Futurism logo

'Doctor Who' Set to Pay Homage to Classic 'Who' in Series 10

Viewers may have noticed that creations heavily used in classic 'Who' have been spotted throughout the latest trailer for Peter Capaldi's final series.

By Lewis JefferiesPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
Like
'Doctor Who' [Credit: BBC]

Way back in 1963 (November 23rd, to be precise), a brand new science fiction television show was aired. This, of course, being Doctor Who, which has almost been on our screens for 54 years. Following its cancellation in 1989, Doctor Who has been a major BBC hit ever since its revival in 2005.

With Series 10 of #DoctorWho just around the corner, fans have been even more excited for the series ever since the epic trailer was released last week. Eagle-eyed viewers will have noticed that creations heavily used in classic Who have been spotted throughout the latest trailer for Peter Capaldi's final series.

The Fourth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

'Doctor Who' [Credit: BBC]

Despite the serial actually being a missing Doctor Who story, the sonic screwdriver first appeared in the story "Fury from the Deep," which first aired in 1968. The screwdriver has then made multiple appearances throughout the show, leading to more iconic designs as the show progressed on. In 2015, fans of the show were dramatically divided in half as current showrunner, Steven Moffat, introduced the sonic sunglasses.

However, back in the 1980s, when Tom Baker portrayed the fourth Doctor, the sonic screwdriver was less used to a huge extent. It still made appearances, but not as much as when Jon Pertwee was the Doctor.

It appears the underused screwdriver is set to make a comeback in Series 10! In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment of the latest trailer, the classic screwdriver is launched across the TARDIS towards Nardole (Matt Lucas). It currently remains a mystery as to why this legendary piece of equipment has been dug up, but will it lead to a deep secret in Peter Capaldi's final series?

Prepare to hide behind the sofa as the Mondasian Cybermen make an explosive comeback.

'Doctor Who' [Credit: BBC]

The Mondasian Cybermen (original Cybermen) made their very first appearance in Doctor Who in the 1966 story "The Tenth Planet," which was the final adventure for the first Doctor (played by William Hartnell). Ever since then, the Cybermen have been constantly upgrading into new designs, including new features.

If you thought the current Cybermen were scary enough, you may want to hide behind the sofa for this series as the Mondasian Cybermen from classic Who are marching back to the show for the epic series finale. Again, it is currently unclear as to why these Cybermen have been revived and returning to the show, but Capaldi has revealed he has always wanted a story with the original Cybermen. It looks like Peter got his wish. Nonetheless, I'm fairly sure we're all excited for the Cybermen to be back on our screens considering their last full story was back in 2014.

A Series 10 story will be stretched across three weeks.

'Doctor Who' [Credit: BBC]

Now as all Doctor Who fans (should) know, classic Who is incredibly well known for its multiple episodes per story. The very first story for the time-traveling show titled "An Unearthly Child" was made up of four episodes, each being 25 minutes a piece. Until the show was cancelled, this structure was consistently used. Of course, each story had a different amount of episodes. If you count "The Trial of a Time Lord" as one big serial (some don't despite it being aired as one big serial), it was made up of 14 episodes, making it the show's longest story.

Episodes 6, 7 and 8 of Series 10 have been confirmed to all be linked together as one big story. Steven Moffat has written Part 1, Peter Harness has written Part 2, and Toby Whithouse has written Part 3. The story is set to feature a new creature called "The Monks," and the current incarnation of the Master, Missy (Michelle Gomez), is also a big part of this story.

"Mine is the third part of a three-parter – Steven's done the first one, Peter Harness did the second and I've done the third. It's set modern day... and I think anything more than that and Steven will come 'round and kick me in the shin!" — Toby Whithouse

Let's assume each episode is roughly 50 minutes long. If this were a classic Who serial and each episode was 25 minutes long, this would mean the three-part story in Series 10 would be shown across six weeks. That seems like a lot of effort to keep up with!

Is there a reason for this? Or is it Moffat saying goodbye to the show in his own way?

Current showrunner, Steven Moffat, and Peter Capaldi are huge fans of classic Who, and with them both departing the show at the end of the year, what's a better way to by go than bringing back the all-time favorite items and creatures from the original series?

But could these classic Who props and creatures returning be a symbol for something major as part of the series arc? Capaldi's regeneration (Christmas Day 2017) maybe? With the Mondasian Cybermen being the reason behind the first Doctor's regeneration, are all these classic Who items a sign of Capaldi's fate? Who knows?

scifi tv
Like

About the Creator

Lewis Jefferies

MA Media and Communication graduate from the University of Portsmouth - Massive Doctor Who Fan.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.