Doctor Who’s 60th Special Deals With a Problem The Show Never Actually Had

Summary:

• Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series that celebrated its 60th anniversary this year.
• The last of three special episodes introduced a major change to the lore, with the Doctor bi-generating instead of regenerating as usual.
• This change was met with mixed reactions from viewers, as Doctor Who has never had a problem explaining two Doctors together.

The only reason Doctor Who has been able to survive on television for so long and remain as fascinating and relevant as it was in the beginning, is because the premise of the show requires constant change. In order to continue living, the Doctor regenerates. To satisfy the curiosity of his companions, he travels to a new destination every episode.

As much as saying goodbye always hurt viewers, it was an essential part. No journey could last forever, and Doctor Who was a lesson in appreciating good things while they last. With the 60th anniversary finale, The Giggle, however, the only thing Whovians got to say goodbye to was Doctor Who as they knew it.

The piece of new lore suggests that one incarnation of the Doctor, the 14th, portrayed by David Tennant, could always be brought back for more screen time since this time the Doctor did not regenerate. This time, the Doctor was allowed to split in half in the Bi-Generation, which only added to the confusion of the fans.

Needless to say, the decision to change one of the most important pieces of lore was not met with an overwhelmingly positive reaction.

Doctor Who Goes Multiverse

In a commentary for the 60th anniversary finale provided by showrunner Russell T. Davies himself, he suggests that bi-generation also happens to every other incarnation of the Doctor. Each of them gets their own TARDIS and the ability to continue the journey. Ultimately, this would allow the show to refer to its previous Doctors without any problem.

In reality, however, all of the previous crossover episodes, including the 50th-anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor, show that Doctor Who did just fine without this fix in the first place.

If the show really wanted to bring someone else back for the 60th, the lore wouldn't be the constraint, since it's been established how easily Time Lords can be pulled out of their respective time streams.

However, the only one who canonically reappeared, and the only one who got the happy ending on screen, was the 14th (aka 10th) Doctor, portrayed by David Tennant. And that is exactly why the whole bi-generational twist seems like a cheap excuse to continue milking the fans of his era in the future.

The only good thing is that the Doctor has split in two, finally giving Ncuti Gatwa 's 15th incarnation a chance to shine. If you are interested in his run, be sure to tune in to BBC iPlayer or Disney Plus on December 25th for his first solo Christmas adventure.