A More Progressive ‘Doctor Who’ Finally Embraces the Present Day

You’re reading this for one of two reasons: You are a “Whovian,” a Doctor Who fan that wants to revel in the joy that is the newest iteration. Or you consider yourself Doctor Who-curious, and wonder if now’s the time to meet the Time Lord and his companions. Either way, you should know that the greatest sin in the Whoniverse is SPOILERS—so I will keep them to a minimum while telling you just why the Doctor’s return means joy throughout space/time.

Very quick primer for new Who watchers: The Doctor is a human-looking alien known as a Time Lord who travels through space and time in a blue TARDIS, a space-and-time machine that looks like an old British police box. He travels with human companions, and the adventures are never more than PG-13—usually more PG-rated, with a hint of action/adventure scariness. The BBC show has been on for 60 years, making it the longest-running sci-fi series, and has starred 31 different actors as the Doctor, either as the primary version of the character or in flashbacks. There are 15 versions of the Doctor considered “official,” because the character can regenerate into a new body/actor when they’re near death/the actor wants to move on.

The BBC rebooted the show in 2005, and it’s ebbed and flowed in popularity since then. Notably, David Tennant’s canonically 10th version of the Doctor and his companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, were fan-favorites. Thirteen years after their tenure on the show ended, Tennant and Tate returned—but only for the three Christmas specials, which celebrated the 60th anniversary of the show before the new season starts in earnest on Disney+ Christmas Day.

Read more at The Daily Beast.