2020 is now less than five months away, and we're promised that new Doctor Who will be premiering "very early" that year. There is now a rumoured 2019 Christmas special on the cards too. Whether that comes to pass remains to be seen as, like some of the rumours below, we haven't had any official confirmation yet either way. But, as we get closer to Series Twelve and expectations heighten we've rounded up five of the more interesting snippets of potential information and rumours surrounding the world's longest running science fiction series.
1. Rose Tyler Is Making A Return In Series Twelve
This rumour has been doing the rounds for nearly a year, when in September 2018 the official Doctor Who Twitter account announced
Rose Tyler to return in Series 12 of Doctor Who?Gaining some traction the same month when Billie Piper said Rose would still fancy the Doctor, regardless of gender, and then again earlier this year after Piper announced that she had some "exciting news" to share shortly after filming for series twelve began, this rumour doesn't seem to be going away. The "exciting news" on this occasion turned out to be nothing Who related at all, but Piper has been open to a return to Doctor Who before, and when a brief glimpse of a series twelve script thad "Rose's..."...something on, speculation started all over again.
Apparently, Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens (the new executive producer) is [sic] “in talks” to bring Billie Piper back to Doctor Who.
It's already been revealed that after the almost complete reinvention/overhaul of series eleven, series twelve will be a return to more familiar ground, apparently hearkening back to the Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat eras. So as Billie Piper has already come back multiple times, in 2008, 2010 and 2013, during both Moffat and Davies' eras, and she still plays the role of Rose opposite David Tennant for Big Finish’s audio dramas, it's not entirely that far fetched that a potential return could be on the cards.
However, I think on this occasion the whole rumour has solely escalated from, what is most likely, nothing more than a potential wish list of possible ideas drawn up by Chibnall and Strevens for their future Doctor Who plans. As the new series is still filming it is, of course, possible that if Piper is returning she may still be yet to film any potential appearance. One thing Chibnall has been very good about, since taking over as showrunner, is keeping spoilers off the radar, so if this does pan out to be true we may not know about it until the last minute.
Chances of Rose Tyler returning in series twelve: 20 to 1.
2. Chris Chibnall And Jodie Whittaker Are Leaving After Series Twelve
This rumour first reared its head mid-November 2018, whilst series eleven was still airing. Starburst Magazine ran a report claiming...
… new showrunner Chris Chibnall hasn’t been happy behind the scenes, and is set to quit after Series 12. We can only speculate as to his possible reasons but Chibnall told us quite firmly in January 2013 that he didn’t want the [Doctor Who] showrunner job, and it’s possible after the success of Broadchurch that the BBC pursued him for it against his better wishes. Or simply that he changed his mind. Either way, it’s also been said that Jodie Whittaker would not want to continue on as the Doctor without Chibnall at the helm, and would leave at the same time as he did.The report also claimed that...
The BBC was happy to go on the record about the programme’s short-term future.We now know series twelve will debut in very early 2020, so that's part of their report debunked, but when linked with the first part of the rumour there may have been a smidgen of truth in it. At least for a short while.
We were told that Series 12 went into production this week, and that it will definitely be broadcast next year, as part of the autumn 2019 TV schedule.
It was claimed that Chibnall felt a series a year was "unsustainable" and could've used the threat of quitting to gain leverage with the BBC over the show's scheduling. A tabloid report from December 2018 claimed a friend of Jodie Whittaker's had revealed...
A series-a-year will be too much for the young mum so [she] is likely to hand over the keys to the TARDIS, as is tradition, [at] Christmas [2019].It's possible the BBC wanted a series of Doctor who this year, especially after the initial very strong rating for series eleven, but neither Chibnall or Whittaker were happy with the work schedule. If that was the case it does appear the BBC appeased them with the 2020 release date.
This rumour just won't quit, though, as it's hit the headlines again at the time of writing this article. Now, apparently, Chibnall had been fired, causing Whittaker to quit, with Pete McTighe (writer of Kerblam!) stepping in as interim showrunner. However, The Radio Times posted a comment from a source at the BBC claiming it to be nonsense.
