The Doctor has just regenerated into Jodie Whittaker’s thirteenth incarnation but that’s not the only thing that’s changed about the show. Long-running head honcho Steven Moffat stepped down after the 2017 Christmas special and Chris Chibnall has taken his place as the new showrunner as of season 11. And it looks like he intends to put his own stamp on the show by making Doctor Who fresh and inclusive again.
Deadline spoke with Whittaker and Chibnall ahead of their Hall H panel at Comic-Con today and one question they threw at the writer was whether there would be any classic monsters – like the Daleks or the Cybermen – returning in the upcoming season 11. The showrunner was smart not to reveal any spoilers and so instead went on to emphasize that the season is all about the ringing in the new.
“You’ll just have to wait and see — I can’t give you all our secrets, can I? I wouldn’t want to tell you all my stories yet. But seriously, I think the biggest thing for us, as Jodie says, is these are new stories. There are lots of new monsters but there’s no barrier to entry this year, if you’re 8 years old and you’ve never seen it before, if you’re 88 and you’ve heard about it and never tried it, and if you’re 58 and you love it more than anything. I want everybody to be very, very included in the series. So, a lot of new adventures, a lot of new settings, lots of new characters to fall in love with, and lots of new monsters, you’ll see.”
Chibnall’s comments about there being “no barrier” to entering the show this year supports previous reports that the watchword for season 11 is “family,” referring to a renewed effort to make Doctor Who for family audiences. Moffat’s Who was often criticized for being too complex and fan-oriented, so this should please those that want a return to the more accessible Tennant era.
The “family” tagline will also refer to the family dynamic that will grow between the main characters. As you surely know, Whittaker will be joined in the TARDIS by her three new companions, Yaz (Mandip Gill), Ryan (Tosin Cole) and Graham (Bradley Walsh), who we got a better look at in today’s new trailer. And with that now out in the wild, you can bet that we’ll be seeing a lot more from Doctor Who season 11 as its fall premiere approaches.