlier today, Adi Tantimedh (one of our Doctor Who experts and supporter of Davies doing a hard reboot of the show), passed along something interesting they were given a heads-up on. So it appears that Millennium FX Ltd. is back working on the long-running series, with the creature effects & special makeup effects designer Neill Gorton posting a "crew shout out" back at the beginning of April that was accompanied by an image of work being done on a Cyberman (with the post also shared on Millennium's FB page). Now, where it gets interesting is in the comments, when Gorton offers an individual (we redacted names for the sake of preserving as much privacy as possible for those not directly involved) a chance to check out opportunities on Doctor Who if they were to ever "tire of the SW universe." But it's the wording in Gorton's response that caught our eye: "If you ever tire of the SW universe we're knee deep in the second re-boot of 'Who!'" Hmmm… "the second re-boot of 'Who'", huh? Now there are two ways to look at that. First, Adi is getting their wish and Davies is coming in to hit the reset button in a big way. Or second, that "second re-boot" refers to this being Davies' second time at the helm and that they're looking to mothball pretty much everything that happened "major canon"-wise since Davies has been gone (so not a hard reboot). Stay tuned…

Now here's a look at the first teaser & images for the "Centenary Special" premiering this fall, followed by a look at Chibnall discussing the end of his run, if he would ever return, why Davies taking over is a good move, and more:

Recently, Chibnall opened up to the RadioTimes.com about if he will pull a Davies and return at some point, why it's important for a showrunner to make their own mark on the long-running series, and if he believes Davies will follow up on some of the bigger additions to the show's lore that he added during his time:

Chibnall Isn't Shy Addressing If He Will Ever Return to "Doctor Who": "Absolutely never again! Clear red line, final script. I never expected to come back after working with Steven [Moffat], really, and I'd turned it down a couple of times after that. I never thought I'd be offered the job and built into that is why I wanted to keep it to a very specific three-series thing. Supervising teenagers' revision is taking up my time now and there's lots of other things to write! I will happily sit back and watch. For all that it's been gorgeous all along, now it's like, 'Oh I remember this. This is what real life is like!'"

Chibnall: "Oh, I Fully Expect Russell to Ignore It!": "You're not carrying a vase across a room – you've got to get in there and say what you want about the show, the character, and the world. It's one of the few drama series without a written bible, and every era contains a contradiction or left-turn from what has come before. Any future showrunner will ignore it or run with it," Chibnall explained when asked if he thought Davies would follow up on the things he brought to the show's lore.

Chibnall on Why Davies' Return is Good News for "Doctor Who" Fans: "Everybody should have a big smile on their face. Russell is one of the elite showrunners and 'Who' is very lucky to have him, especially off the back of 'It's a Sin,' one of the greatest shows of all time. For him to have incredible ideas and passion for it, to want to take it forward again – that's fab. Nobody has a greater love for "Doctor Who.'"

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