According to showrunner Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who season 13 will premiere on BBC as soon as it's done. The upcoming season is currently filming, but it’s been delayed notably due to the coronavirus pandemic. That’s meant an extended pause in new content for fans of the popular sci-fi franchise. A new holiday special, “Revolution of the Daleks,” will air on New Year’s Day, giving Whovians something to tide themselves over while they wait for season 13.
Season 13 will be Doctor Who’s third with Jodie Whittaker playing the eponymous Time Lord. Whittaker’s performance, the first by a woman in the role, has generally been celebrated by fans of the show over the course of her first two seasons. Whittaker’s third stretch as the Doctor could shake things up a bit, as it’s been confirmed that she’ll be losing some of her companions in “Revolution of the Daleks.” The new season will also be notably shorter than they have been in the past, clocking in at just eight episodes. Hopefully though, fans won’t have to wait too much longer for those eight episodes to premiere.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Chris Chibnall discussed the difficulties of filming amidst COVID-19 and when viewers can expect to see the Doctor return. “I’ve got an idea," he said when asked about when season 13 will release. "As soon as we finish it, I promise we’ll put it on telly straight away." Chibnall also said that while filming during the pandemic has been difficult, the cast and crew are excited about the new stories currently in production.
"We’ve got lots of new characters, new monsters, some old ones coming back. We’re only a few weeks in. We’re obviously having to work in a very different way, under COVID protocols. So, it’s not without its challenges but every series of Doctor Who has had its challenges. At the moment, everybody's smiling and what we’ve got so far is really thrilling."
Even as the new season’s release date hovers in an unknown timeline, fans continue to speculate about what the future of Doctor Who could bring. John Barrowman’s Captain Jack Harkness will be reuniting with the Doctor in “Revolution of the Daleks” for the first time in a decade, which could open the door for more old characters to return. With Whittaker about to lose some companions, it could be the perfect time for familiar faces to board the TARDIS once again.
More likely though, season 13 will feature more of what fans have come to love and expect from Doctor Who - some scares, some classic monsters, and a convoluted season-spanning story full of Easter eggs and prophecies. There are sure to be Daleks, possibly Cybermen, and a number of fun surprises in store. In the meantime, Doctor Who will return on New Year’s Day with “Revolution of the Daleks.”
Source: EW