[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the first two episodes of Doctor Who Season 1, “Space Babies” and “The Devil’s Chord.”]
Russell T. Davies, in his return to Doctor Who, has given himself quite a lot to play with, just with the three 60th anniversary specials and the Christmas episode. There are villains on the way, a major mystery about the newest companion’s origins, and more for Ncuti Gatwa‘s Doctor.
With the first two episodes of the newest Season 1, Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) is revealed to be one of the Toymaker’s children and teases that “the one who waits is almost here.” (The Toymaker previously warned the Doctor of this same being.) Davies has also teased a running story building to a devastating finale. But is that building to “the one who waits” reveal?
“It may be the Toymaker’s legions. It may not. It may be bigger than that,” teases Davies. “In fact, it’s definitely bigger than that. But yes, there are strands and hints and thread leading to the finale, which is thrilling.”
Also building during the season is the answer regarding Ruby’s (Millie Gibson) parents; she has no idea who they are (like the Doctor, she’s a foundling) and their DNA isn’t in any database (there are surprises ahead there, says the showrunner). Furthermore, the Doctor has gone back to the night she was left at the church and seen who left her… and that has now changed, with that person pointing at him. “That’s the biggest change, and the mystery of why she’s pointing at the Doctor turns out to be very crucial,” Davies reveals. “I would say pay attention to that moment because it’s not a small moment. Why would time change around that moment? What’s happening there? It’s fascinating. It’s a nice answer to that one.”
Other villains still out there: the Meep’s boss and the Master, trapped in the Toymaker’s tooth. Both are long-term plans for Davies, who confirms the Meep’s boss and “the one who waits” are not the same being. “There’s another mention of the boss coming up,” he adds. “I might get to [that] one day. I know exactly who the boss is, but there’s no sign of that happening yet.” He doesn’t have plans to revisit the Master (though notes he could be lying).
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The Doctor will be returning to UNIT HQ, where he will see familiar faces like Kate (Jemma Redgrave) and Mel (Bonnie Langford). Davies is a big fan of that set, which has been left standing. “I can confidently say we’re going to come back there every year,” he says. Ruth Madeley, who plays Shirley, will be back in Season 2 but “wasn’t able to make this year’s climax. Lenny Rush, who is an extraordinary actor, makes an appearance. We barely scratched the surface of a lot of those characters.”
In fact, he admits, “I’ve just literally changed my schedule so I can go into the studios because they’re my favorite days when all those people are there. I really love them, and I really appreciate them always coming back. Those people get a lot of other work. They’re very busy. And to get them all to coincide with the same weeks on the same set is a lot of work on behalf of the producers. But every time it happens, it’s so worth doing.”
The trailers not only offer hints at UNIT but also at Yasmin Finney back as Rose Noble. But don’t count on her offering an update on her mother, Donna (Catherine Tate), or the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant).
“I think by calling ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ Episode 1 of Season 1, we’re opening the door to new viewers to start here. And I know that everyone loves researching the history. I like the fact that for Doctor Who viewers, Doctor Who has this great rich background. I’m very unafraid of backstory. Nonetheless, it’s Ncuti’s show now. So I think the Doctor and Donna got trapped in a flood in Venice in the year 2063,” Davies says with a laugh. “They’ll be struggling underwater for a while.”
We’ve also gotten glimpses at the Regency episode, and all of it, including the costumes, looks amazing. “It is so stunning,” the showrunner confirms. “A lot of it we had to make ourselves because Bridgerton classically brought up every regency costume in Great Britain and we probably filmed in the only country house that they haven’t been to yet. And let me tell you that they bumped the prices up, but it’s a joy.”
And just like Shonda Rhimes is a fan of Doctor Who, he loves Bridgerton. “She did an interview with the Sunday Times recently where she expressed her love of Doctor Who and she named me. I was really thrilled to see [that]. I mean I’ve only ever met her once, for 30 seconds. But there she was saying how much she liked me. That was one of the greatest compliments in my life,” Davies shares. “There’s an episode of Grey’s Anatomy in which people come into the emergency department because they’ve been fighting over my autograph, and they contacted me, got my autograph. That was years ago. But that episode must get shown somewhere in the world every day because almost every day I get someone texting me, have you seen this?”
He continues, “So almost to repay the compliment—Shonda put me in Grey’s Anatomy—I thought we’d put Bridgerton into Doctor Who. Actually, the writers said initially they wanted do a great big party. They wanted the Doctor to visit a party in time and space. And we had a long time winnowing down what sort of party that would be, but the moment Bridgerton was said, all other ideas went out the window. That really is a gorgeous episode.”
It features Jonathan Groff in a guest role, and “it’s a mystery what [his character’s] doing there,” teases Davies. “What could he possibly doing at a regency ball? It’s putting two great actors together [with Gatwa and Groff]. We never thought in a million years that Jonathan Groff would agree to be in Doctor Who. Sometimes people have these suggestions and I just roll my eyes thinking. ‘You’ll be lucky,’ like that. But it turned out he watched It’s a Sin. He knew my name, which was a surprise to me. [That] made him pick up the script and look at the offer, and the next thing I knew, there he was and he sent me a video. He was cycling around Central Park. I wish my life was like that all the time. Normally you get 27 agents blocking you. Jonathan’s one of our great screen actors there, and to put that with Ncuti, it’s just fireworks.”
Something that Davies can’t even tease: why the Tenth Doctor’s (Tennant) face appears in a hologram in a trailer. But what we can look forward to is the mysterious Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) returning and some answers and more questions about her (which may carry over into Season 2) and mavity isn’t going anywhere.
It was in the second 60th anniversary special that the Doctor and Donna accidentally met Isaac Newton and gave him the idea of gravity…only he misheard them and now that word has since become mavity. It will continue to be that “forever,” says Davies with a laugh. “You’ll see, it gets said, don’t worry. One day, we’re going to come up with a plot, which gravity is really important for, and it’s going to drive us mad, but I’ll still insist that it’s called mavity.”
What are you hoping to see this season? Let us know in the comments section, below.
Doctor Who, Fridays, 7/6c, Disney+
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