New Rumors Suggest 'Doctor Who' Will Face Major Changes In 2018

It's that time again — Doctor must regenerate. The good news is that this moment has been thoroughly prepared for. Peter Capaldi's first Doctor Who series began at the end of 2013 and he has remained as the Twelfth Doctor up to the present day. However, back in January, Capaldi announced his departure from the show and will bow out of the long-running BBC show on Christmas Day this year. The last few minutes of the festive episode will see Capaldi regenerate into the show's first ever female Doctor: Jodie Whittaker.

But, according to new rumors from Mirror, #DoctorWho will face major changes to the show for Season 11 in 2018. The new changes all come as part of the new showrunner's bold ideas to draw in fresh, new viewers. So, what do these rumors tell?

Shorter Seasons With Longer Episodes

As part of the Time Lord switching gender, incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall wants to give Whittaker the best introduction possible and prove to fans that casting a female Doctor was a wise choice.

Its been reported that Season 11 will lose two episodes as part of its run. The season is set to be chopped down from 12 episodes to just 10. However, it comes with a benefit: longer run time for the remaining episodes.

During the revamped season, fans have been told to "expect something fresh and brilliant," as it has been reported that much of Season 11 will be set in the past looking at "historical eras." But this isn't to say that there won't be any episodes looking into the future (what Doctor Who would be what it is without going into the future, right?).

An Entire New Look For The TARDIS

Just like always, a new TARDIS interior will be introduced in Season 11 for the new Doctor. But, what will it look like this time? Fans have already been imagining what the new TARDIS console will look like in their minds, but it's becoming a struggle to put it onto paper. Will the interior be full of dark colors and warm tones? Will Chibnall keep the 'round things' for the first female Doctor or will he create something new and iconic as a TARDIS wall design?

Adding onto that, Chibnall has reportedly ordered a "new-look" police box. Of course, this then asks the question — what more can you do to a police box? Over the years, the TARDIS exterior has been repainted with a bolder blue color, tinted its windows, removed the St. John's Ambulance badge (and reintroduced it again). Whatever happens, it'll be interesting to see what comes next.

An Updated Sonic Screwdriver

It only seems like yesterday that the Doctor got that blue and unique Sonic Screwdriver — how can we be saying goodbye so soon? On the other hand, it makes sense for the new Doctor to get her own design. In the past, we've seen women use Sonic Screwdriver but they don't seem to come across as very appealing. In Season 4, Episode 1, we saw the character Miss Foster in possession of a Sonic Pen, but it was just a pen and didn't exactly stand out significantly to the audience.

The more appealing female Sonic device we've seen is Sarah Jane Smith's Sonic Lipstick. Again, while it doesn't exactly catch your eye, it still fits in with the character. With the Doctor about to get a new Sonic Screwdriver, perhaps the Sonic Lipstick will make a come back as Whittaker shows her enemies she has what it takes to be the iconic Time Lord.

Final Thoughts

Whether all of these rumors are true or not is left to be seen, but Season 11 is guaranteed to be one wild ride. Casting choices for the companion still remain unknown, however, television presenter Bradley Walsh is rumoured to be taking on the role. What more could we ask for?

Doctor Who returns on Christmas Day, where Peter Capaldi says goodbye to the show, and Whittaker begins her time as the Doctor.