Things I would like to see in Doctor Who

 I love Doctor Who. My wife would say I am obsessed with Doctor Who. I say that my life revolves around Doctor Who.

I have been a fan of Doctor Who since I began watching it all the way back in 1982, when I was in high school. I watched every episode and serial I could find, and then I bought all the novelizations of the ones I couldn't find, and all of my favorites, too. When the show went away in 1989, I started reading the New Adventures novels and the Missing Adventures novels, and was elated when Russell T. Davies helmed the return of the show in 2005. I am a fan of Doctor Who in all of its forms, from the classic show, the new show, the Big Finish audio dramas, the novels, the animated specials, and even the comic books, although I have seen the fewest amount of those. As a fan, of course I write my own fan fiction, hoping for one day to get the same break Andrew Smith did with "Full Circle".

I like how RTD kept the history of the show intact, instead of rebooting it and trying to start it over, as have the relaunches of other shows, like Lost in Space and Battlestar Galactica. 

When Russell T. Davies relaunched Doctor Who in 2005, it seemed like he had a list of fanboy "what if..." questions he wanted to answer about the classic series. You know, all the questions most of us asked about the show but the writers never went there. For instance, 

What if:

• the Doctor got involved in his companion's home life? (Rose, Jackie, Mickey; Martha's family)
• the companion was missed from the time travel difference when she returned home? (Aliens of London)
• the Doctor took us to the destruction of the Earth? (the End of the World)
• the TARDIS ran out of fuel? (Utopia)
• the Doctor thought he lost the TARDIS (The Impossible Planet)
• The Daleks met the Cybermen? (Doomsday)
• the Doctor ran into a companion he had left behind? (Sarah Jane in School Reunion)
• the Doctor let a companion visit her own past? (Father's Day)
• the TARDIS went sideways in time to an alternate Earth? (Rise of the Cybermen)
• companions returned after leaving the show? (Rose, Martha, Jack, Sarah Jane in Stolen Earth, and all of season 4 to some extent.) RTD got this part from John Nathan-Turner and I loved it. Sadly, Steven Moffat never had any past companions return (other than River, but she was specifically written for it) nor did Matt Smith meet the Master. Although I like the eleventh Doctor, I see that as one big missed opportunity.

Now, with RTD returning to the helm of Doctor Who, here are some things I would like to see; some are new, some are old, others are missed opportunities. In general, I hope he brings back writers and directors who gave us really good stories, and I would love to see more returning companions and characters from previous episodes. My biggest dislike with Doctor Who is that once someone (not just companions or characters-of-the-week, but even writers) leaves the show, they never return, and are very seldom even mentioned. It's the whole continuity thing that I crave.

Some of the aliens and/or villains I would like to see return:

• Tereleptils and Androgums from classic Doctor Who (Androgums would be great: consider a race of people who attack because they like the way you taste and want to eat you. How do you negotiate with that?)
• The tree people of Jabe's race from The End of the World
• The cactus people from the End of Time
• Saul, the self-aware, non-corporeal intelligence who resides in a church from Paul Cornell's novel "Timewyrm: Revelation"
• The Raston robot from The Five Doctors

I would like to see UNIT make a return and have a more permanent presence, eve if just a passing reference whenever Earth's military make an appearance. I would also like there to be a recurring location in the future, like a space colony, where we have some returning characters. In all of Doctor Who, there are only a handful of planets we have visited more than once. These include Mars, Skaro, Gallifrey, Karn, Peladon, and (New, New,) New Earth. I'd also like to see the home worlds of some other species. Other places I would like to see are:

• Prehistoric Earth during the time the Silurian civilization flourished.
• Ancient Egypt during its peak
• a return to the Land of Fiction. (Fans were always talking about a crossover between DW and Sherlock, and this would be the perfect setting.)
• The Fae Court, including all the rules of host/guest responsibilities and warnings to not eat the food or accept gifts
• Port Royal around June 7, 1692. It would make a great ending to a Pirate tale.

People are all guessing who will be the Fourteenth Doctor, and some people think RTD has made that decision, and some think he is still looking. Regardless, I have a few choices for who I would like to see as the Doctor. 

