Doctor Who: Questions Raised with Nardole’s Upcoming Return
By Leah Tedesco
What will we see from Matt Lucas’ character, Nardole, in his return to Doctor Who in Series Ten?
The recent press release from the BBC regarding Doctor Who gave us a slew of new information. Among the names of people involved in the upcoming Series Ten was Matt Lucas, who made his debut as Nardole — an obedient employee of Professor River Song — in ‘The Husbands of River Song.’ The character will return for the first episode, and will continue to make semi-regular appearances for the foreseeable future.
When we last saw Nardole, he was just a head sharing a mechanical body (one previously inhabited by the head of King Hydroflax, one of River’s husbands) with the head of Ramone, another of River’s husbands (as well as faithful assistant). Nardole and Ramone ended up working in shifts as waiters at the restaurant next to the Singing Towers of Darillium. Before his beheading, Nardole, an inhabitant of the colony planet Mendorax Dellora, possessed a pleasantly rotund, flesh and blood, human body, clad in Stan Marsh-esque winter wear.
The upcoming return of Nardole raises many questions, the most obvious being, will he still be in the mechanical body? There was no mention of Phillip Rhys, the actor who plays Ramone, returning in Series Ten. The reason for this could be interpreted in a few different ways:
a) The announcement of Ramone’s return is upcoming.
b) Ramone’s return is intended to be a surprise.
c) Nardole is in the mechanical body without Ramone.
d) Nardole is no longer in the mechanical body.
The first two options do not make much sense. If Ramone were to return, it would most likely have been included in the recent announcement. Why would one character’s return be withheld, but not the other’s? So, operating under the assumption that only Nardole will return, what body will he have? (Edit: Commenter Dr. Moo raised the point that he could just be a head.) Will he still be a waiter? And will he just be around for Series Ten, or will his appearances continue beyond that?
Also, will we be seeing River again at some point? Chronologically for the Doctor, her final encounter with him occurred at the Towers, but she could still make other appearances from different points in her timeline.
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Another thing to consider is that Nardole’s return will be something of an opportune time to answer the question of a plot hole from ‘The Husbands of River Song’: Why could the TARDIS not travel with King Hydroflax’s head on board simply because his functioning body was outside? This does not follow the established canon of the show, considering that the TARDIS was able to travel with the Doctor’s hand being kept alive elsewhere. It is a relatively small point, but one that deserves to be addressed.
Lastly, is it still “whiffy” in the mechanical body? One would assume that at least an attempt was made to freshen it up, but the effort may be futile.
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