Five Things We Want to See From “New” Doctor Who

With the casting of Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor, it seems inevitable that the series and the character are going to be moving in a completely different direction from when Matt Smith held the iconic role. As fans, we can’t help but try to push Moffat and his creative team in the right directions so we don’t see our favourite series crash and burn before our eyes. A long time Whovian, and self-proclaimed “future writer” for Doctor Who, I made a list of things that myself and some of our other Whovian writers would like to see in the new series of Doctor Who.

A Less Goofy Doctor

Don’t get me wrong, I loved Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor. His wacky slapstick humour and his approach to new adventures with a childlike wonder and excitement were perfect… for Matt Smith. We all know that Peter Capaldi will have to play his version of the Doctor completely different, and I’m sure whatever he brings to the character will be brilliant. I’m not saying remove all humour from the character and make him a serious and mature adult, but please just tone it down a bit.

A New Companion

I have to admit I haven’t been the biggest Clara supporter during the tail end of Smith’s run. I don’t think it has anything to do with Jenna Coleman, who is a beautiful and talented young actress; I just really didn’t like the character. Now that her “Impossible Girl” story arc is over, I care even less about where that character is going. I will give her a chance with Capaldi to see if anything clicks, but if that chemistry isn’t strong within the first few episodes I think I’ll be looking forward to a new companion.

Returning Characters

I’m pretty sure that they’ve already confirmed the return of our three favourite Victorian detectives; Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax, but those can’t be the only returning characters we see this season. Is River Songs story over? It would be nice to see her come back, especially if she has better chemistry with Capaldi than she did with Matt. I honestly think that Alex Kingston’s lack of chemistry with Matt Smith is the reason why most Whovians didn’t like her character. I would love to see the return of UNIT, which could mean Kate Stewart or her father Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

And let’s not forget villains. I’m sure there will be Daleks and there will be Cybermen, but lets see some classic Who monsters that haven’t been introduced since the reboot. I would also love to see The Master make his return with a new diabolical scheme. I love John Simm as The Master, but they could recast that role and bring a new actor in to the universe of Doctor Who.

I couldn’t suggest returning characters without mentioning the one character we all want to see come back: CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS! Where has he been? If they aren’t going to bring Torchwood back any time soon, the least they can do is give us a few more Doctor Who adventures featuring Captain Jack.

They always get so close to giving us a glimpse of Gallifrey and the Timelords, but something always seems to stop them from coming back. The Timelords are a mysterious and interesting race, and I want to see them come back. I also want to know more about The Doctor’s family specifically. Is Susan still alive? If she was his granddaughter, then who were her parents? And who was that woman in “The End of Time” that kept talking to Wilf? She clearly had a connection to The Doctor, but they never revealed who that was. Three seasons later and we still have no idea.
And Gallifrey is a beautiful place. Let’s go there. K?

A Darker Storyline

I think it’s because of Peter Capaldi that we’re all expecting the series to take a dark turn. He seems like such a dark, brooding man, and because of that we want the same qualities in The Doctor. It is also a great contrast to the last Doctor, who had his moments of darkness, but overall was a happy and excitable character. The Doctor has suffered so much loss in his long life, and is a truly tragic character. It would be great to see that finally hit the character and take him on a dark path.

Regardless of where they take the series from here, I have faith that Stephen Moffat will continue to write stories that will excite, impress and educate his vast audience. He may get some criticism from Whovians, but personally I think he was the perfect choice to run my favourite show. Even if he doesn’t see this article and take the advice from one small group of Canadian fans, I think our beloved Doctor is in very capable hands.

…I was going to end this article with the Doctor’s catch phrase, but we don’t know Capaldi’s yet. So I guess Allons-y, Geronimo, and “would you like a jelly baby?”