Despite recurring criticism for some areas of the Doctor Who fandom, current showrunner Chris Chibnall looks set to continue for at least another season, due to be released in 2021. One of the most striking features of season 12 of the show has been Chibnall turning away from the more standalone approach of season 11, and embracing characters from the history of the series. And now, he’s revealed which existing characters from Doctor Who canon he’d like to bring back to play along Jodie Whittaker.
Speaking as part of an interview with BBC America, Chibnall gave his choices for which much-loved characters would work well in contemporary Who, saying:
“I would really love to bring back Sarah Jane. People working on the show now worked with Lis Sladen, and everybody still remembers her so fondly and talks about her a lot. I would love to see her with the Thirteenth Doctor.”
Of course, Elisabeth Sladen has passed away, although it’s not out of the question that we could see the use of archival footage or a new actor take on the role. The latter option is less likely, though, as much of Chibnall’s love for Sarah Jane appears to be related to the actress. Another classic Doctor Who character on Chibnall’s list though is the late Ian Marter’s Harry Sullivan, with the current showrunner commenting as so:
“I would love to have brought back Harry Sullivan too, played by the wonderful Ian Marter from Tom Baker’s first season. I would have loved to see Sarah and Harry nowadays to check in with them. It’s a credit to those actors. They are indelible in my life and memories and those of many others. It’s so sad that they’re not with us anymore.”
Other characters on Chibnall’s mind include Sophie Aldred’s Ace, Janet Fielding’s Tegan, Karen Gillan’s Amy and Arthur Darvill’s Rory. Of these characters, Amy and Rory are more recent members of Doctor Who canon, although it’s currently difficult to see whether fans would want their send-offs to be updated for the Whittaker era.
While we loved John Barrowman’s return as Captain Jack Harkness this season, it’s probably best that Doctor Who continues to find its own voice and avoid leaning too heavily on nostalgia. In the case of classic monsters though, this is arguably less of an issue, as they can often be reinterpreted quite dramatically, and are less tied to an individual actor, allowing new showrunners to put their own spin on them.
If you could bring back any classic Doctor Who character, though, who would you go for? As always, let us know in the comments section down below.
