The BBC has confirmed that the new season of Doctor Who will air on BBC One, BBC America, and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, October 31st. The season title has also been revealed as Doctor Who: Flux. A new promo spot reveals that enemies of the Doctor, the Weeping Angels, the Ravagers, and the Sontarans will be returning this season along with a new danger called “The Flux.”
The promo spot features Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor inside of her TARDIS sending a message to someone (fans). In the background at the TARDIS console is Mandip Gil as Yaz Khan and newcomer John Bishop as Dan. In the message, The Doctor warns viewers that The Flux is coming and that it’s bringing with it The Sontarans, Weeping Angels, creatures known as the Ravagers, and enemies from across the universe. The Doctor warns to be ready.
Leading up to the new season of Doctor Who
Three days ago, the BBC Doctor Who social media accounts posted a photo of an alien spaceship hovering over Liverpool with the caption: “Mysterious aircraft seen tonight over the Liverpool docks… #DoctorWho” We assume this is the location of the docks where they meet Dan (John Bishop). In the promo trailer announcing Dan, he is seen working on the docks.
Yesterday, the Doctor Who social media accounts vanished shortly after posting a 5-second video clip of the 13th Doctor trying to make contact with someone through a broken broadcast. The sudden disappearance of all of the social media left fans around the world confused. Which, in all honesty, was a brilliant piece of marketing. It had fans buzzing and speculating. In Liverpool, Twitter user @AllonsyWhovian_ spotted a billboard that featured the alien spacecraft from the earlier post. The billboard asks people to call a specific phone number. @AllonsyWhovian_ shared in their tweet: “Message from the doctor in Liverpool!! We rang and it’s a message from the doctor!!! #doctorwho @BBCOne #whovian Fantastic advertising”
Message from the doctor in Liverpool!! We rang and it’s a message from the doctor!!! #doctorwho @BBCOne #whovian Fantastic advertising pic.twitter.com/drn39kDR9r
— bethany 🤘🏼 (@AllonsyWhovian_) October 9, 2021
We called the number on the billboards and received a special message from the Doctor. “You’ve reached the voicemail for… The Doctor. If you’re ringing this it means that enemies from across the universe have arrived on Earth. And the battle is coming imminently. Who did you see? And where? I need as much information as possible. Protect yourself. It’s coming. Be ready.”
Fan Speculation
This kind of advertisement was a great way to engage fans and get people excited for the new season. It got people to speculate. We love to speculate. Recently, fans have noticed that when you google “Doctor Who Cast,” the previous incarnations of the Doctor, such as the 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith), The 12th Doctor (Peter Capaldi), and the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) are all listed as “The Fugitive Doctor.” However, Jodie Whittaker’s incarnation is listed as “The Thirteenth Doctor.”
The Fugitive Doctor was the name given to actress Jo Martin’s incarnation of the Doctor. In season 12 episode 5, “The Fugitive of Judoon,” Ruth, aka The Fugitive Doctor, was on the run from the Judoon. Does this mean that former incarnations of the Doctor will return in the new season? I wouldn’t doubt it given that Russell T. Davies recently announced that he was returning as showrunner for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, as the current showrunner Chris Chibnall has announced his exit. Davies worked with David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston and is credited for helping to bring back the show in 2005 after it was canceled in 1989. Maybe they will all return for the 60th anniversary.
Also, it wouldn’t be surprising because the 13th Doctor and the 10th Doctor have already crossed paths against the Weeping Angels in Titan Comics’ “Doctor Who: Alternating Current.” In the promo video from today, the 13th Doctor mentions the Weeping Angels coming back. She also mentions the Ravagers, which incidentally is the name of the 9th Doctor Audio series.
All of this leads us to believe that it is not unreasonable for there to be a high chance that former Doctors may make cameos in Jodie Whittaker’s final season as the Doctor. Plus, the storyline from the last season of Doctor Who with the Timeless Child and The Fugitive Doctor still hasn’t wrapped up. So, I think maybe we will see some familiar faces soon. Doctor Who will air on BBC One, BBC America, and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, October 31st.
Join our Doctor Who tweet-along leading up to the new season
From October 17th to October 30th, we are celebrating the new season by hitting play on the Doctor Who episode of the day at 6:00 pm Pacific Time/9:00 pm Eastern Time. Then, jump on Twitter and tweet along with fellow Whovians (Doctor Who Fans). Use the hashtag #TOGDoctorWho. We’ll be watching Doctor Who episodes featuring the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Doctor. We’ve chosen episodes that will include the Sontarans and The Weeping Angels.
- Sunday, October 17th – Season 1, Episode 1 “Rose“
- Monday, October 18th – Season 1, Episodes 9 & 10 “The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances“
- Tuesday, October 19th – Season 3, Episode 1 “Smith and Jones“
- Wednesday, October 20th – Season 3, Episode 10 “Blink“
- Thursday, October 21st – Season 4, Episodes 4 & 5 “The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky“
- Friday, October 22nd – Season 5, Episodes 4 & 5 “The Time of Angels” & “Flesh and Stone“
- Saturday, October 23rd – Season 6, Episode 7 “A Good Man Goes To War“
- Sunday, October 24th – 2013 Special “The Day of The Doctor“
- Monday, October 25th – Season 8 – Episode 1 “Deep Breath“
- Tuesday, October 26th – 2015 Special “The Husbands of River Song“
- Wednesday, October 27th – 2017 Special “Twice Upon a Time“
- Thursday, October 28th – Season 11, Episode 1 “The Woman Who Fell to Earth“
- Friday, October 29th – Season 12, Episode 5 “The Fugitive of Judoon“
- Saturday, October 30th – 2021 Special “Revolution of the Daleks“
You can stream or purchase episodes online through HBO Max, BBC America, BBC iplayer, and Prime Video.
Celebrate “WHOllaween” by dressing up as Doctor Who characters
Halloween and the beginning of series 13 have magically come together on October 31st. Going forward, this year’s celebration will be renamed as WHOllaween! Check out our website for Doctor Who cosplay and costume tips. Like Tips on how to cosplay as Amy Pond from Doctor Who and much more.
Doctor Who Holiday Special “Revolution of the Daleks” photos from BBCA
