Series 11 Wish List (Doctor Who)

We still have a pretty long wait before we get series 11 and our first real look at the new Doctor, as well as her companions.  Since we have this seemingly-endless time to speculate, wish, and ponder, might as well get started now.  Here are my hopes for the new season – unsurprisingly, many of them revolve around Jodie Whittaker’s forthcoming Thirteenth Doctor.

The Gender Change is a Feature, Not the Focus

Yes, the Thirteenth Doctor is a woman, and of course that’s going to have bearing on her experiences and how people react to her.  I don’t expect the show to ignore that (for a couple little things, I’d enjoy the Doctor demanding to know who stole the pockets from some of the women’s clothes in the TARDIS, or automatically using the pseudonym John Smith without noticing why it’s weird.)  But at the same time, I don’t want the show to constantly harp on it.  Not only would incessant “check it – Lady Doc!” moments feel kind of self-congratulatory on the show’s part, it would also highlight Thirteen as being fundamentally, entirely different in a way that no other Doctor was before her.  Which brings me to my next, and most important, wish.

Thirteen is the Doctor

The key to any regeneration is getting the audience to understand that, while the new Doctor is different and has their own personality, they are still the Doctor we’ve known and loved.  It’s what allowed the show to continue after One regenerated into Two back in the ‘60s, and it’s just as important now.  As I’ve said, if this is going to work, Thirteen just needs to be the Doctor.  The same brilliant, kooky hero in a millennia-long love affair with the universe, sly and compassionate and amazing.  I want it all – crazy half-formed plans, beautiful moments of sheer joy, badass “don’t mess with the Doctor” speeches, and terrifically-silly puns.  I want to believe that, if the show can just keep the Doctor true to that, Thirteen’s era can be awesome.

Lots of Different Relationships on Team TARDIS

I know we have three new companions coming our way.  Regardless of where/when they’re from (let’s face it – smart money’s on 21^st-century England,) I’d like to see a range of relationships.  Preferably, I’d like it if they didn’t all already know each other, so there’s a level of them getting acquainted with each other along with the Doctor – shades of Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan.  I’m intrigued by the prospect of an older male companion in Graham, especially since he’ll be older than Thirteen looks.  It may or may not take some growing pains to get there, but I really want to see him giving the Doctor her proper respect as an alien with tons of experience saving the universe.

New Monsters, New Worlds

With Chris Chibnall taking over as showrunner, I’m ready for some stuff I haven’t seen before.  Arcs are fine if they hold together, but what I really want are fun adventures and creative stories.  Give me the Doctor and her companions seeing/doing incredible things in time and space, and I’ll be such a happy camper.

Some Female Writers

As the show heads into this new era, I’d love to see at least some of the episodes written by female writers.  Catherine Tregenna would be a good place to start, since Chibnall knows her from Torchwood and she killed it in her Who debut with “The Woman Who Lived.”