Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: bbc, disney, doctor who, Tales of the TARDIS

Doctor Who: Surprise New "Tales of the TARDIS" Fuels Finale Theories

A new episode of Tales of the Tardis will only premiere in the UK just before the season finale of Doctor Who on June 20th. What's it about?

Something unexpected just popped up for Doctor Who. It seems a new episode of Tales of the Tardis is going to premiere on BBC iPlayer on June 20th, the day before the season finale of Doctor Who, "Empire of Death" premieres worldwide on the iPlayer and Disney+. This is set fans of Doctor Who wildly speculating about what it could be about and how it might tie into the main series because, yeah, fans need another excuse to speculate wildly about what's going to happen next on Doctor Who.

Tales of the Tardis: A Quick Primer

In case you didn't know, Tales of the Tardis is a spinoff from Doctor Who that is only available to viewers in the UK via the BBC iPlayer. It is entirely funded and produced without Disney+, which is why viewers outside the UK don't get to watch it by legitimate means if they know the spinoff exists. Each episode of Tales of the Tardis is comprised of a framing sequence that's newly filmed involving past companions or even a past Doctor meeting in the Memory TARDIS in the present, looking back at an old adventure. This is comprised of an introductory scene with the characters, then we are treated to a slightly re-edited version of the classic Doctor Who story they're featured in with the original opening and closing titles removed for a seamless single feature length story, followed by an ending scene of the characters in the Memory Tardis.

What is the Surprise Seventh Episode of Tales of the Tardis?

It looks like the Memory Tardis will be introduced in the two-part finale of this season's Doctor Who, "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" and "Empire of Death." We've already caught a blink-and-you-miss-it glimpse of it in the trailer, where The Doctor and past companion Mel (Bonnie Langford) are seen peeking out of it.

So the new Tales of the Tardis premieres on Thursday evening, June 20th, at 8 pm UK time, more than 24 hours before "Empire of Death" premieres at midnight on Friday, June 22nd at midnight in the UK, which is 7 pm East Coast Time in the US. Could this be tied to the season finale of Doctor Who? Rumour has it that Russell T. Davies decided to pitch Tales of the Tardis as a spinoff series after he wrote the first season as part of the series' 60th Anniversary celebration, so the six episodes available so far will turn out to be a kind of payoff to this season after all, and the upcoming new episode will tie into that.  This is where the wild speculation begins.

Does It Signal the Return of Susan?

Russell T. Davies has been hinting this season that Susan, the Doctor's granddaughter, might finally return. In "The Devil's Chord", the Doctor mentioned her by name for the first time in the series since Doctor Who was revived in 2005 but he only hinted about her. She tells Ruby that her fate is a mystery, and he doesn't know if she's alive or dead. Could Carole Ann Ford, who played Susan, appear in this episode of Tales of the Tardis?

Will It Feature Another Third Doctor Story?

There are rumours that in "The Legend of Ruby Sunday", the Doctor and Ruby come to UNIT because the situation might involve a story from the Third Doctor's era. The upcoming episode of Tales of the Tardis is 75 minutes long, which suggests the classic story would be a three-part serial from the old series – and there are very few three-parters from that era. The re-edited classic story would be around 65 to 69 minutes long, leaving room for the newly filmed opening and ending framing scenes.

Will it Be a Tribute to William Russell?

William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton, one of the First Doctor's (William Hartnell) first companions and Susan's teacher, passed away this week. This Tales of the Tardis could just be a memorial to both the actor and the character. It could just be as simple as that. Fans tend to come up with theories that are always more complicated and convoluted than what Russell T. Davies ends up showing.

Doctor Who and Tales of the Tardis Still Have to Be Separate

Tales of the Tardis was intended as a bridge between the old series, including classic series from 1963 to 1989, the TV movie, and the revived 2005 era that ended with Jodie Whittaker's finale story and the new Disney+ series. The current series on Disney+ is a continuation of the series but also designed to be a clean starting point for new viewers. That means Tales is a deep dive easter egg for longtime fans. The main series on Disney+ still has to stand alone, so whatever we end up getting, this is going to be interesting.

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