Doctor Who showrunner wants to scale back Dalek storylines
By Ashley Hurst
The wait is almost over, folks! Later this month, Doctor Who will return to our screens for a trio of 60th anniversary specials, featuring the return of David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as fan-favorite companion Donna Noble. After that, the Whoniverse will undergo a slight reboot as Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa take over as the Fifteenth Doctor.
Looking ahead to the future of the series, showrunner Russell T. Davies thinks it’s time to pull back on Dalek storylines. The Daleks have been key villains on Doctor Who since the 1960s. Alongside the Cybermen, the Daleks are probably the most iconic of all the Doctor’s archenemies. It’s pretty much certain that they’ll appear in every season.
But after dozens of Dalek-centric episodes, their threat is beginning to feel repetitive, especially after all of Chris Chibnall’s Doctor Who Christmas specials featured them. Davies think’s it’s finally time to put them on the back burner. “I do think we’ve had a lot of Daleks lately,” he told the Mirror. “I think they’ve been done a lot—people are expecting them every year now. So I think they need a good pause. Hopefully, there’s some enemies that will become new classics, but it’s always good to move on.”
The upcoming 60th anniversary specials won’t involve Daleks. Instead, the main villain is a man known as the Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris. This isn’t the Toymaker’s first appearance in the Whoniverse; he first appeared 57 years ago, but hasn’t returned to the show since. “I started writing the script and thought ‘This is the best villain ever created.'” Davies previously told SFX Magazine. “So powerful. So funny. So dangerous. I love him!”
Doctor Who returns for its 60th anniversary event on November 25 on Disney+
Next. Doctor Who boss teases “violent” and “scary” 60th anniversary specials. dark
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