Since new showrunner Chris Chibnall took over, the amount of Doctor Who we can expect per year has changed. It now appears to be the norm to get one season of 10 episodes every two years, for example. Plus, the traditional Christmas special was replaced last time with a New Year’s outing instead. The BBC are keeping quiet, however, on if this is the plan for next year as well. But some recent filming is now getting the rumor mill going again.
As we reported the other day, a troop of Daleks were spotted on a bridge in Bristol in the UK earlier this week. Obviously, this confirms that the metal meanies are back in the new season, but it’s also got folks wondering if they’ll return in the special as well. Seeing as shooting on the upcoming run began back in January, this is very late in the game to still be working through those 10 episodes. So, a special does seem to be on the cards. In fact, The Sun writes that pedestrians who witnessed filming believed it to be for a “Christmas” episode.
The only hitch in this theory is that a lone Dalek was the villain of the last winter special, titled “Resolution.” You can see why it might seem like a smart idea to bring the show’s most popular monsters back for the specials, to make them more of an event, but it also runs the risk of seeming repetitive and uninspired if the same trick is pulled twice. Perhaps this is for the season finale instead, then?
Nevertheless, the likelihood of there being a Doctor Who special is high. It’s only a question of whether it will air on Christmas or New Year’s. Back in May, The Mirror reported that the BBC were “disappointed” with the 2019 special’s low ratings and so were planning to reinstate the Christmas tradition once more. Due to the peculiarly secretive tactics of the Chibnall era though, we probably won’t find out about this for certain until much closer the time. As always, though, watch this space for more.
