Final yr, one of the best aspects of celebrating Doctor Who’s sixtieth anniversary—other than the gorgeous nice specials themselves—was Tales of the TARDIS, the particular anthology-format retelling of traditional Physician Who episodes with newly recorded interstitials from traditional Docs and companions. Now, the collection is coming again: with a twist and a reasonably large clue as to what to anticipate from Physician Who’s present season.
The BBC has confirmed (through the Radio Times) that Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson will seem because the fifteenth Physician and Ruby Sunday in a particular Tales of the TARDIS episode set to broadcast within the UK on each BBC 4 and the iPlayer streaming service on Thursday, June 20—the day earlier than the ultimate episode of the present season of Physician Who, titled “The Empire of Loss of life,” will air. No additional particulars concerning the broadcast have been introduced past Gatwa and Gibson’s look in newly created materials.
Nevertheless, there’s a lot to invest about due to the announcement. Up to now, Tales of the TARDIS has been used to broadcast cut-down variations of traditional Physician Who serials, winnowing multi-episode tales right into a extra digestible omnibus format by way of the interstitial materials. And contemplating this time the interstitials will function the fifteenth Physician and Ruby relatively than a traditional Physician and companion, why else would this new Tales episode exist if their story within the present season of Physician Who didn’t have hyperlinks to a traditional storyline from years previous?
There’s been a persistent rumor operating as much as this season that the traditional Who villain Sutekh—the dog-like member of the alien race often called the Osirans that, in Physician Who, would encourage the gods of Historical Egyptian mythology—would return as a serious antagonist. Sutekh has solely beforehand appeared in a single Physician Who story, the 1975 4th Physician and Sarah-Jane Smith story “Pyramids of Mars,” however has been fleshed out a number of instances since in audio dramas by Large End. If Sutekh was certainly in some way going to play a task within the last episode, a Tales of the TARDIS devoted to “Pyramids of Mars” that basically acts because the Physician filling in Ruby on his historical past with the insidious Osiran would make sense, particularly to present audiences who’ve jumped aboard with the brand new period of the present some further background data, too.
However that might apply to any traditional villain or character that might seem within the new season—in spite of everything, in “The Devil’s Chord” the Physician already talked about his past life residing in London because the First Physician, together with his granddaughter Susan, to Ruby. Does that imply a long-rumored Carole Ann Ford return is on the playing cards? Not essentially.
No matter all of it means, we received’t have lengthy to seek out out: Tales of the TARDIS returns on June 20.
Need extra io9 information? Try when to count on the newest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and the whole lot you must learn about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Trending Merchandise
