What Do We Want From Doctor Who Season 12?

On Thursday the BBC shared a cryptic image on social media that sent Whovians into meltdown.

Thirteen says Gay Rights

The clever image is beautifully framed and the positioning of the rainbow across Thirteen's chest reflects the stripes across her t-shirt. Whoever created this did a brilliant job. It gives us nothing but also gives us everything. It's confirmation that things are moving and something is coming soon...but what? A trailer? Promo shots? Casting announcements? Episode titles?

It feels like forever since the New Year's Day special, Resolution, which, just like Season 11, divided fan opinion. The BBC promised us an early 2020 release for Season 12 but how early is early? Will it begin with another New Year special? Or are the rumours about a secret Christmas special true? We'll have to wait and see, but while we wait, let's discuss what we would like to see this time around.

Season 11 was divisive. Some loved it, some hated it and it brought in a whole new group of fans who will forever remember Jodie as their first Doctor which is amazing. First of all, I was thrilled by Jodie's casting. I remember it vividly. I was on my way home from work and was just getting off the bus as the short trailer played out and I rushed into a side alley in the middle of town so I could see my phone screen better. The reveal of Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor made me scream with joy and there were even some tears. Passersby gave me funny looks but I didn't care - it had finally happened! A female Doctor! Chris Chibnall had done what others had never dared and from that moment, despite his shaky record with Doctor Who, I was invested. He had my absolute faith.

Then season 11 happened. The faith I had in Chris Chibnall never left and for the most part I enjoyed what he brought to the series. I loved that he gave a voice to minority groups and brought attention to subjects like the partition of India which I had no idea about. The diversity of the series was one of its strongest selling points, which I sincerely hope continues. However, despite the good stuff, I found issues which I really hope to see fixed next time. Beware, there are a couple of spoilers ahead, regarding specific things that we do know about the coming series.

THE DOCTOR:

I enjoyed Jodie as the Doctor but felt like I wanted more for her to play with. The character wasn't pushed quite far enough for her to really explore the enormous range the Doctor usually has. With rumours circulating that Jodie may have a surprise exit at the end of the season, I would be devastated if she left so soon. I just want to see stories that give her Doctor chance to really show off her amazing acting skills. We know she can do it, so let her. Give her some emotional moments - let her be angry. Let her absolutely lose control. Let her be happy. Let her be sad and breakdown. I want to see Thirteen at the absolute extremes because that's always when we see the Doctor at their best...but for that to happen, we need:

BETTER WRITING:

The episodes of Season 11, while mostly interesting concepts, often fell flat in terms of writing which was mostly dull. It was as if Mark Gatiss had written the entire series by himself. There seemed to be a lot of standing round rather than doing anything and enemies that felt a little...meh. My stand-outs for the Season were Rosa and Demons of the Punjab, which focused on historical events. I also really enjoyed It Takes You Away and The Woman Who Fell To Earth which was a fitting opener for Thirteen.

I'm intrigued to see what Season 12 will bring, knowing that Chibnall has seen the criticism that he has taken onboard other aspects of the critiques and worked at ironing them out. We'll come to that later on. I really hope we get more character development for the companions as well as the Doctor, and that leads us on to...

THE COMPANIONS:

I love a full TARDIS team. It is meant to be piloted by several people, after all. The people the Doctor chooses to travel with make the show as much as the Doctor and the monsters and between Graham, Ryan and Yaz, the Doctor has potential for a great team which hasn't really been fully explored yet.

Graham is by far the strongest of the team and has had the most interesting character journey, from losing his wife, Grace, up until his moral struggle over whether he should kill Tzim-Sha in revenge. His relationship with Ryan has also been a joy as they've come closer together and now Ryan finally accepts him as his grandad. Audiences instantly connect with Graham who is likeable and relatable. This makes him the perfect target for tragedy. If Season 12 wants to break us and give the Doctor and Team TARDIS something to get emotional over, go for Graham.

