When a show has been around for as long as “Doctor Who” has (and there aren’t many shows that have been around as long as “Doctor Who”), it will eventually run into the problem of having so much history that newcomers will be reluctant to jump in. Fortunately, Russell T. Davies has dealt with and overcome this exact challenge once before, when he reintroduced “Doctor Who” to a new generation with the 2005 revival, led by Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and Billie Piper as companion Rose Tyler.
The “Doctor Who” 60th anniversary specials did the work of helping the Doctor shed some baggage by splitting him into two people when he regenerated: one played by David Tennant, who is off somewhere having adventures in his own Tardis, and the shiny new Doctor played by Gatwa. Add a shiny new companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), who conveniently will need to be given a rundown of who the Doctor is and what the Tardis does, and you have a recipe that says, “welcome, Who-newcomers!”
A soft reboot is exactly what “Doctor Who” needs to bring back lapsed viewers and invite the next generation into the blue police box — but it’ll take some quality timey-wimey magic to keep them there. We’ll find out if the magic is present soon enough. The new season of “Doctor Who” premieres May 10, 2024, on Disney+.
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