I’ve said it already, but since the announcement of Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, I’ve done nothing but beam from ear to ear. For the first time in about a decade, I’m excited about a Doctor. Not to diminish Jodie or Peter, but neither were coming in with the full package. Either Clara was hanging around and Peter was never going to be a fun Doctor, or Jodie got lampooned from the start with Chris looming over her every word. Ncuti is working with one of the four people that got me into Doctor Who, a man I’d trust with anything. He has the world of Doctor Who behind him and I cannot wait to see how he and Rose(?) get on.

With this excitement, however, comes a large amount of questions. That first one is the companion, of course. At this point, we know nothing about Yasmin Finney or her character Rose. Though I have a selection of other hopes for our 14th, 16th, or 20th Doctor, depending on how you look at it. These are things I’m hoping to see (or have possibly return), so don’t take these as demands. Like anyone that has gone through this cycle at least four times already (three if you count showrunners), I’m looking forward to the things I’m not expecting. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with how lovely Ncuti is, within days, but here we are.

The Scottish Accent –

I’m beyond jubilant at the reveal of Ncuti for a number of reasons, one of which might seem rude. Even looking at the name before I knew anything about Ncuti or the announcement, I knew the backlash this would bring. There is no easy way of saying this, but I’m happy our second Black Doctor is annoying Daily Mail readers. The fact that he’s Black, the fact he has a Scottish accent as well as the fact he’s as loud as a Pride flag in June when he enters a room, are all good things. I’m happy that is outing some people who just never understood a single bit of Doctor Who in their life.

Of course, I’m prideful that someone from my neck of the woods will be in the role once again. It is hard not to be for such as coveted role. That isn’t why I want to see Ncuti with a Scottish accent in the role of the Doctor though. Ncuti is beyond an underrepresented person in film and TV as an immigrant, someone of color, and someone whose voice doesn’t fit a stereotype.

Almost any English-speaking Black character on screen is often North American or “urban” and from London, despite Scotland and Wales both having over 2.0% Asian and 0.6-0.7% Black residents. To some, it might be reaching with such a small percentage, but regional accents are a representation of some people who might not feel like they fit in because they or their parents are immigrants.

Ncuti himself told The Independent in 2020, “I’ve almost been beaten up for saying I’m Scottish.” No matter how happy you are at the announcement or how progressive you think you are on immigration, these aren’t new stories. Just as the early story of Eric (Ncuti’s Sex Education character) isn’t a new or groundbreaking revelation. People have beaten up people of color and LGBTQ+ people simply for being there and being different. What we don’t show enough is characters who are different or unstereotypical without tagging on those heavy topics. No one batted an eyelid at Peter’s accent, why should we do it for Ncuti?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbZxJBvXe4Q

I understand, he has accomplished the thespian thing a number of times now, and he’s excellent at it. Nonetheless, for once, I’d like to see him break away from putting on an accent to fit someone else’s perspective of a Black character, and somewhat be himself with the role. In equal measure, the argument could be made that he’s an actor and the character is an alien thousands of years old. What does the accent matter? Just the same as seeing someone Black, gay, or a woman in any role, it will make someone stop questioning who they are.

Bring Back The Colorful Doctor –

I don’t care if it is John Nathan Turner-levels of patchwork coats or multicolored question marks up and down his trouser legs, I want a Doctor that is going to break into the room and fill it with life. Mostly I’m talking about the costume, because of course, just over a week out from the announcement we haven’t seen our new Doctor in their coat. Eccleston had the leather number and Tennant had the brown thing (blue this time). Smith looked like a school teacher from the 70s, Peter had a couple of outfits, but mostly that aged 70s toned-down rocker number and Jodie had that reversible light and dark blue thing.

