The Sontarans Set to Make an Epic Comeback to 'Doctor Who' After a 10-Year Break

Starting way back in 1963, Doctor Who today remains one of the most loved television shows on the BBC. The hit science-fiction show originally ran from 1963 to 1989 when it was tragically canceled due to large drops in ratings and viewing figures. However, fans of the show were relieved when news broke that the show will be back in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. The man behind the revival is Russell T Davies, who then passed the showrunner tools over to Steven Moffat, who has now passed the baton over to Chris Chibnall.

The Doctor, who has the power to regenerate when his/her body is required to, has had thirteen faces (fourteen including the late Sir John Hurt). Some notable names are William Hartnell, Tom Baker, David Tennant, Peter Capaldi and now Jodie Whittaker, the show's very first female Doctor.

When it was revealed in the magnificent special reveal in 2017 that Whittaker will become the new face of the time-traveling Time Lord from Gallifrey, fans had mixed views and opinions. But putting all that aside, it appears Series 11 (expected to air in October this year) is going to be epic. Whittaker has been spotted filming Doctor Who all over the UK, as well as South Africa, where it appears an old enemy of the Doctor's is going to be making a glorious comeback.

A while back, an intriguing snap from the filming in South Africa swept across the internet causing many debates amongst the hardcore Doctor Who fans. At first fans speculated that Chris Chibnall will be bringing back the classic monster the Zygons. Then fans started questioning if it's the Judoon storming back onto our screens. But, it is now claimed both of those theories are now false and it's the theory everyone wasn't expecting it to be—the return of the Sontarans.

Digging deep into the fansite Gallifrey Base (a forum for Doctor Who fans), it appears the figure seen standing in the desert is in fact confirmed to be the potato-resembling Sontarans. Over on another forum (supposedly Reddit), an unidentified person who claims to have "ties to the production of the show" when filming in South Africa has said the following:

"The Sontarans will be back, but taller than before and in darker uniforms, with a mixture of skin tones. Apparently, they are the last 'pure' Sontarans and are not clones. They make an alliance with the Doctor and some Human survivors against an unseen enemy."

It is currently unknown if this statement is, in fact, true, but judging by the resemblance as seen in the shared photo on Twitter, it could well be the Sontarans screaming back into the show. We do know that new showrunner Chris Chibnall is trying his best to keep spoilers from leaking out, but it appears the odd photo is slipping out here and there.

The Sontarans are a race of belligerent and militaristic clones from the planet Sontar and have appeared in several stories from both Classic Doctor Who and the revived Doctor Who series. Some of which include "The Time Warrior" [1973/74], "The Sontaran Experiment" [1975], and most recently "The Sontaran Stratagem" / "The Poison Sky" [2008]. Ever since 2008, Strax the Sontaran has cropped up in multiple stories as part of the Paternoster Gang, but there has been no full story for the Sontarans for a decade now and are overdue a story in the present day.

For now, fans of Doctor Who are going to have to sit tight and await confirmation if the above statement is actually true and that the Sontarans are finally returning to the show. Series 11 of Doctor Who is expected to broadcast on BBC One this October.