Jodie Whittaker will face more classic monsters in Doctor Who series 13
But will she take on the Ice Warriors, the Sontarans, the Weeping Angels or something else entirely? Series boss Chris Chibnall hints at what's to come...
If there’s one thing Doctor Who fans love it’s the return of a classic monster, with all sorts of alien menaces cropping up time and time again to great acclaim since the series’ revival in 2005.
And while Jodie Whittaker’s first series as the Doctor eschewed familiar villains, in recent episodes she’s faced off with the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Master and even the Judoon – and according to series boss Chris Chibnall that’s just the start, with even more returning monsters set to appear in the now-filming season 13.
“Yes, more monsters are coming back,” Chibnall tells the new Doctor Who preview issue of Radio Times, on sale now.
“There are ones who’ve appeared over the past 15 years that are deserving of another visit in the next series. In fact, they’re probably formulating their plans as we speak...”
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Exactly which monsters we could be seeing is unknown, with Chibnall refusing to be drawn on specifics – but fans may speculate that the likes of the Sontarans, the Ice Warriors, the Silurians, the Zygons and even more recent foes like the Weeping Angels or the Slitheen have yet to appear in the Whittaker era, making them all contenders for another revival.
Alternatively, it could be that monsters that have already appeared opposite Whittaker like the Cybermen or the Judoon are due for another return - notably, this year's festive special will be the second time she takes on the Daleks, so it may be that more repeat offenders are coming her way.
And Chibnall also gave a hint about where fans should look for these familiar foes, confirming that he had no plans to bring back any more monsters from Doctor Who’s classic run of episodes beyond those that had already been in the modern series. Sorry, Sea Devil fans…
“Do you mean from the classic series that have never been brought back? Less that, because I think really a lot of those iconic big monsters have been brought back already,” Chibnall told us, while also noting that he’d never say never.
“I'd never rule anything out to be honest, because it's so story-driven. You just wake up one day and go 'Oh!'
“I'm sure [former showrunner Russell T Davies] did that with the Macra..” he added. “’Aha, I need some giant crabs!’ Amazing.”
And who knows? With the (slightly shorter) season 13 currently filming, maybe Whovians will get some clues as to who or what these returning baddies could be in the coming months. Assuming we don’t get some big hints in the Doctor Who Christmas special, of course…
Listen to the latest RadioTimes.com Doctor Who podcast below:
The Radio Times Doctor Who preview issue features exclusive interviews with the cast and crew of the BBC sci-fi series, and is on sale now.
Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks comes to BBC One over the festive period. Want something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.