The loudest outfits we’ve had since a short Scottish bloke adorned himself in question marks was probably Smith, with Jodie slightly behind. I’m not asking for clown shoes or the 6th Doctor’s coat to make a return, but I want to see the Doctor pop when he’s on-screen. Of course, that could mean someone with a loud personality, which I’m all for as well. However, I’m also ready for something eye-catching and not too overstated. Anything that helps me spot our Doctor in a crowd of thrown-together cosplays at next year’s Comic-Con.

I Want To Sit Down in the TARDIS –

My favorite TARDIS is somewhere between Peter’s modification of Smith’s second TARDIS console room and Sylvester’s movie TARDIS with the library. Don’t get me wrong, I have soft spots for the treehouse of wonders that Smith adorned in his first couple of series. There are also the Eccleston/Tennant variations on the big room with the corals that will always be my first. Nonetheless, Jodie’s TARDIS was awkward to have a conversation in. That step up to the console wasn’t a comfortable place to sit and have a chat.

It is a time machine, a vehicle to get us from one place in episode 1 to another in episode 2. However, there is so much more to it, like a wardrobe in the back! I want to feel like it is lived in! There are bedrooms, a library, a swimming pool, one time there was a library in the swimming pool (or the other way around) and maybe just once I put the TARDIS inside itself, again. Sadly I didn’t get two Amy Ponds, I just had to figure out how to do the whole implosion thing on my own.

Having something to lean against, sit on, or lay about on gives the actors and the writers something to play with that makes it homely. At least something beyond the console which has a switch on it that lets you implode the whole thing to create a void in space, or as Chibnall assumed, nothing happens. He calls himself a fan? We have no idea what the TARDIS design will be this time, though we can easily assume that there will be a redesign. All I’m asking for is something that looks comfortable. Somewhere you want to spend time, not just something to look at a museum piece, but to move in and go on adventures.

It’s the companion’s story –

By the time the BBC’s Centenary comes around, we’ll have three-hundred stories told on-screen. We’ve read hundreds of books, we’ve listened to countless Big Finish dramas, we’ve consumed the comics, we’ve created our own little worlds with toys, and written our own scripts over the past 60-years. The stories of the Doctor have been explored, and every bit of character development thus far has been expended. You can pepper it in from time to time, but their story isn’t the interesting one. It hasn’t been for a long time, and both Peter and Jodie’s Doctors going deep into the lore have not helped the show expand.

That first episode I saw away back in 2005, the moment that catapulted me into the stars and into believing anything was possible was something only capable of being achieved because of Rose (the first one). For many of us, it was the first time interacting with this big-eared alien from the north of whatever planet he came from. He was a man we’d all grow to love, and it was her perspective that gave us that. Either with Eccleston or Tennant, we saw the world through Rose’s eyes because we can’t be the Doctor. We always want to have that hand thrust in front of us and told to run, despite wanting to be as good as the Doctor.

It might sound as if I’m attempting to ask for something that recaptures my first experience but look at any companion before Clara. Rose came into this world as a scared child and returned to save the Doctor. Martha Jones was a student Doctor accused by the space cops on the moon, nearly got it off with Billy S., and ended up walking the planet for a year telling the tale of the Doctor, ultimately defeating the Master. Donna Noble was an office temp that got to live her grandad’s dream, then had those memories pulled from her because they’d kill her. Amy was meh. Rory was a dull bloke that waited for 2000-years for his wife.

Character development is the most important part of any run in the TARDIS, and the Doctor can’t do much without making an absolute mess of the intricately piled-on turd that is a Doctor Who wiki. We live through the companions, and thus, we see the development through their eyes most of the time. This is why I’ve found Yaz so unbearable as a companion. She has not moved a jot in 5-years. I tell a lie, she’s needy and we had the lesbian thing confirmed. After the ham-fisted suicide storyline that was screwed up, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the only development by the end of this next special is that she’s dead. Chibnall does love to kill off the gays.

