Can being swallowed by a behemoth be good? To this question to which every sane viewer would be tempted to answer “no”, Doctor Who decided to prove the opposite. Cult across the Channel, broadcast on the BBC since 1963, the series is getting a new lease of life on Disney +. However, everything seemed to come together to derail its migration to the American giant. In essence, Doctor Who is a strange creation, made of odds and ends, whose pitch and production are closer to nonsense than to a real piece of science fiction. Judge for yourself: an alien travels through time and space using a telephone booth. Flanked by a young woman, he goes through various adventures and regularly saves the universe. Last detail, and a major one: the “Doctor” is a Time Lord who, having reached the end of his life, changes his appearance.
This ability to renew its main actor – as well as the mortal companions who surround him – largely explains the longevity of the series. The arrival of each new team is an opportunity to discover a different iteration of the adventures which, for more than half a century, have been available on TV as well as in comics, in books, or in radio serials. But it is also risky. Change one element of a recipe that works – the chemistry between a group of actors or the way the Doctor approaches the strangest problems – and the whole zany atmosphere of the series risks collapsing.
Disney varnish
The writers learned this the hard way in the last few seasons. The arrival of a new team of actors, led by the very determined Jodie Whittaker – the first woman to take on the role – was not convincing. Of the 10 million viewers reached during its golden age, between 2005 and 2010, the audience of Doctor Who declined by half.
The takeover by Disney was therefore as feared as it was expected. Many feared that the kitsch soap opera would lose its soul. But the return of screenwriters (like Steven Moffat, also at the helm of the excellent Sherlock) who made the heyday of the show managed to hook the most resistant fans. The arrival of Ncuti Gatwa, British-Rwandan actor seen in Sex Education, impeccable as he twirls Doctor, attracted a more neophyte audience. His alchemy with Millie Gibson, who plays Ruby Sunday, Who’s current companion, ended up forming a completely convincing cocktail. We find all the spirit of Doctor Who in this new season: an episodic operation – one episode, one adventure –, diverse genres, endearing characters. The crazy aspect, too, which contributes to the charm of the series.
Of course, the Disney varnish is very present. The series, known for its approximate special effects, is now endowed with a substantial budget. The actors, who until now generally presented a physique close to that of ordinary mortals, now astonish with their impeccable physique. It’s simple: in form, everything has become very beautiful and very smooth. But deep down, the beating heart of Doctor Who remains very present. His heritage and his mythology have undoubtedly allowed him to not see his identity crushed by the big-eared firm. The appreciable initiative of having given the keys to the truck to a connoisseur – the screenwriter Russell T. Davies, well known to fans – undoubtedly also had its importance. The magic works in a surprising way, and we almost start to dream: what if, rather than yet another spin-off of Star WarsDisney + was now working to save endangered masterpieces?
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