Why Doctor Who Season 13 Is Changing The Shows Story & Episode Approach

Why Doctor Who Season 13 Is Changing The Show’s Story & Episode Approach

Current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall explains why the 13th season of Doctor Who is changing the show’s traditional approach to stories.

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Why Doctor Who Season 13 Is Changing The Shows Story & Episode Approach

Current Doctor Who showrunner, Chris Chibnall, has explained why the 13th season is changing the show’s traditional approach to stories. Season 13 of the long-running British Sci-fi show, titled Doctor Who: Flux, will premiere on October 31st. It is the final full season for current Doctor Jodie Whittaker and Chibnall, who will leave the show following a series of special episodes that will air across 2022, culminating in an episode celebrating the BBC’s centenary.

Doctor Who’s 13th season since the show’s revival in 2005, will stand out when compared to other seasons of the revived era of Doctor Who. Not only will the change from the show’s usual “monster of the week” approach for storytelling in favor of a single, season-long narrative that will span across the whole of season 13, but it will also be the Doctor Who’s shortest season by consisting of only 6 episodes. Fans have speculated the reason for the change in Doctor Who’s typical structure, and now the current showrunner has explained why season 13 is taking such an approach.

In an interview featured in issue 570 of the official Doctor Who Magazine, Chibnall explained that the changes in the show’s structure were caused by issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. After discussing whether safely producing the season would be possible under the restrictions at the time, Chibnall and those behind the production realized they would be unable to produce the show in the same way and with the same episode count that they had previously. As such, Chibnall chose to opt for a shorter season with a single, season-long narrative, enabling the show to have more recurring characters and villains, while also having to strategically manage resources for sets and locations too. Check out Chibnall’s full statement below:

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“The impetus came from the logistics. At the beginning, we weren’t even sure we could make a series under COVID restrictions. We asked ourselves, ‘Can we do it? Should we do it? How would we do it?’

Once we analysed it, we realized there was no way we could continue making it in the same way. Doctor Who is one of the most difficult shows to produce, and we were aware that [the pandemic] would make it even more difficult. We’ve tried to keep pushing the show every year, and we didn’t want to let the ambition of the show down. But to continue with the previous number of episodes was financially, logistically, and operationally impossible.

I realized that there was a way to keep the ambition high – to move the show forward and to play around with things. And that’s why we’ve gone with this format. Among other things, it’s enabled us to have more recurring characters – including villains and monsters. We’ve used our resources as cleverly as possible with sets and locations too.”

With season 13’s overall story being titled “Flux,” many fans have discussed the change and made comparisons to the show’s original run across its classic era. Comparisons were made to both the 16th and 23rd seasons of the classic era, which both consisted of an overarching narrative across a season. Season 16 featured an overall story collectively known as “The Key To Time,” which saw Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor commissioned to search for the titular artifact, while season 23 placed Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor on trial by the High Council of Gallifrey in the overarching “The Trial of a Time Lord” story. It isn’t the first time the modern era has seen a change in structure either, as under prior showrunner Steven Moffat, both seasons 6 and 7 were divided into 2 parts. Season 9 also experimented by consisting of primary stories that spanned over 2 episodes each.

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With discussions of “radical changes” for the show by the BBC’s head of drama and reports of Sony purchasing Bad Wolf, the production company who will be producing the show for its 60th anniversary special and onwards, fans of the popular sci-fi show remain attentive to every changing detail about the show. Despite currently working on other projects, speculation has begun on what the return of former showrunner Russell T Davies may bring to the show, with fans being both hyped for his return while wary that it may be relying on nostalgia for his era. With many discussions around Doctor Who’s future currently going on, fans can at least find some comfort as to why season 13 has changed so drastically from the modern era’s traditional formula.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/doctor-who-season-13-story-format-change-why/

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