Doctor Who: A Series 8 Wish List
The 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who is fast approaching, as November 23rd will see a feature length special hit our cinema and television screens.
Written by show-runner Steven Moffat and featuring returning cast members David Tennant and Billie Piper alongside regulars Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman, the story will see the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors (Tennant and Smith respectively) caught up in an adventure featuring another of their past incarnations - a mysterious character played by acting legend John Hurt.
Let's take a moment to look beyond that though. Matt Smith has sadly announced he will be departing the sci-fi series on Christmas Day this year, and the Eleventh Doctor will regenerate into a new form. Who will be the lucky actor chosen to portray the 1,200 year old Time Lord? Only 'time' will tell, although there have been some names floating around here and there...
Even further than that, however, we have an eighth series on the way in 2014. Jenna Coleman has confirmed she will return as Clara Oswald, the Doctor's current companion, alongside a brand new Twelfth Doctor. Hopefully there will be no mid-series split this time (leaving fans with an annoyingly long break between episodes - series seven started in September last year and only finished a month ago!), but other than that, here's an episode-by-episode hypothetical wish list for Series 8...
Episodes 1/2
Writer: Steven Moffat (Showrunner, Doctor Who)
The pitch: A new Doctor, presumably fresh from the closing seconds of 2013's Christmas Special, lands on present day Earth (not modern day London though, that's becoming far too stale!). Rather than feature a huge monster or a dastardly scheme, episodes one and two are actually a low-key introduction to the personality and characterization of Doctor number Twelve. Clara herself is attempting to get over the loss of the Eleventh and get used to the Twelfth, while subtle hints to the story arc of the series (mysterious messages, references to events in the 50th Anniversary) are laid out but not necessarily focused on.
Why it would be awesome: Series seven divided fans due to Moffat's desire to create a "blockbuster" episode per week. As such, two-parters (giving the story an hour and a half of screen time rather than forty-five minutes) were scrapped in favour of big-budget extravaganzas. It's time to bring back those intelligent stories which indulged in characterization and plot, and where better to start than the beginning?
Episode 3
Writer: Toby Whithouse (Writer/Creator, Being Human)
The pitch: The Doctor takes Clara to a brand new planet featuring a new monster and a larger cast of military personnel attempting to capture it. The Doctor, however, has a more urgent reason to catch the monster - it's taken Clara!
Why it would be awesome: Toby Whithouse is no stranger to sci-fi, with Being Human just one of the projects under his belt. He's also written one of the best episodes of New-Who, The God Complex amongst others, as well as showing interest in taking over from Steven Moffat as the show runner of Doctor Who. Taking the new Doctor to an environment outside his - and our - comfort zone would also be a much clearer indicator of his character. We're going to need that if we're to stop missing Matt Smith!
Episode 4
Writer: Neil Cross (Writer/Creator, Luther)
The pitch: On a planet in the far future, its Sun is slowly but surely dying, leave the entire surface in desolate darkness for hours at a time. The Doctor and Clara become stranded and, as night falls, they find friends and foes on all sides. Possibly featuring the return of an old enemy - the Weeping Angels. Don't blink.
Why it would be awesome: Neil Cross had the pleasure of writing Hide, one of series seven's better episodes, and he proved there that spooky, clever horror is definitely his forte. A planet in darkness and the Weeping Angels closing in - what's not to be terrified about?
Episodes 5/6
Writer: Steven Moffat (Showrunner, Doctor Who)
The pitch: In Victorian Scotland (references to Ten's adventure Tooth and Claw abound!), all of the children in a small village are having terrifying nightmares about a man calling himself The Doctor and his horrific time machine which carries with it only one thing: the promise of death, pain and destruction. What happens when their nightmares become a reality, and the TARDIS crash lands in their town? Episode 5 ends on a huge cliffhanger, revealing the return of the fantastic "Dream Lord" from Series 5. Huge hints at the overall story arc here.
Why it would be awesome: The Dream Lord has featured in only one episode of Doctor Who so far, Amy's Choice in Series 5. He was definitely well received, however, and fans have been looking forward to his return ever since. Imagine a Doctor Who take on Nightmare On Elm Street, in which the Dream Lord is manipulating childrens' dreams and having them think The Doctor is a murderous tyrant!
