Doctor Who: Series Eleven – Why Chris Chibnall would be perfect for writing pure historicals
By James Aggas
We look back at Chris Chibnall’s writing career, both in Doctor Who and outside of it, and explore why he could be best suited for writing a pure historical.
One of the biggest rumors that has been flying around about Series Eleven is that one of the episodes will focus on Rosa Parks. A major figure for civil rights and equality in America, it would be exciting to see her story explored in a Doctor Who episode.
However, one thing I definitely don’t want to see is something that’s common to most Doctor Who stories, particularly in the New Series: the “monster of the week”. While it’s always expected in Doctor Who these days, sometimes, including a monster will just work against a good story.
For example, Vincent and the Doctor is a great episode that explores not just Vincent van Gogh as a person. It also presents a brilliant focus on mental health never truly before seen in Doctor Who. However, the monster in the episode is by far the weakest element of the story.
Sometimes, a monster or alien race just detracts from a really great story. This could very easily happen with Rosa Parks’s episode.
However, it got me thinking. If there’s any writer who needs to write a pure historical, one without any sci-fi elements other than the Doctor and her companions, it’s definitely Chris Chibnall.
Chris Chibnall’s previous work
Let’s be honest about Chris Chibnall’s Doctor Who episodes so far: none of them particularly stand out. At least, not in a good way. 42, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, The Power of Three – none of these stories are quite as amazing as the best we’ve seen from either Russell T Davies or Steven Moffat.
Perhaps that will change now that he’s showrunner, and that he’s been given a lot more freedom. But there’s something that I’ve noticed about Chris Chibnall’s best scripts. Not just in Doctor Who, but in some of his other shows too.
While he wrote some very shaky episodes for Torchwood, (especially Cyberwoman,) he wrote some amazing ones, too. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Adrift, Fragments and Exit Wounds are all absolutely brilliant episodes. They also focus far more on a human element or character than on sci-fi.
Oh, a basic sci-fi idea would be used in those episodes. But it would be used in just a tiny way to kick off the core drama for the story, or even be a small background detail. Especially Exit Wounds, which features a very personal enemy for Jack.
And let’s look at Chibnall’s greatest success so far: Broadchurch. The series was a massive ratings hit, and it didn’t feature a bit of sci-fi. It just relied on well-written characters, great performances, and an intriguing story.
SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 19: Chris Chibnall attends BBC America’s “Doctor Who” at Comic-Con International 2018 at San Diego Convention Center on July 19, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for BBC America)
Why Chibnall needs to write a pure historical
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This is why, if the pure historical was going to be brought back, then Chibnall is absolutely perfect for it. When he writes “sci-fi”, he tends to overload his stories, to the point when it becomes problematic.
But when he writes character-based drama, that’s when he’s really brilliant. The best way for him to do that in Doctor Who is to give him a pure historical. No monsters to distract from the plot, no convoluted plot elements, and certainly no badly rushed endings. (Personally, I thought The Power of Three was a really decent story until you get to the last ten minutes. Then it disintegrates really fast.)
A historical episode will essentially give him the whole story to tell, and then he can just focus on the characters. Particular the regulars, and how they’d react to the situation and the time period. A story like that would be perfect for a writer as character-focused as Chibnall.
I’ve been wanting the pure historicals to come back for a while. Is Chris Chibnall the showrunner to finally do that?
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What do you think? Do you think a writer like Chris Chibnall would be suited to writing a pure historical? Or would you prefer them to be left in the past (pun barely intended)? Let us know in the comments below.