Jody Whittaker's incarnation of Doctor Who hasn't gone as planned despite the showrunner being Chris Chibnall who actually wrote five episodes of the series under previous showrunners Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat while also being the head writer for the first two series of the spinoff Torchwood. Perhaps due to his preceding work in the crime drama Broadchurch, Chibnall's time as showrunner Doctor Who has been filled with an odd combination of trying to "reinvent the wheel" sort-of-speak by turning the show into a more prominent commentator on social issues while dumbing down original sci-fi concepts. In addition, the show came under fire for retconning the Doctor's origins with the "Timeless Child" story arc.
With major ratings drops during Whittaker's time on the show, it seems understandable why T. Davies is returning for series 14 given he was the one to successfully reboot the long-running franchise back in 2005. However, before this, Whittaker will have a short, six-episode series 13 that will lead into a series of specials before Whittaker's last episode where, per tradition of the show, she will regenerate into a new Doctor. The idea to end her tenure in the role with a series of specials is similar to what was done with David Tennant's Tenth Doctor (which ended with the two-part special "The End of Time").
And so enters the official teaser for that season, confirming a Halloween release (October 31st) for the season premiere. Uniquely, this season will also carry an overhanging subtitle, Doctor Who: Flux. Whatever that means, check out the brief teaser below:
Stay tuned!
This has all been a hilarious implosion of epic proportions. They took one of the most popular shows in BBC history and totally destroyed the ratings in such a short time because they just had to go woke. It's almost as if actions have consequences.