I can’t look, but I’m blinking, blinking away the tears. Stephen Moffat is stepping down as showrunner for Doctor Who. There will be no new episodes in 2016. How will a Whovian survive? However, there are ways to await the Time Lord’s return without crying too much.
Say it isn’t, Stephen. After all, everyone knows that Moffat is lying. But I’m afraid this time I’d pass the lie detector test. Moffat is passing on the heavy mantle of Doctor Who showrunner to “Broadchurch” creator Chris Chibnall. According to Moffat, “It took a lot of gin and tonic to talk him into this.”
Hopefully Chibnall’s Time Lord will be worth the wait. But how is a Whovian going to survive until the 2016 Christmas special?
Here are six ways to cope with the Doctor’s long absence:
There’s no better opportunity for those too young to know anything more than NuWho to return to William Hartnell’s original Doctor and Coal Hill School, where it all began in 1963. Netflix, take note. There will be a riot if you pull the episodes now.
- Better yet, add the rest of the skipped episodes as Tom Baker’s wardrobe pick.
- Enjoy checking out all the actors who left their inedible mark on the character of Doctor Who. It will, in particular, make Matt Smith’s portrayal of Number 11 even more sensational. No other actor managed to embody all the previous Doctors like Smith did, from his old eyes to his “flapping” as noted by John Hurt’s War Doctor.
- You’ll finally “get” so many references in the rebooted episodes, over fifty years, that you missed before. Seeing the origins of the Daleks and the first invasion of the Cybermen, to name a few, will make them all the more delightfully chilling. And you’ll melt the next time Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart saves the world one last time.
- Meet all the companions. He will find some that will give Rose Tyler, the Ponds, and Clara Oswald a run for their money. What other sidekick besides Sarah Jane Smith and possibly Captain Jack were worthy of her spin-offs, “The Sarah Jane Chronicles” and “Torchwood”? (Down, boy. You too, K-9!)
- Immerse yourself in the hundreds of stories featuring all your favorite Doctors and companions, including recently released radio episodes by John Hurt and the one-movie but hugely popular Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann. There are scores of books, comics, and radio soap operas, including the ever-popular David Tennant and Catherine Tate. “Donna Noble has been saved!”
There’s more than enough new action to keep you from grieving too much for a year. Knit a scarf if necessary. Better yet, dress up and attend Comic Con, where you can meet some of your favorite doctors and escorts.
However, the burning question remains. What will become of Peter Capaldi? I haven’t had enough of his comedic genius and those fierce eyebrows!