I think it's highly unlikely the pair will leave at the end of series twelve, and will most likely at least produce a third season together (as tends to be the case for actors playing the Doctor of late). Personally, though, I'd quite relish the chance of a different showrunner paired with Jodie Whittaker's Doctor, as, even though we're promised a bit more a traditional season next year, Chris Chibnall's scripts, tone and the general direction he has taken the show in has really failed to engage me. Whittaker deserved better. It remains to be seen if he can deliver that in series twelve.
Chances of both Chibnall and Whittaker quitting at the end of series twelve: 30 to 1
3. A Classic Monster Will Return In Series Twelve
And when we say Classic, that's with a capital C, as in Classic Doctor Who era and not the Judoon who have already been confirmed to be appearing in the upcoming series. And when we say Monster we mean non-human-looking-monster and not specifically foe (as we'll get to that later).
Before the series started filming Chibnall had already teased that "maybe we'll do some classic monsters", after his debut series as showrunner was entirely absent of any returning foes, until the New Years Day special bought back the Daleks.
The aforementioned Judoon will meet the thirteenth Doctor, but really was anyone crying out for a return of the extraterrestrial mercenary police force?
More interestingly, the IMDB entry for episode five of the upcoming series currently has an actor listed as playing a Sea Monster. In case that gets taken down, here's a screen grab...
The Autons were then said to be potentially making a return, then The Radio Times ran a story claiming that classic foes The Cybermen will be back to menace the Doctor in the new series, in a 19th-century-set episode that will see them inspire author Mary Shelley to create the character of Frankenstein. This was even "confirmed" by a source talking to British tabloid The Mirror. It's still a rumour at this point, of course, but, once again, a listing on IMDB for episode 8 seems to confirm the Cybermen's return...
...so don't be surprised if we see, at least, the Cybermen in the upcoming series.
4. Chances of a Classic Era monster returning: Odds-on
4. A K-Pop Band Is Appearing In A Series Twelve Episode
OK then. Here's a thing. Korean pop sensations BTS are apparently in the next series of Doctor Who, according to a German magazine that is. If you don't sprechen sie Deutsche then this is what it says...
Watch out for fans! In season 12 you can expect a special highlight: The seven boys from BTS have a guest appearance in the Sci-Fi series.Well, from the Beatles to Kylie, Doctor Who has featured many a pop star over the years so why not, eh? The 7-piece band, also known as the Bangton Boys, have become a bit of a worldwide sensation and headlined Wembley Stadium at the beginning of June this year, coinciding with the filming of a certain long running science fiction series, so there's a fairly good chance this one could be true, even if it's just a background appearance.
Chances of BTS appearing in series twelve of Doctor Who: 3 to 1
5. John Simm's Master Will Return In Series Twelve
In April 2019, Wales Online shared the story that posters saying 'Vote Saxon' had been spotted at various places around Cardiff Bay, one of Doctor Who's commonly used filming locations. The series had indeed been filming nearby in the weeks prior to the spot, but at the time this was largely written off as nothing but a bit of political satire surrounding the local elections and the whole Brexit fiasco. However...
Never one to undersell a rumour, The Daily Star went one step further claiming Chris Chibnall was in talks to bring the Master back for the upcoming series. Now, they do not state which version of the Master would return, or if perhaps it would be an as yet unseen version, but it's not entirely far fetched to think that, with Chibnall's penchant for topical scripts and politically correct subject matter, bringing back John Simm as Harold Saxon in the same year as Donald Trump faces re-election could be a huge chance for a bit of Doctor Who political satire to educate the masses on the dangers of megalomaniac dictators, hmmm?
It does seem unlikely, especially with Simm having just come back for series ten, but knowing how upset he was that his return was leaked so early on, and knowing that Chibnall likes to keep spoilers away from the general public wherever possible, if Simm ever was going to reprise the role again it would probably be done under a showrunner who is happy for it to be kept secret and for something as potentially biting as this prospectively could be.
In short, I don't think we'll likely see John Simm in the role, but it would be a delicious treat if done right. However, I think it's more likely we'll see a new Master if we see one at all.
Chances of the Saxon-era Master returning in series twelve: 50 to 1
Chances of a new/unseen Master appearing in series twelve: 2 to 1
Are any of these Doctor Who series twelve rumours are true? Time will tell.
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