One of the many ways that the upcoming eleventh season of Doctor Who will refresh the show is by introducing three new companions for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor to interact with, as opposed to the usual one or two. Things are going to get pretty crowded in the TARDIS, then, but from what we understand, the characters will develop a “family” dynamic throughout the season.
Not only that, but apparently the situation in the Doctor’s time traveling machine is being described as one which is similar to the “bridge on the Enterprise” from Star Trek: The Original Series. Or at least, that’s according to star Bradley Walsh. The actor, who’s set to play Graham in season 11, spoke to Radio Times and recalled how he was originally sold on the role, with the producers pitching it to him as an ensemble piece.
“I remember what the phrase was which helped sell it a while after I found out it was Doctor Who,” he says. “They said: ‘It’s an ensemble piece, Brad. You’re not going to be the Doctor.’ I went, ‘well that’s good, because I don’t understand any gobbledegook’. I said, ‘Who is going to be the Doctor then?’ And they went ‘We don’t know yet, we haven’t chosen them.’ I went, ‘Oh, OK, fine. OK, cool.’
Continuing on, Walsh noted that the Who team compared the dynamic in the TARDIS to that which is seen in Star Trek, and given how big a fan the actor is of that particular franchise, it seems it was all he needed to hear.
“A week later – who’s the Doctor? ‘Dunno, we haven’t chosen them yet.’ And that went on and on and on. And I said ‘How can I gauge what I’m going to do with the part?’And they said ‘You’re gonna be like an older companion. And it’s gonna be a bit like the bridge on the Enterprise. It’s gonna be an ensemble piece. It’s gonna be like…’ And I went ‘I’m in!’ as soon as they said that, because I’m a massive Trekkie. I went ‘I’m in, I’m in, that’s it, OK done it’.”
Due to premiere in October, the eleventh season of Doctor Who is all about the thirteenth Time Lord and her journey to solve the many riddles of the universe. As mentioned above, she’s got a brand new TARDIS team working with her as well, and we imagine the show’s creators still have one or two surprises tucked up their collective sleeve for next month, so be sure to tune in when the show returns to our screens.
