Who Goes There?
Once again, one of the BBC’s flagship shows, Dr. Who, is in a bit of a bind. For many years now, the show has had something of an identity problem as well as an over emphasis on social messaging and, to put it mildly, uneven writing. Rather than any sort of reboot, reimaging, or any other nonsense corporate buzzword, I think the ship of Dr. Who could be righted through a few bold choices in the short term and a longer term shift in the ways in which the stories about this character are told.
Unstable Regeneration
My first suggestion will sound radical: one season of eight episodes that are 60 to 85 minutes, and in each episode the Doctor is played by a different, fairly well-known British actor. This is part of the hook. Everyone will tune in and be excited to see how this actor or actress will play the part. Off the top of my head, I’d try to get Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Daniel Craig, Iain Glenn, Idris Elba, Helen Mirin, Steve Coogan, Tilda Swinton, and/or Simon Russell Beale. I would also have said Alan Rickman, but time has taken him from us. In any event, each of these professionals would bring something different and remarkable to a venerable character. The reasoning in the show for this constant change would be the Doctor’s regeneration is, for whatever serviceable rationale, unstable. I’d introduce this idea in the first episode of the season where the TARDIS ends up in a British neighborhood where an older man and his granddaughter rescue the Doctor after some fashion and become companions as the TARDIS takes them on science-fiction adventures across time and space in an attempt to stabilize the regeneration process.
The real characters arcs would be the realm of these two companions: the grumpy but well-meaning grandfather and his energetic but unworldly granddaughter. They would grow and become better, well-rounded people by the end of the season through their adventures with the Doctor while the Doctor would be a wild card in each episode, letting the particular actor or actress bring out the personality traits he or she thinks best befits the story. These two companion characters would be an off-kilter callback to the original Doctor with William Hartnell as a crotchety, older character and Susan Foreman as his granddaughter. Don’t beat anyone over with the head with this. Just let it sit there unobtrusively and be a treat for those who see it without derailing the show or calling much attention to itself. The point of this exercise is to reinvigorate the show, not to announce to everyone how clever the writers think they are. Now is the time for valor without renown.
Episodes
Each episode would be mostly stand-alone as the TARDIS takes the Doctor where he or she “needs to be” in order to learn more about the unstable regeneration. A lower episode count for this season would likely keep costs more manageable and play into the sense of wonder and adventure that has always been an aspect of Dr. Who’s episodic structure. The first episode would do well to start in more contemporary England, but after that, there should be at least two episodes in the past—I’d argue for Ancient Rome and Victorian Britannia—and at least two episodes in distant, alien worlds. These episodes remind everyone of what this show is about: fun, science-fiction adventure for a wide range of ages to enjoy. There’s no need to shy away from the Britishness of the character or the show, either. Audiences know it’s a British show and don’t mind it so long as their own cultures are not denigrated in the process.
The structure of each individual episode should be more like Classic Dr. Who or a Sherlock Holmes story or Columbo. We get the set up the inciting problem for the local characters, and then the TARDIS arrives, interjecting the Doctor and the two companions into the mix as they both try to help the immediate problems presented for the episode as well as track down whatever knowledge the Doctor needs, which is likely to be bound up in the local plot. This can present different kinds of tension as what the Doctor needs might be at odds with the immediate complications of the plot, and his companions can raise their own concerns about the nature and ethics of their behavior in different times and places.
Rough Roads Ahead
There are also a number of aspects I’d avoid to help push along the season and regenerate the show into its best self. It’s better not to travel down the path of anything like “lore.” It isn’t necessary, and as the last several seasons of the show have revealed, that road leads nowhere. Too often, it gets in the way of the story and contributes to a secondary problem of exposition. Dr. Who is not a hard science-fiction show. There is no need for lengthy exposition or diatribes about technical concerns. Aside from the two companions, there don’t need to be more recurring characters. This will keep the episodes breezy and self-contained, and two companions is already pushing it for the central cast. This also means don’t bother with legacy characters. That complex fun can come later when the show is back on stable footing (more on that later). Having the Master or Davros at this juncture, however, just invites the inertia of lore-based navel gazing and Member Berries.
Where Do We Go from Here?
With Dr. Who revitalized and back on track as a show of science-fiction adventure, the following seasons can ease into a more routine set up. By this time, a new long-term Doctor can be cast as the lead in additional seasons that I would hope would consist of longer story arcs.
Does my “Unstable Regeneration” season sound a bit gimmicky? You’re 100% right it is, but it’s a gimmick that audience will get behind and generate engagement and debate about the show rather than pointless digressions about “Woke messaging” that don’t help anyone and won’t keep an audience watching.
BBC producers, you don’t even have to pay me for these ideas, though a modest sum would be welcome. I’d be happy seeing this put into practice with even just a special thanks in the credits—they go on long enough as it is, so I might be in there already. As a longtime fan of Dr. Who, I want the show to be the best that it can be by retaining those elements that made it a staple for decades and by embracing some of the later alterations that have made the show such a success. Dr. Who is an establishment as adventurous, pulpy, fun, science-fiction. Remember that, and the TARDIS will take you where you need to go.
© 2025 Seth Tomko