The long-awaited Doctor Who holiday special aired on New Year’s Day — as has become tradition under showrunner Chris Chibnall — and acts as both a sequel to last year’s special and as a vehicle for some changes in the run-up to season 13. “Revolution of the Daleks” drops a few hints that may point to new developments and directions for the next series when it airs later in 2021.
While “Revolution” was lucky enough to be filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns hit, season 13 is already off to a rough start. Long lockdown delays and the implementation of safety protocols meant that the show could not begin filming until late in 2020. This, in turn, forced Chibnall to cut three stories originally scheduled to be part of the forthcoming season, leaving only eight new episodes for 2021 [via EW] – a big blow to fans. “Revolution” also revealed that two of the show’s three companions, Graham O’Brien (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), departed the TARDIS — leaving only Yaz (Mandip Gill) remaining on board with the Doctor. Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a former companion who rejoined for this episode after an all-too-brief cameo in season 12, is also gone again – at least for the time being.
Moments after the special aired in the UK, there was a brief announcement introducing John Bishop, who will be playing a companion named Dan at some point next season. How long the TARDIS will enjoy its first all-female crew is anyone’s guess, but Dan will join the team at some point, and his arrival could foreshadow Yaz’s eventual departure. In addition to Jack’s brief return, other references popped up in the episode that suggested viewers could see more of the Torchwood team in Doctor Who later this year. Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori) is seen briefly in a battle scene, and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) is mentioned by Harkness as the reason he’s going to also stay on Earth for a while. Barrowman himself has suggested that he’d be willing to return again, dangling the possibility of a full-fledged Torchwood crossover.
It also seems like a safe bet that the Daleks will come looking for a rematch at some point because of the events in “Revolution,” to say nothing of how angry the Judoon must be. Numerous monsters from recent years were also glimpsed while the Doctor was in “space jail,” including The Silence, the Sycorax, the Weeping Angels, P’Ting, and the Ood. Also mentioned in passing was Rose Tyler – and while Jo Martin’s “Fugitive Doctor” was not present, her TARDIS featured prominently in the ending, hinting that the door is open for Martin to return as well.
Before his departure, Ryan had a quiet moment with the Doctor in which he drew out her thoughts on her shocking past (as revealed in the final episode of season 12, “The Timeless Children”). He suggests that the Doctor go seek out more information about her origins and past lives, though she reaffirms herself as The Doctor (“the one who stops the Daleks”) later on. That said, season 13 might opt to investigate whether the Master (Sacha Dhawan) was telling the whole truth about her secret history, or whether the Time Lords are truly dead and gone. Having planted many new, big, and shocking revelations about the Doctor’s past at the end of Doctor Who season 12, faithful viewers hope that he will not shy away from exploring the ramifications of them in the forthcoming season – and beyond.