Doctor Who Opinion: Why do the BBC need to announce the new Doctor?

BBC

We’re days away from the official announcement of the thirteenth Doctor, but does it need to be announced at all? Are the BBC potentially ruining a great surprise, or could they have valid reasons for the early reveal?

As you’ve probably heard, there’s finally going to be an announcement of who the new Doctor is this weekend! I’ve seen a whole mix of fan reaction so far. Anticipation, excitement, even worry over who the new Doctor is going to be.

But I’ve also seen other reactions. Disappointment. Even anger. Not at who may or may not be the Doctor. But over the announcement itself.

I’ve been seeing a lot of comments from fans that wish it had simply been kept secret until the Christmas special. I can understand those feelings. There is always a sense of anticipation over who the new Doctor is going to be. Perhaps it would be nice to find out who that new Doctor is only after seeing the regeneration itself. So why do the BBC always announce it beforehand?

Tradition

I think this is something I need to stress right away: the BBC have always announced the new Doctor in advance. Despite a surprisingly common misconception, this is not a new thing. While the way the announcements are made has changed over the years – what once would have been a simple news headline is now a heavily advertised special – viewers always found out who the new Doctor was going to be before their first appearance.

Even as far back as the first regeneration itself, people knew who the actor was. As you can see from this link on the BBC’s official website, Patrick Troughton was announced as the Doctor on September 1^st, 1966. This was almost two months before he made his first appearance on October 29^th, at the end of The Tenth Planet.

So is it simply a part of tradition for the BBC to announce it beforehand? I doubt it. Even if it’s one of the reasons, I suspect it’s a very small reason, at best. So why else would they do it?

Preparing the viewers

While it’s a key part of the show’s ongoing success, a new Doctor is always something that the viewers need time to get used to. At least by announcing it in advance, it gives fans extra time to adjust to the idea and enjoy the new Doctor’s first, brief performance for precisely that, rather than the reaction of, “Wait, that’s the new Doctor?!?”

Of course, depending on the actor’s performance and how they’re written, fans may very well be inclined to say that, anyway. So it’s still not much of an excuse. Is there another incentive for the BBC to announce the new Doctor early?

Marketing

Ok, that may sound like a rather cynical view. But Doctor Who is a major show for the BBC. With a new Doctor comes new opportunities for books, action figures, costumes, lunch boxes, and so much more. All of this would need a ton of planning in advance. Making the announcement early could certainly help towards all of this by building anticipation for the new Doctor.

However, all of this really adds to the biggest key reason for the questions fans are asking right now. Why would the BBC reveal the new Doctor in advance of their first scene? Why don’t they save the surprise for the Christmas special?

Because frankly, it would be impossible to wait until then.

I think I need to really stress a key point that all too easily gets overlooked by us fans. Doctor Who is more than just a cult show. I don’t mean “it’s more than that because of the writing, acting, performances etc”. We all know why the show is great on its own terms. But in terms of its cultural impact, for the UK, at least, it’s an institution.

Earlier, I mentioned how vast the merchandise is. Not all of that is just for us hardcore fans. It’s also for the kids. The ones who are literally growing up with the show right now. They want the lunch boxes, the annuals, the playset TARDIS…well, ok, admittedly, I want some of those things, too. But that’s not the point. The point is the vast range of this merchandise.

With some of the things that I’ve described, what else has that kind of merchandise power? That’s right: a blockbuster. And not the kind that are risky or a bad attempt at reviving a franchise, I mean a blockbuster guaranteed to draw in the crowds. And how many blockbusters try to hide their lead actor until the film’s release?

The Press

In Britain, Doctor Who has the same level of cultural impact as Star Wars or Batman. As such, it also attracts the same amount of attention, particularly by the press. The press always want images, details, even the slightest spoilers. There are some spoilers you can hide (quite honestly, John Simm’s return for just two episodes should have been one of them).

But hiding who the lead actor is for a show that draws the huge amount of attention that Doctor Who does? Practically impossible. Whether it’s through a production photo, or plans for merchandise, or a cast leak, viewers would still know who the new Doctor is long before their first episode. It would be like trying to hide who the new Batman is before the first trailer.

It might be a shame that we’ll know who the new Doctor is in advance, but honestly, I’ve known no other way. By this point, I don’t even consider it a spoiler, although I can see why others might. But the announcement of a new Doctor is like any major cast announcement. It allows for plenty of time to make you wonder what the performance will be like and anticipate their first appearance even more. And the anticipation is something that I’ve always enjoyed.

Next: Opinion: Why did Simm’s Master return in Series 10?

Do you agree with this speculation on why the BBC might have chosen to announce the new Doctor? Or do you think they could find a way of keeping it a surprise? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.