Episode 7
Writer: Neil Gaiman (Writer: The Doctor's Wife, Stardust)
The pitch: A more low-key, sombre episode as The Doctor and Clara find themselves in the middle of World War I. On the eve of the horrific Battle of the Somme (in which the Allied troops are mercilessly slaughtered after going "over the top" of their trenches), the time travellers help the soldiers deal with an extraterrestrial monster scouring their trenches. Might make you cry.
Why it would be awesome: In Series 6, Gaiman managed to create one of the greatest Doctor Who episodes of all time, The Doctor's Wife. The acclaimed author would no doubt find oceans of inspiration to draw from in this situation full of soldiers doomed to meet their demise at sunrise. This would also hark back to stories such as The Waters of Mars, in which The Doctor is forced to let people die just because their death is a fixed point in time and space, never to be tampered with.
Episode 8
Writers: Russell T. Davies (Former Showrunner Doctor Who)
The pitch: A smaller story dealing with The Doctor's inner turmoil and guilt as Martha Jones calls him back to Earth. More hints at the overall story arc here with mentions (possible cameos) of past companions. A sort of tribute to the Tennant era in both style and dialogue, while Martha and Mickey Smith show The Doctor that Torchwood and UNIT are butting heads over a particular missing time agent...
Why it would be awesome: Moffat has said before that former showrunner Russell T. Davies has been asked to return to write just one or two episodes, and each time he has inched closer and closer to saying yes. Bringing back characters from the Eccleston/Tennant era would be a perfect call back for Davies, while the return of Freema Agyeman and Noel Clarke would be brilliant fan-service.
Episode 9
Writer: Chris Chibnall (Creator/Writer, Broadchurch)
The pitch: In this year's "Doctor-lite" episode, a small village attempts to deal with the sudden appearance of an alien in their midst. The creature in question has been injured in its crash landed ship (a Sontaran or a Judoon perhaps?) and is in the care of a child and his father - but when the rest of the community find out their secret, they might be much more hostile. Some want to kill it, some want to save it and the entire situation snowballs.
Why it would be awesome: Chibnall is no stranger to stories set in a fictional community, as the fantastic ITV drama Broadchurch showed off earlier this year. The most interesting part of the episode would be the small community's interactions with each other until The Doctor and Clara arrive to break up the tension. Think Series 4's Midnight meets Series 5's The Hungry Earth.
Episode 10
Writer: Peter Jackson (Director, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy)
The pitch: In a huge, FX heavy extravaganza, The Doctor and Clara are pursued through space by an enormous shuttle claiming to possess "The Doctor's greatest mistake." The Doctor is desperate to outrun it, but the shuttle itself isn't giving up so easily, leading to an epic chase through the Time Vortex, pursued by echoes of The Doctor's enemies. The final moments reveal the dramatic return of the one and only Captain Jack Harkness, fitting like a glove with the series story arc.
Why it would be awesome: Peter Jackson has frequently stated his desire to write and direct an episode of Doctor Who, and an episode which blows the entire show's budget is certainly worth his talents! Plus it's high time that Captain Jack made a comeback.
Episodes 11/12
Writer: Steven Moffat (Showrunner, Doctor Who)
The pitch: A two-part finale written by Moffat himself, bringing the series' story arc to a climax harking all the way back to "who blew up the TARDIS?" in Series 5. Captain Jack and Clara connect over their paradoxical lives (The Impossible Man and The Impossible Girl). The Episode 11 cliffhanger ends with the suggestion that Captain Jack is involved in the return of some of the Time Lords, misleadingly suggesting that they blew up the TARDIS.
Why it would be awesome: The mystery of who blew up the TARDIS has been irritating many fans for three years, so it would be good to see Moffat wrap it up nicely. It remains to be seen whether or not he and Jenna Coleman will remain on the show past Series 8, but if the answer is no then this final episode would be a neat finale to both of their eras on the series, with the 12th Doctor and Captain Jack continuing to travel together for the time being.
While all of this is hypothetical and is almost definitely not going to happen, I think we can all agree that I'd be a damn good writer for Doctor Who!
Doctor Who returns on November 23rd for its 50th Anniversary Special!
No comments:
Post a Comment