With lots of leaked photos and official announcements surrounding the upcoming 60th anniversary and the new series, it is a little difficult to remember that there is still one final adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor, which will see the return of classic companions, Tegan and Ace!
We have already been treated to a few surprises from the BBC Centenary Special but there are still more treats that we don’t know about yet. In a recent interview with the Radio Times, outgoing showrunner, Chris Chibnall, promised a fun, action-packed, and heart-breaking finale.
How much of that we’ll get is still up for grabs; I remember him describing the departure of Graham and Ryan in the same way, but they just leave as if they’re popping down the shops. I haven’t got the biggest respect for his Doctor Who writing as what comes across on screen seems to be completely different to what is going on in his mind. Nonetheless, this is what he promises:
“There’ll be a lot of laughs and tears in that final episode. You want to do everything.”
Is it telling that this is all he will tell us of what the Thirteenth Doctor’s story will be like? Yes, he’s become notorious for not telling us anything, instead keeping everything secret and sometimes that’s been nice — the return of Captain Jack was a good surprise, even if it wasn’t long before it all came out about John Barrowman (I didn’t mean that pun, I promise!). But keeping things like the Daleks returning a surprise, even though everyone knew they were coming back, seemed like a daft decision.
All he says otherwise is:
“There are some treats – Easter eggs and kisses to the past.”
Hopefully those nods and winks will be enough because the fact that he is still keeping things close to his chest does cause a little bit of concern.
Giving us only a little bit of information about how it’s going to be full of laughs and tears doesn’t really inspire much confidence. I have been forced to wonder lately if there are completely different versions of his television stories where lots of it ended up on the cutting room floor and would make for better takes on his television episodes. Legend of the Sea Devils was a complete disappointment, and the fact we don’t even know the name of the Thirteenth Doctor’s final adventure is really not helping build any excitement.
I’ve seen fans complaining that they don’t know much about this upcoming special. But really, he has given a lot away; he could have kept the return of Tegan and Ace a complete secret and I wonder if that was his plan, but the BBC decided to put them into the PR, in the hopes getting some more viewers wanting to see these characters back.
But hopefully, I am over-reacting and this final adventure in the Chibnall era will be one to remember: maybe it will be action-packed, heart-breaking, but nonetheless fun. If nothing else, then let’s rejoice that Tegan and Ace are coming back. But if one of them gets killed off…
