April 15th brings Doctor Who Series 10. It’s been a long time without any fresh Doctor Who. The last episode of Series 9 aired in September 2015. Last year’s Christmas Special gave us a small dose, but at long last we have a brand new series to look forward to. This will be the last for both Stephen Moffat as showrunner and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor.
There are spoilers ahead, if you don’t want any ideas about what is coming.
Nardole and Bill Potts
Nardole was introduced in The Husbands of River Song. He seems to have tagged along after to make sure the Doctor was more or less okay. It’s been stated that he won’t be in every episode of the series, but in a lot of them.
Bill Potts is the new companion, stepping into the shoes of Clara Oswald. Not much is known about her character as of yet, but she’ll appear starting in the first episode. Her character is openly gay. She seems inquisitive, always a good trait for a companion. It’s already been announced that she we leave after this series, to give the next showrunner a fresh start.
John Simm as the Master
It’s not explained exactly how, but John Simm, who last appeared as the Master at the end of the Tenth Doctor’s run in 2010, returns in this series. The episode will have both his incarnation of the Master as well as the more recent Missy. Between the Master and Missy there may not be any scenery left to chew.
Mondasian Cybermen
This series will mark a return to the classic, original, Cybermen. The new series has always used an update version of the Cybermen. These are Cybermen as seen in their first Doctor Who episode, The Tenth Planet, in 1966. Interestingly that was the first episode with a regeneration, and it seems they may be involved with the regeneration of Twelve as well as One. This season also sees a return of the Ice Warriors.
Screenwriter Rona Monroe
As usual, Doctor Who Series 10 has quite a few returning writers and directors. Rona Monroe is different, in that, with this, she will be the first person to write for both Classic and New Doctor Who. She wrote Survival, the last episode of the original run. Doctor Who has sometimes taken heat for a lack of female writers, and it’s good to see there are two this season. In addition, Rachel Talalay returns to direct the final two episodes as she did in Season 9.
Regeneration
All things must end, and so, by the end of this series, the Twelfth Doctor will be no more. There were rumors Peter Capaldi was asked to stay on, but it was decided that he would leave with Stephen Moffat. This will give Chris Chibnall, who is taking over reigns, a fresh start with his own Doctor and companion. This has also led to speculation that the new Doctor will arrive with Christmas.
There many things to look forward to in Doctor Who series 10. What are you most excited about?
