Russell T. Davies’ return can give Doctor Who the spark it’s been missing

Last week, it was announced that former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies will be returning to lead the series. Current showrunner Chris Chibnall is due to step down after the upcoming season 13 wraps. And it’s pretty clear the BBC knows what it’s doing when it comes to this pivot back to the new Who’s first showrunner.

With 13 seasons and five main Doctors since the show was revived in 2005, Davies’ seasons have been looked at as the gold standard for modern Doctor Who. The runs of Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall that followed haven’t been able to hold a candle to the complex storylines and characters that Davies created during his run.

As a teen, I discovered Doctor Who and decided to give it a try after years of avoiding it so as not to appear too nerdy. (And look where that got me.) But as I reluctantly started the series, I realized it wasn’t just spaceships and aliens and lasers. Each episode had a fascinating, unique plot — nothing like I had ever seen on television before — featuring likable, charming characters that I couldn’t get enough of.

I vividly remember the cat hospital episode being one of the first episodes (if not the first episode) of Doctor Who I decided to watch. I instantly fell in love with the Rose-and-Tenth-Doctor duo, and I absolutely needed more. After sampling another random episode or two, I realized there was a subtle plot that Davies had been building up in the background. And that meant I had to start the series from the beginning. (I also immediately realized Christopher Eccleston’s run was not one to miss, even if it was just one season.)

From there, I was enthralled by storylines like the Bad Wolf arc, the mysteries of the Face of Boe — yes, I cried during that reveal — and pretty much everything that went down with Ten, Donna Noble and Grandpa Wilf. But once the reins were handed over to Steven Moffat, it felt like the series began to lack that special something that drew me in for the first four seasons.

Doctor Who is all about the companions

To be fair, I rather enjoyed what Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi brought to the table as Doctors. But once Amy Pond and Rory Williams departed as companions, it seemed like the magic was beginning to drain. Even though it was the Doctor’s show, it felt like the companions were the real hearts of the series.

Clara, the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor’s companion, in particular seemed to lack the same nuance that the companions before her had. She couldn’t have friends or families the way the other companions did. She didn’t have much personality, either, which drained those seasons of any entertainment value. And Moffat must have realized this mistake later as he added in the Victorian lizard, her lover and the egghead butler as additional characters. But it was too little too late.

Fast forward past Twelve, Bill, and Nardole, and we make it to Chibnall’s run beginning with season 11. But there was still something missing compared to the earlier seasons. The higher budget brought a new sheen to the show that was competitive with other high-quality, prestige TV series out there. But past that, the Thirteenth Doctor and her adventures still don’t quite compare.

That said, Jodie Whittaker’s run has been refreshing in some sense, maybe because I’m happy to see a female Doctor in the lead. But her companions never really built themselves up with personalities beyond “I need the Doctor or else my life is pointless.” I did like Bradley Walsh’s lovable portrayal of Graham, but he’ll be gone next season.

What I’m hoping for from Davies’ new seasons is a return to building up companions that are likable, enjoyable and charismatic. And then building their stories in such a way that we empathize with the Doctor when it ultimately comes time to part ways. Let’s bring their families back into the loop. Let’s have storylines that focus on their personal lives. How does the Doctor’s involvement complicate that? Ruin it? Make it better? Heck, I hate to say it, but James Corden’s character was a better companion than most of the new ones, solely because we got to spend time with him in his home — and he was quite funny too. If more storytelling like that had been the focus of seasons 8 and beyond, we’d be looking at a far more interesting show.

There are still parts of seasons 8-12 that I enjoyed. It felt like Moffat was starting to have a second wind with Capaldi’s first appearance in season 8. And pretty much every regeneration from Doctor to Doctor gets me emotional. So it’s my hope that things can only go up from here. And I’m very much looking forward to Russell T. Davies’ return in the near future.

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