More classic Doctor Who monsters may return in 2020
After bringing back the Daleks for the New Year’s Day special, showrunner Chris Chibnall suggests we could be seeing more familiar foes when series 12 airs
After a whole year with all-new monsters, Doctor Who went back to its roots for New Year’s Day Dalek episode Resolution – and according to series boss Chris Chibnall, that could just be the start.
Responding to questions after a screening of the festive special, Chibnall suggested that other classic monsters – such as enemies like the Cybermen, the Sontarans, the Silurians and the Ice Warriors – are definitely on the table when Doctor Who returns to the BBC in 2020, as well as more Dalek stories.
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“Knowing that we would have no old monsters in the series was really a build-up for the special, so that when the Dalek appears… it’s hopefully exciting. It feels rare, and fresh, and thrilling,” he said.
When pushed on the possibility of other classic monsters, he asked, “Well, did you like it that we brought back the Dalek in that one?”
Following cheers from the crowd, he teased, “Well, maybe we'll do some more then... I'll have a think.”
Later, when asked about future interactions between Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor and the Daleks, he said, “I definitely think there's not going to be any rapprochement. They're not going to come to any mutual agreements, or mutual understandings.
“I think [there’ll be] further hatred intensifying with more Daleks, probably.”
Chibnall also took some time during the talk to explain some of his thought process for the New Year’s Day special, which was partially inspired by a photo he saw of series star Jodie Whittaker with a Dalek prop as well as his own desire to tell a different sort of story involving the classic Who baddie.
“You just go, 'Oh there's a Dalek, oh it could be out of its shell, oh that's cool,’” Chibnall said. “And then you go, 'Oh that Doctor, with that Dalek.
“It's a mixture of cool stuff when as a kid you think, 'I wonder if I can write the Dalek takes out the entire army?' And then serving these brilliant characters,” he concluded.
Fingers crossed Chibnall can find the same kind of inspiration if he ends up bringing back a few more familiar faces from the Doctor Who Rogues’ Gallery. It's about time the Doctor caught up with some old "friends"...
Doctor Who series 12 returns to BBC1 in 2020
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
