New Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has big plans and changes in mind

We’ve known for a while now that Doctor Who would be facing a major overhaul next year as current showrunner Seven Moffatt would be handing the reigns over to Chris Chibnall and current Doctor Peter Capaldi would be regenerating into… 

But now Chibnall has revealed a little about the changes he wants to put in place when he takes over one of the world’s most successful sci-fi properties.

He even hints that the idea of a season-long story isn’t out of the question, saying that when he was hired: “what the BBC was after was risk and boldness”.

He says that he resisted taking the role for a long time but eventually caved in as he had plans he wanted to move forward with: “I had ideas about what I wanted to do with it,” he said. ”

“When I went to them and said, ‘This is what I would do’, I actually expected them to say, ‘Ooh, let’s talk about that’, but they said: ‘Great!’”

It seems that Chibnall is planning a pretty major overhaul of the BBC show, with his friend and collaborator, director James Strong hinting that somewhere along the way Who lost its way and Chibnall sees that and plans to bring it back to the families out there who used to watch it:  “It used to be […] at the heart of the schedule, an unmissable family show and, for some reason, it’s slipped a bit from the national consciousness.

“For me, when it goes towards story­lines that are a little bit more for the fans, I think you can lose that general appeal. I think Chris is going to offer a slightly different take on what the show should be.

“I know what a big fan of the show he is and I know how much he feels he has a vision for it.

“It’s a five-year project. That was a huge decision. He’s in his absolute prime and could have done whatever he wanted, writing-wise. It’s an absolutely wonderful result for Doctor Who. I think Chris, essentially, writes emotional thrillers, and that’s perfect for that show.”

 

Chibnall’s run will likely commence in Autumn 2018, with Capaldi looking set to end his run in the TARDIS this Christmas Day… so a big change for Who? We’re reading this as being a tonal change as much as anything… more fun, less dark, perhaps?

Only time will tell.

In related news, the synopsis for the final episode of the current season has bee released and it doesn’t bode well for the Doctor or someone close to him:

Friendship drives the Doctor into the rashest decision of his life. Trapped on a giant spaceship, caught in the event horizon of a black hole, he witnesses the death of someone he is pledged to protect. Is there any way he can redeem his mistake? Are events already out of control? For once, time is the Time Lord’s enemy…

The first assumption here is that this is talking about Bill however, we’re wondering if it’s a reference to Missy instead? Could this be how we see John Simm’s Master return? Will these events lead to the Doctor’s regeneration? Or are we wrong? We know that Bill (Pearl Mackie) has already confirmed she has no plans to return after this season… whatever happens, it sounds like the finale will pack a punch.

Source: Television