The imminent transition of Doctor Who stars has become a reliable, sacred tradition for sci-fi fans, who are typically on edge, bracing for bittersweet farewells conveyed to an exiting star of the BBC’s serial television institution of nearly 60 years, and awaiting a transformation-enabled onscreen debut—even if brief—of the time-traveling quasi-physician’s newest portrayer. Indeed, a trailer for the show’s upcoming entry, “Centenary Special,” shows that such an event approaches once again as Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor prepares for a dramatic sendoff filled with long-dormant former companions and other assorted fan-pleasing moments.
With “Legend of the Sea Devils,” the penultimate onscreen adventure of the franchise’s first female star now aired and in the books as of April 17, a teaser trailer for her climactic follow-up, “Centenary Special,” is effectively teasing a finish line. While such events typically climax with the respective Doctors enduring a fatal setback, leading to a restorative energy-effervescent “regeneration” metamorphosis from which a new Doctor emerges, an appearance by the latest incarnation of archenemy the Master (Sacha Dhawan) teases a twist. Indeed, his ominous declarations like “this is the day you die” and “welcome to the end of your existence” serve as the preamble to a teaser scene in which a frightened Doctor is in the midst of a regeneration that’s potentially disastrous. Check out the teaser below!
Besides Doctor Who’s upcoming transition to a star that—atypical of the franchise at this late stage of the game—has yet to be revealed, the “Centenary Special” trailer is also touting some serious nostalgic moments for longtime viewers of the franchise with the return of Janet Fielding as companion Tegan Jovanka, whose 1981-1984 run spanned 65 episodes and two Doctors—Tom Baker’s Fourth and Peter Davison’s Fifth, with a cameo in the debut of Colin Baker’s Sixth. Additionally, Sophie Aldred makes her own return as the acerbic Ace, whose 31-episode 1987-1989 run saw her serve as a companion to Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh. Consequently, the teaser’s showcasing of Tegan and Ace going back and forth over the Doctor’s absence in their respective lives—over four decades for the former and three for the latter—is entertaining in its own right before we see them brandish rifles to fight alongside one another.
Whittaker announced her intent to exit her role as the Doctor this past July, ahead of her Halloween-premiered third season as the star of the series, a six-episode arc titled “Flux.” It would be followed by the New Year’s Day special “Eve of the Daleks” and last night’s “Legend of the Sea Devils.” Of course, the Doctor’s dais of companions in the upcoming special will consist of more than the two aforementioned nostalgia-based returnees. Current cohorts Yasmin “Yaz” Khan (Mandip Gill) and Dan Lewis (John Bishop) will be joined by blasts from the more recent past with legacy companion Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and, from last year’s season, Inston Vee Vinder (Jacob Anderson).
“Centenary Special” will mark the end of a Doctor Who tenure that, outside of its plot, has been defined by divisiveness, be it over the initial reactions to Whittaker’s selection as the Doctor—over various reasons, in some cases over the very idea of casting a woman—to the way the story took shape under the tenure of longtime writer-turned showrunner Chris Chibnall, during which changes in the show’s tone and even some ambitious retconning of formerly sacred concepts about the Doctor’s origin occurred. Yet, regardless of where one might stand on these issues, changes are nigh, first with a new yet-to-be-unveiled Doctor, and with Chibnall’s imminent exit from the series, after which he’ll cede showrunner duties to a returning Russell T. Davies, who ran the show’s initial relaunch back in 2005 and oversaw the starring runs of Christopher Eccleston’s (briefly staying) Ninth Doctor and David Tennant’s (celebrated, longer-staying) Tenth Doctor; a move that, in the very least, has older fans excited.
Doctor Who’s Centenary Special is being teased for a BBC premiere sometime this autumn.
