Showrunner, Russell T Davies, has said we can expect more fourth wall breaks in his vision for Doctor Who.

Fourth wall breaks are when the character actively acknowledge the audience, turning to the camera to pose a question, do something cheeky, or otherwise engage anyone watching. It’s been happening more and more during the Fifteenth Doctor’s tenure, and Davies says this will continue:

“I think it’s part of the show going forward, to be honest. It’s breaking the fourth wall; the fact we all know that phrase means that it’s very well known. It’s a thing lots of things [are] doing, lots of shows [are] doing. And I like it — I think it’s fun. I think everything I’ve ever written is just one beat away from turning to the camera and going, ‘What do you think?'”

Miranda might have popularised this on TV in recent times (or semi recent times), but it’s a frequent trope. Currently, you can go to the cinema and watch the former titular Merc with a Mouth smashing the fourth wall in Deadpool and Wolverine, for instance.

Doctor Who Series 14 included Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) breaking the fourth wall numerous times; so too the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and a few other characters. It’s happened a few times in the past, so this isn’t entirely unprecedented: the First Doctor wished “a happy Christmas to all of you at home” in The Feast of Steven; the Fourth Doctor said “even the sonic screwdriver won’t get me out of this one” in The Invasion of Time; the Sixth Doctor delivered his post-regenerative quote to the camera; Oswin Oswald delivered her “run, you clever boy, and remember” to us; and the Twelfth Doctor opened Before the Flood with a whole scene directly looking to the audience. And those are just a few examples.

I must admit, however, that it makes me feel uneasy — I’m good with some levels of meta fiction, but this risks damaging the narrative by acknowledging that it’s all a lie.

Either way, it’s apparently here to stay…