All I’m asking for is someone to hitch my wagon to. Give us someone I want to be, or someone I fall in love with because they are just so fantastic. Do I care if the companion is X, Y, or Z for representation or to be attractive? No, I want a character first and foremost. I don’t care if we do a gay story again, as long as we have a character that walks into a room and we have assumptions of what they are going to do. I don’t want another Yaz, Clara, Mario Mario, or Ryan. It has to be someone breathtakingly full of life, not a mystery of who they are.

Give us the Big Red Button

One of the biggest problems anyone had with Russell’s original run was the overuse of the big red button. The deus ex machina that solved the problem at the end of every episode and sent us on our merry way, or in the case of “The Chrismas Invasion” a big red button that saved the day. After the events of Flux, which handwaved away the problem of the universe being destroyed, I’ll take a red button of resets any day. It kept things simple. We got where we needed, and we didn’t leave the obvious thing of Swarm killing and resetting the universe to be stopped by the Doctor on the third go-around. I’ll take J.C Denton or Adam Jenson any day over that Flux up.

Keep the 50-minute length –

We’re still miles off from hearing any production details for series 14 and the 60th special, despite filming beginning on the 16th. However, there is one request I’d like to direct that way. Keep the 50-minute length. Push to 60-minutes if you must. In an age of short attention spans only able to concentrate on 20-second long videos of pets in the funniest home videos, I simply want something to hold me for the better part of an hour. I want to get lost in the world, have time for ideas to be explored, and I want to see some of Russell’s ideas have some room to breathe.

I understand, as I sit in front of DVDs of “The Robots of Death,” “Resurrection of the Daleks,” “The Seeds of Death,” and “Terror of the Autons,” that Classic-Who stories all (well, a majority) had longer than 60-minutes. Yet, I’ll be the first to say that the 20-minute episodes splitting up single stories over 6 weeks would bore me to tears. Undoubtedly, a large amount of the audience would agree.

In the age of Netflix, spreading out TV that much is never going to capture a new audience. The six weeks of Flux were enough to make me want to fling myself off of a high-rise car park. I’ve never said Russell is incapable of a bad story (See “Fear Her“), but do that again and I’ll ram a screwdriver up someone (sonic or otherwise).

It’s Not a Time-Travel Show –

Despite Moffat and Chibnall’s attempts, Doctor Who has never been a time-travel show. That is to say, it was never characterized by the time travel. It is an adventure show that is spread throughout space and time, but that does not mean you need to see an unnecessary Sea Devils’ mid-episode jump about in time. The TARDIS is simply a vehicle to get us from one episode to another or from one place to another. Characterizing the show as time travel and using that as a plot device often breaks a fundamental rule: “Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden. Except for cheap tricks.“

The only time this was done mid-episode and used well was actually an episode I didn’t like all that much when I watched it recently, “Hide.” The Doctor takes Clara to the start of the Earth and to the end of it. As a result, Clara has a breakdown because she’s just seen every bit of human existence in the blink of an eye. That is character development (not plot development) and that is where I think I draw the line. If you can use the time travel to develop the character, I’m on board. That’s something that uses our understanding of “a strict progression of cause to effect” against us, but I’ll continue to be cautious.

Don’t Forget About Her –

Instantly with a subtitle like that, the mind could be drawn to three things. There is Jodie, as the first woman to play the Doctor. For those on Twitter, it is Yaz and being in lesbians with her. However, I’m talking about Jo. I think the many hundreds (thousands!) of words I’ve written about Doctor Who and even today here make it clear that I’m happy about Ncuti’s casting and I love the show. Nonetheless, he’s not the first Black actor to play the role, despite clumsy titles from Polygon suggesting otherwise. All I am asking is that Jo Martin is remembered as the person that led the way. Her casting is the first Black actor to be in that role, period.

Like it or not, Chibnall’s run did have her make the first appearance as the Doctor. Vinay Patel’s story brought her into the mix, and there is no denying that she is the Doctor. Ignore the Timeless Child nonsense, I will be for a long time unless Russell somehow retcons that into making some sense. You can’t deny Jo Martin’s Doctor was fantastic in her initial explosion on-screen. Forgetting her and forgetting that she’s made an impact for those who did stick around, goes against your progressiveness in hyping up Ncuti at least a little bit. As a fandom, you can’t forget her and then hype him up. As the show goes on, she needs to be remembered.

