Summary
Doctor Who Season 14 gained a bigger budget with Disney involved, allowing more cinematic production.
Ncuti Gatwa is a natural fit as the Fifteenth Doctor, embodying the role effortlessly.
UNIT is back with a bigger role, enhancing the story and potentially leading to spin-off shows.
Doctor Who went through a slump for the last few years as fans turned away from the series, but season 14, or the renewed season 1, is making the show exciting once again. Doctor Who began way back in 1963, when the show would air weekly for much of the year, and they were released in black and white. In the more than 60 years since, the series has undergone hundreds of changes from the length of episodes, to the timeslot, and more integral elements like the cast and characters.
The show made these changes as a part of the lore in the sci-fi epic series that has since gone on to be the longest-running sci-fi show of all time. And while these changes have ensured Doctor Who’s longevity and ability to remake itself, it also means there have been spells when the show becomes less popular. The show was canceled and off the air between 1989 and 2005, with only a movie special released in between. Now again, as the show was starting to dip in viewership, the series has regenerated to become more exciting than ever.
8 Doctor Who Season 14 Has A Bigger Budget
With Disney Adding To The Pot
Since it first began, Doctor Who has been a show that was exclusively made and distributed by the BBC, the UK’s largest broadcaster. While the budget set by the BBC was more than enough to popularize the show back in 1963, and they had a healthy budget with the revival in 2005, the amount that they could give the series was limited. As the show grew in ambition and competition in popular media was growing astronomically with shows produced by streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, the show’s budget struggled to match up to other sci-fi shows.
However, Doctor Who’s modern series, which was revived in 2005, became a much more global phenomenon with fans from all around the world. Thanks to the fanbase expanding overseas, the show is now popular enough that global companies like Disney paid to get the global distribution rights for the series, meaning the budget per episode has also increased. This allows the creatives to bring bigger and wilder ideas to the screen, with improved special effects and more cinematic productions.
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7 Ncuti Gatwa As The Fifteenth Doctor
He Is A Natural Fit As The Time Lord in the TARDIS
One of the best elements of the show is also one that is bittersweet for fans, with the central character regenerating into a brand-new body every few seasons. The Doctor is an alien known as a Time Lord, and the Time Lords have a special ability which means death for them works differently to most other species. When a Time Lord is close to death, their body triggers a defensive response known as regeneration. The process typically results in a brand new body, often with some differences in their personalities and tastes as well.
In the modern era of Doctor Who, there have been several new versions of the Doctor introduced, with Ncuti Gatwa now appearing as the Fifteenth. Having Ncuti take over the role is an incredibly exciting opportunity for the show, moving forward, as in the few episodes where he has appeared so far, he has easily embodied the role and made it his own. From his confidence to his unique sense of style, and his off-the-charts charm, Ncuti already feels like the Doctor, and he is sure to smash the role.
6 UNIT Is Back
Getting A Bigger Role In Doctor Who’s Future
UNIT has been a part of the show since 1968, when the newly formed government agency was introduced in “The Invasion” storyline with the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton. The Unified Intelligence Taskforce, formerly known as the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, was set up to defend the Earth from extraterrestrial threats. The Doctor worked with them a lot in the classic series, with the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, spending most of his regeneration on Earth working directly for the agency.
Despite this, the show did not feature prominently in the modern era of Doctor Who until much more recently. Now that Kate Lethbridge-Stewart appears to be a more regular character on the show, and UNIT has a new Avengers-esque headquarters in the heart of London, it seems like they will be a much more involved part of the story, and potentially open the door for some of Russell T Davies Doctor Who spin-off shows that he has frequently teased.
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5 Russell T Davies Is Back
The Doctor Who Showrunner Who Saved The Show
Speaking of RTD, Davies was the man who originally brought Doctor Who back to the screen for modern audiences. In 2005, RTD released the first season of modern Doctor Who starring Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler. He went on to serve as showrunner until 2010. In that brief five-year stint, RTD introduced two major spin-offs, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, several companion shows, and many specials, shorts, and other elements to drive the show’s popularity.
4 Steven Moffat Is Also Back
Writing For The Show
Along with RTD, there was an incredible team of writers with several that contributed multiple times to the series. The biggest contributor aside from RTD, was Steven Moffat, who went on to become the revived show’s second showrunner in 2010 and continue until 2017. Both RTD and Moffat are huge fans of Doctor Who, with a genuine passion for the show that has resulted in incredible stories and adventures, so having them both back to create more stories is a huge win for Doctor Who fans everywhere.
3 More Inclusivity
RTD Is Making A Big Push With Diversity
Being a show that first aired in 1963, Doctor Who’s past does feature a fair number of moments that would not be seen as favorable by modern viewers. While the show has also always pioneered and pushed for changes, and has never been afraid to criticize modern politics or current affairs, the show has come a long way in six decades. When RTD revived the series in 2005, he wasn’t afraid to include elements that were not as commonplace, with the introduction of characters like Captain Jack Harkness, who had an interest in both men and women romantically.
While the modern series continued to push for more diversity and representation, there were still some elements that did not appear enough. RTD has made very conscious and vocal efforts to rectify this in the modern series, with characters like Rose Noble, and updating the look of Davros to avoid associations between disability and evil. While these changes are sometimes uncomfortable or confrontational for viewers, it is also worthwhile to see them added in more naturally, presenting more diversity and inclusion.
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2 Doing Time Travel Right
The Beatles, Dinosaurs, And Regency Era England
Along with a larger budget, it is also great to see the series putting the money to great use. The upcoming season of the show is set to feature huge-name celebrities like Jonathan Groff, take the heroes to incredible places like the land of the dinosaurs, and even mingle with superstars like The Beatles. Along with building incredible sets such as the new TARDIS interior, the new series is building something that feels much bigger than anything that came before.
1 New Mysteries To Solve
Who Is Ruby Sunday, And The Hooded Woman, And Mrs. Flood?
One of the greatest elements of Doctor Who has to be the continuous narrative threads that run through seasons with mysteries to be solved. From Bad Wolf to The Timeless Child, most seasons of Doctor Who have some big moments they build towards, and this one will be no different. RTD has indicated that there are significant mysteries surrounding characters like Ruby Sunday and the mysterious hooded woman who dropped her off in front of the church as a baby. Many theories about Ruby Sunday’s identity already exist, but the new season of Doctor Who is set to reveal all.
Doctor Who
Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.
Release Date November 23, 1963
Writers Mark Gatiss , Toby Whithouse , Neil Cross , Steven Moffat , Chris Chibnall