1. RICHARD COYLE. Ever since David Tennant stepped down, I have said Richard Coyle would be perfect for the role. He's got that perfect comedy timing and excellent hand motions and facial expressions for the light comedy side. (Jeff Murdoch in Coupling) He showed he could face monsters in the awesome award-winning film Grabbers. He has done well leading fantasy adaptations like Terry Pratchett's (Discworld) "Going Postal" as Moist von Lipwig. He's totally wicked as Father Faustus Blackwood in "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and as John Strange in "Strange" he faces more than one type of demon. He's also done period pieces like "Crossbones" and "Prince of Persia." He's my number one pick, and I won't rest until he gets the part.
2. Richard E. Grant. He's already played the Doctor in the 2003 animated "Scream of the Shalka" which was written for the 40th Anniversary of the show, before the reboot in 2005. It would make this adventure canon if he were to be cast as Fourteen! And he played the Doctor in the Comic Relief mini "Curse of the Fatal Death!" He also has an incredible portfolio with shows like "The Scarlet Pimpernel", "Posh Nosh", and "Dig", and numerous other appearances. Not to mention he played the Great Intelligence in three episodes of Doctor Who already. (EDIT: I was recently informed that RTD did not like "Scream of the Shalka", and took Richard E. Grant out of contention because of it.)
3. Anthony Stewart Head. Perhaps best known as Giles on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer",  he has also previously appeared on DW as Mr. Finch in School Reunion.  His other previous Doctor Who appearances were in 2002's "Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time" and 2007's animated "The Infinite Quest" as Balthazar. He is also well known to American audiences as Uther Pendragon in "Merlin". 
4. Tati Gabrielle. If you wanted to go with a female actor, and one who was younger, than Tati Gabrielle should be at the top of your list. in 2021 she was recognized on Forbes' list of "Hollywood 30 under 30". She is a Black Belt in Karate, and was raised by her Korean mother and African-American father, so she ticks off lots of boxes for diversity. She has written, directed, and performed in many stage productions, and has won numerous awards. I have only seen her as Prudence in "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina", but that's more than enough to satisfy me at how good she is. She also went to high school with Zendaya, who is also among people's top picks at a female Doctor.
5.  Fiona Dourif. While I have only seen her in "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency", that alone shows me she would make a great Doctor, or an absolute favorite companion at the least. I could easily picture her playing the lone survivor of a failed future human colony. 

I think David Tennant should return, but as The Master. Consider this: 

• It has already been demonstrated that Time Lords, including the Doctor, can choose to regenerate into someone they have met.
• The Master has not only met the Tenth Doctor, he had him held captive for a year, in which he was in close proximity.
• The Master not only likes disguises, but also likes to impersonate other people. (In the serials  "Colony in Space" and "The Daemons", as well as in "The King's Demons", and in the new series, in Spyfall, the Master impersonated someone, just to name a few.)
• After leaving Doctor Who, David Tennant has played several "bad guy" characters, mostly psychopaths, like in "Des", Bad Samaritan, and (most notably) as Dr. Kilgrave in "Jessica Jones". In fact, the character Kilgrave is very similar to the Master in that he controls people by mental commands. 
• This would be the perfect way for David Tennant to return to the show (drawing ratings) without taking away from the current Doctor, and also working on a limited schedule so he is not committed to an entire series or more. Everybody wins.

I still say that RTD missed a great opportunity not to have the Master swap bodies with the Doctor at some point. Nearly every science fiction show has allowed body swapping at some point, including "Star Trek" and "Stargate SG-1", and even shows like "Gilligan's Island" did it. Doctor Who even did it a little with Cassandra tasking over the Doctor and Rose for a brief time in "New Earth." 

Consider if The Master took over Ten's body, and took off in the TARDIS: You would then have John Simm as the Doctor (and he would be great!) and David Tennant as the Master. RTD could have done it when Tennant was still deciding if he was going to return after three seasons, and could have disappeared for a few stories, driving fans (and ratings!) into a frenzy. I could see it now with Simm as The Doctor trying to convince Martha and Captain Jack that he really was The Doctor, while Tennant as The Master teams up with Kate Stewart to wreak havoc on Earth. That's a Golden Missed Opportunity, although RTD could still make it happen.