Malorie Blackman –

I don’t have to say anything for this to be made clear, but Malorie Blackman wrote one of the most powerful episodes of Doctor Who. As we steam ahead into the first long-term casting of a Black Doctor (and Black, possibly trans companion), I don’t think there is a better name to call for the team at Bad Wolf productions. Malorie Blackman has made a career out of explaining and detailing racism to young children and teens. That is the target audience for Doctor Who trying to recapture a fanbase in days to come. There is a lot that could be done with her expertise.

What I am saying is, hire her! I’ve been silently pleading to whatever higher power would listen since “Rosa” for another episode by Malorie, just as we all begged for Russell’s return. I’d prefer another couple of episodes, but to be honest, I wouldn’t mind her and a few other writers of color signing on to consult on any race-related plot points. “The Talons of Weng-Chiang” are a pocked mark on the history of a show that is inherently against such small-minded oversights. I’m not saying Russell or any team he creates will have such an incident, but after the lack of script editing in the Chibnall-era, don’t take the chance.

Knowing how wonderful Malorie’s writing is and knowing a little bit about her, I don’t want to prescribe love. However, with her enjoyment of Doctor Who and specifically the 7th Doctor, I can’t help but scream for another episode outside of Chibnall’s era. She’s not the only writer I’d love Russell to “rescue” from Chibnall’s run either. I’d cherish more Doctor Who from Vinay Patel, maybe something else from Charlene James too, and of course, the breakout star that is Maxine Alderton. To a lesser extent, I’d like to see Ed Hime and Pete McTighe also get something more, maybe books or Big Finish. There were good writers in Jodie’s era, but I desperately want to see more Malorie Blackman.

Leave The Master Out of it –

I have nothing against Sacha Dhawan as a person. In fact, all I know about him as a person is that we share a birthday. As an actor, I can’t fault him because I’ve seen so little of him or his work, nor do I know who he played in Mass Effect: Andromeda. As the Master, I have a lot to fault him for and not all of it is his responsibility. The Master is supposed to be special and sparing, someone you bring out on a special occasion with enough time away for a portion of the audience to have forgotten about. Having the Master pop up again so soon would be like having the Rani prance about in quarries for three series, it devalues the occasion.

Michelle Gomez’s Master was a special occasion. The Doctor was trying to do something and so desperately wanted her to understand. Then when Sacha Dhawan spoke that clunky “spy Master” line, I near enough flung the telly out the window for such a rushed and needlessly contrived use of character we’d seen do a whole arc of not much over three years prior. Only on a technicality do we get to say Matt Smith had an interaction with the Master on-screen, but that’s because Steven Moffat laid the seeds of the woman in the shop. We had a whole regeneration between Masters for 10 to 12, but for 12 and 13, we hardly got more than a series. That time away is important.

Recasting or even redoing the Master after this upcoming special will be a waste of time. We’ve seen enough! Which is to say nothing about Dhawan’s cheap John Simm impression. It was let down by a lack of wholly original writing that would elevate the character into something worth watching, but we’re talking about Chris “first draft” Chibnall. Leave them out of it and let’s get onto doing something that isn’t rehashing the old monsters or villains, as undoubtedly we’ll have another series of the Daleks anyway.

Be Fluid with the Doctor’s Pronouns –

It was a good little chuckle once or twice when Jodie let out the occasional “I used to be a man” or the “I never made any reference to being a man or full-body regeneration.” Still, over the last few years, it has been used to exhaustion. All I am asking for is something that is a little more fluid with pronouns. Use they a couple of times instead of he, simply to normalize and move on from making it a joke to ease some into the regeneration. It also leaves the role open next time and the many times after that when we do get a woman playing the Doctor again. There is even the idea of a non-binary actor playing Doctor.

