Endless Adventures Await Each Previous Doctor in Doctor Who's Exciting New Spinoff

Article Overview

Tales of the TARDIS creates the possibility for unlimited adventures for past Doctors and companions.

The new series introduces the concept of different timestreams, enabling the return of previous Doctors after their regeneration. This creation of a multiverse in Doctor Who ensures that any past Doctor can be brought back without affecting the main storyline, thereby creating opportunities for new spinoffs centered around the Doctor.

The Doctor Who universe is expanding with the new spinoff Tales of the TARDIS, which offers unlimited adventures for every past Doctor. To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the series introduces a three-part special featuring the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Doctor and Donna. However, they are not the only ones coming back. Tales of the TARDIS brings back three Doctors and nine companions across six episodes. By combining classic Doctor Who serials with new scenes from the original cast, Tales of the TARDIS creates an exciting new series.

While the main focus of Tales of the TARDIS is revisiting past adventures, each episode includes new material at the beginning and end, providing fresh insights into the Doctor's companions and their fates. Additionally, it reveals what happened to past incarnations of the Doctor. Among the Tales of the TARDIS installments, "Earthshock," "Vengeance on Varos," and "The Curse of Fenric" feature the Doctor himself, while "The Mind Robber," "The Three Doctors," and "The Time Meddler" use the companions' reminiscing to delve into the Doctor's adventures. One of the most exciting aspects of this new addition to the Whoniverse is that Tales of the TARDIS makes sure to explain the plausibility of these stories.

How Doctor Who's New Spinoff Explains The Return Of Past Doctors

The return of previous Doctors to Doctor Who has always been a momentous occasion, often accompanied by the use of actors or old images of the character in the show's special episodes. However, in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, this was achieved by revisiting each Doctor in their individual timelines.

What makes Tales of the TARDIS and the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials unique is that they bring back previous Doctors after their regeneration. In fact, Tales of the TARDIS even suggests that the Doctor does not necessarily need to regenerate and can instead age naturally.

Fortunately, in the episode "The Curse of Fenric," the Seventh Doctor provides a clear explanation of how timestreams play a crucial role in preserving the Doctor's unchanged appearance over time.

In "The Curse of Fenric," the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and his companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) reunite to recall their battle against an ancient evil during World War II. A Viking curse brings the dead back to life in this timeline. When explaining his aging process to Ace, the Doctor notes, "Timestreams are intriguing. In some, I undergo regeneration. In others, I do not. It all depends on one's perspective." This suggests that there are numerous timestreams or timelines, and the one the Doctor currently resides in with Ace, where he hasn't regenerated, is entirely distinct from the timestream where the events of Doctor Who unfold.

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Doctor Who Can Now Bring Back Any (& Every) Past Doctor

Tales of the TARDIS has essentially created a multiverse, which means any and every past Doctor from Doctor Who can be brought back. Multiple timestreams existing for each Doctor means one-off adventures or long-running adventures can be created without impacting the canon of the main Doctor Who storyline. Doctor Who has shown how much it wants to bring some classic characters back into the Whoniverse since the Companion Support Group was shown in the episode “The Power of the Doctor." Now, with every Doctor Who episode from the classic and new series on BBC iPlayer, audiences have a chance to reconnect with past Doctors before more spinoffs are created.

Tales of the TARDIS has created a multiverse, allowing for the return of any past Doctor from Doctor Who. With multiple timestreams for each Doctor, both standalone and ongoing adventures can be crafted without affecting the main Doctor Who narrative. This desire to reintroduce classic characters into the Whoniverse was evident in the inclusion of the Companion Support Group in the episode "The Power of the Doctor." Audiences now have the opportunity to revisit past Doctors through every episode of Doctor Who, both classic and new, available on BBC iPlayer, paving the way for the creation of new spinoffs.

Showrunner Russel T Davies has indicated that the Whoniverse will further expand upon his return. This expansion is already happening with new ventures like Tales of the TARDIS and the multi-platform Doctor Who project, Doom's Day. Previously, Doctor Who spinoffs predominantly focused on characters within the Doctor Who world but not directly on the Doctor, as seen in the case of Torchwood. However, the existence of multiple timestreams opens up the possibility for Doctor-centric spinoffs, where any of the previous Doctors can return as the main character of their own story.

All episodes of Tales of the TARDIS are exclusively available on BBC iPlayer.

Doctor Who Officially Rejects De-Aging Classic Characters For New Adventures

The timestream explanation signifies that Doctor Who has officially dismissed the idea of de-aging classic characters for new adventures. The return of David Tennant has sparked discussions regarding de-aging in Doctor Who, given that his last portrayal as the Doctor was a decade ago, and he visibly appears different from his previous incarnation as the Tenth Doctor. Speculations have emerged suggesting that Tennant's altered appearance is due to his portrayal of the 14th Doctor in the 60th anniversary special, rather than the 10th Doctor. On the other hand, some argue that the concept of aging will simply be disregarded since de-aging techniques in movies and TV often produce unsatisfactory results, making them impractical for implementation in Doctor Who.

Tales of the TARDIS has announced that Doctor Who will no longer utilize de-aging and instead embrace the natural aging process of its classic characters. The show's regeneration rules have often posed a challenge, as Time Lords are traditionally limited to 12 regenerations. However, the existence of timestreams allows for the possibility of regenerations not occurring or only occurring partially. As a result, the Doctor can return to a previous form or embark on new adventures with an older appearance, seamlessly avoiding any inconsistencies in the storyline. This concept of timestreams presents an exciting opportunity to delve into various Doctor Who spinoffs featuring well-loved characters.

Editor's P/S

As a hard fan of Doctor Who, I am incredibly excited about the possibilities presented by the new spinoff series, Tales of the TARDIS. The show's premise of revisiting past adventures with previous Doctors and companions offers a treasure trove of storytelling opportunities. The concept of different timestreams allows for the return of beloved characters without affecting the main storyline, opening up endless possibilities for new and exciting adventures.

One of the things I appreciate most about Tales of the TARDIS is its commitment to explaining the plausibility of these stories. The show acknowledges the established lore of Doctor Who and provides a satisfying explanation for how previous Doctors can return after their regeneration. The episode "The Curse of Fenric" does an excellent job of addressing this issue, with the Seventh Doctor explaining that timestreams are intriguing and that he undergoes regeneration in some but not others. This explanation not only preserves the integrity of the show's mythology but also allows for greater flexibility in storytelling.