Season 12 of Doctor Who left devoted Whovians with a number of surprises and twists to process right before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill in March. While the Doctor herself Jodie Whittaker didn’t reveal what’s to come in season 13, she did say Doctor Who enthusiasts can look forward to new stories.
“We’re certainly in prep. What we’re all hoping for is to be filming before the close of 2020,” Whittaker shared about returning to shoot the BBC show during the pandemic.
Whittaker joined fellow Doctor Who cast members Mandip Gill and Bradley Walsh to recap the latest season at the virtual New York Comic Con. The cast spoke about the villains that appeared in season 12, shooting abroad and of course the second Doctor, played by Jo Martin.
When Martin’s Ruth Clayton revealed herself to be another iteration of the immortal, time-traveling alien, Whittaker said her character’s reaction mirrored that of the show’s viewers and fans.
“I found it completely exhilarating and what was wonderful for my Doctor’s reaction to it was it could sum up how the audience felt, shocked angry at a point where it’s like ‘what’s going on?’” Whittaker said on Thursday. “I think Doctor Who continually pushes boundaries and shows us what we think we know can be a world away from the truth.”
The idea of another Doctor opened up the storyline to new histories concerning the Time Lord’s past, but it also allowed for exploration of some of the iconic characters and villains presented throughout the series, including the Master and Cybermen.
Revisiting the the latter in season 12 was a blast fo nostalgia, said Walsh. He said he grew up watching William Hartnell’s Doctor battle the galactic villains and added that the original 1966 episode is what inspired him to join the Doctor Who cast.
Gill said that while season 12 may feature characters and plots familiar to loyal Doctor Who audiences, coming face to face with the different species in the show as an actor “cements [her] standing in the Doctor Who family.”
With season 13 of Doctor Who still in the works, the cast revealed that fans can look forward to a new Doctor Who holiday special. The cast announced that the 2020 holiday episode, called Revolution of the Daleks, will see the return of the iconic Doctor Who villains and will feature the Doctor’s companions struggling to combat the mechanical drones without the Time Lord’s help.
Watch the full New York Comic Con panel above.