New Monsters –

This was originally going to be about the 60th anniversary, assuming Russell would do as Steven did and make it a multi-Doctor special. It turns out it might be, but we’re getting the one that people either need to go touch themselves and get over or simply move on from. I liked David too, but you need to move on.

That is my point though, especially after the last few years of trotting out the olden-goldies. We got four new monsters from the Chibnall era and all in his first series. Two of them aren’t that great. Tzim-Sha (Tim Shaw) was great for the gif and neverending hell that is “meme culture.” There were the space-Indian pallbearers, the Keblam Man was a one and done, and the P-ting is best left to the far reaches of the infinite void that is space. Otherwise, we got a massive spider, those stupid desert robots, a space racist, Alan Cumming, Buttons, the episode “Midnight” but terrible, the Rocnoss’ little sister, plastic, that man that likes to finger people in the ear, and Chibnall forgetting he destroyed the universe.

Do we need to talk about the dusty Sontarans? Then there was the use of the Cybermen to destroy Gallifrey again with no reaction from Jodie as she stared at a green screen? The nine distress signals that meant nothing at all when tying the entire series together? Yes, I’ll always watch a classic monster episode any day. However, I can go back and watch those episodes and I can go back and watch different Doctors too. All I am looking for is something refreshing that isn’t the tin Nazis or Handles again, at least for a short while.

A Television/Cinematic Whoverse –

Russell hasn’t called about the Dalek water-cooler idea, yet it seems we’re getting exactly what he said before the announcement of his return. It was early last year that Russell said he expected Doctor Who to have an MCU-style branching path of different shows and such by now as if he didn’t spearhead The Sarah Jane Adventures and the blight that was Torchwood. Nonetheless, it seems we’re finally getting that series of spin-offs and tidbits, or at least one assumes. With the filming going on as I write these final few desires down, we’ve got Wilf, Donna, and 10 in something.

Those of you looking at the precise wording of the press release will notice: “[Tennant and Tate are] reunited and are filming scenes that are due to air in 2023 to coincide with the show’s 60th-anniversary celebrations.” I may be hoping a little too much, but “coincide with the 60th” isn’t “for the 60th special.” Short film adventures directed by Rachel Talalay? Spin-offs? The entire sets of casts (I am sure) are willing to do a few short films and expansions to their characters. We even have Christopher Eccleston doing Big Finish, so I think enough people are willing to do returns.

Not Another Doctor-Companion Relationship –

With the introduction of Rose, (the first one) we also got an odd addition into the TARDIS. The concept of hanky panky. It was a long way from the dusty old professor that is William Hartnell’s grandad and generally crotchety old man. The idea of falling in love with the alien became standard. For three series on the trot, there was always a snog or stolen glance followed by “he doesn’t notice me.” Honestly, I could take or leave it. It wasn’t adding or devaluing the overall adventure and it told a story throughout.

That said, I would like to see a friendship and not a sniping match. Donna had those snippy “watch it space-man” lines, Clara was, well, Clara, and Bill was a student to a professor (not in that internet way). We’ve seen the Doctor and River spend their last night together on Darillium for 24-years, so the need to cram in a relationship even one regeneration after felt excessive. We’ve had no character beats since then to suggest a relationship is on the table for the Doctor. We’ve had flavorless paste with the monotone of 80s repressed period-drama lesbians, and that’s it. If we do another relationship either with this new Rose in Yasmin Finney or other companions, I want to see the beat.

Unlike anyone else before him, Russell T Davies has a third shot at creating a jumping-on point for potential fans. A second chance as the replacement showrunner. All I am ultimately hoping for through all of this, despite my thousands of words today, is for the show to once again be a fun adventure (maybe the return of Christmas specials) and one that at least makes some semblance of sense. Alliteration aside, 14 and Rose? I am quite literally counting down the days to finally meet you both.

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