As a character, Ryan has developed a fair bit too. We've seen him struggle to accept Graham as his step-grandad and his strained relationship with his absent Dad. He has overcome many obstacles and defied his dyspraxia, proving to be a great role-model to kids who might be struggling with the same condition.

Yaz is a strong, successful, Muslim woman with a career in the police force. I'd love to see more modern-day, Earth-bound adventures which explore this side of her life. As a police officer, Yaz could potentially have access to information which could lead the Doctor and the gang to alien disturbances, etc. Having met them briefly in a couple of episodes, I feel like we need to see Yaz's family end up on the TARDIS at least once. Most importantly, I want Yaz and the Doctor to end up together. Only joking. The Doctor shouldn't fall in love with humans. But seriously. Have you seen the way they look at each other?!

SATURDAY NIGHTS:

Something about the shift to Sunday nights felt strange. I understand that it is a highly sought after spot where the biggest and best dramas end up, but after being consistently aired on a Saturday night since its revival in 2005, the shakeup felt wrong. I honestly think a swap back to Saturday would be perfect.

CLASSIC MONSTERS:

I'm so glad that some of these are already announced. Season 11's lack of recurring foes and familiar faces was felt. There was a distinct feel of trying to make everything too shiny and new. The lack of continuity references and the disappearance of any recurring enemies was jarring and alienating, even for old fans. We had a new Doctor, new monsters, new production team, new composer, new branding, all new everything. It felt like an entirely different show and while that was refreshing, it felt...off.

Thankfully Season 12 has already confirmed at least three returning enemies: The Daleks, Cybermen and Judoon.

Thirteen faces the Judoon

First appearing in Smith and Jones, alongside Ten and Martha, the Judoon are an alien police force who will stop at nothing to bring justice to criminals. They have had several smaller appearances throughout Doctor Who and the spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, so seeing them make a comeback for a full episode is quite exciting. We don't know yet if they're working with or against Thirteen, but either way, their brutal methods could be the cause of conflict.

A new Dalek on Clifton Suspension Bridge

Recently caught filming on Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, a newly designed Dalek was spotted on set alongside its classic-nu-who counterparts. Again, despite being seen, news surrounding the episode itself and any plot details have been kept well under wraps. All we know is that this is from the top-secret, rumoured Christmas special.

Cybermen on set at Nash Point

Cybermen are expected to appear in the season finale which was filmed at Nash Point in Wales. Again, little is known about the plot but very early rumours surrounding the series pointed out that Cybermen would return in a story about writer, Mary Shelley, way before this filming even began. Supposedly, Mary, would be inspired to write her classic novel, Frankenstein, after her encounter with the terrifying monsters. It wouldn't be Shelley's first adventure with the Doctor, having already met the Eighth Doctor. She even travelled with him for a time; this could potentially further cement Eight's Big Finish Audios into Doctor Who canon.

ARCS AND ANSWERS:

We. Need. Answers...and a coherrent arc.

Season 11's arc was clearly Tzim-Sha and the Stenza but it felt lost in the middle, becoming more like book-ends to the series. Whereas most modern seasons have had an arc through the series - Bad Wolf, Saxon, the cracks/the Silence, etc, this series felt empty. The Stenza arc felt so light it might as well not have existed.

The series opened a few doors though and left plot threads dangling like carrots, and we, the hungry donkeys that we are, are eager for more. Chris Chibnall said he had a five year plan for the show when he took over, so it seems fair to assume he knows what he's doing and we will get answers...eventually. I get a feeling that his arc will take place over several seasons, much like the Silence in Moffat's era.

But who is the Timeless Child? Will we meet the Stenza Empire? How long until Tzim-Sha is back again?

Remember what Moffat did with River Song? He mentioned the Singing Towers of Darillium back in 2008 and that didn't pay off until late 2015. It took nearly 8 years and it was worth it! We need to be patient.

Is there anything you'd like to see in the new series? What were your highlights? You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook to join in the conversation.

Now, we just need to wait patiently to see what "Watch this Space" meant.