Even Doctor Who writers are beginning to consider the case for a full reboot. The future of Doctor Who is up in the air right now, with the BBC officially putting the world’s longest-running sci-fi TV show up for tender. That means there’s going to be a longer gap than usual between the last season and the show’s (hopefully inevitable) return, but in the meantime the fandom is debating whether it needs a relaunch or a full reboot. Now, Paul Magrs – a phenomenal writer associated with the Wilderness Years, associated with characters like Iris Wildthyme – has weighed in.
In Magrs’ view, it’s time for a Doctor Who reboot. He believes the show has grown too complex and sophisticated, and that there’s simply too much lore surrounding it now. It’s not that he believes this serves as a barrier to entry; rather, he feels the wonder and mystery has gone. The Doctor enters situations knowing what they are dealing with now; they know what a Dalek is as soon as they see it, know how to deal with Autons and Nestenes, and adapt in a matter of moments to the latest threats. Plots become increasingly meta-aware and sophisticated, to deal with the foreknowledge. You can watch Magrs’ full discussion below.
Paul Magrs Has a Point, However Little I Want to Admit It
I grew up with Doctor Who. I remember the excitement of the show’s return in 2005, and the sheer joy of seeing that delightful blue box materializing again. Back then, Russell T. Davies took a smart way to relaunch Doctor Who; he deliberately pared down the canon and continuity, using a Time War to reset the status quo. But all that has faded over the last 21 years, and the show has gradually become increasingly continuity-aware. Davies returned for the Disney+ era, and he chose a very different approach this time, obsessing over lore. The viewing figures along said how well that went.
Oddly, former showrunner Chris Chibnall has hinted he shared similar concerns to Paul Magrs. That was one reason for Chibnall’s controversial Timeless Child reveal; he was attempting to restore a sense of mystery to Doctor Who, by drawing on long-since-abandoned subplots that the Doctor was far more than just a Time Lord. But Chibnall’s solution simply added to deep lore rather than reducing it, and it lacked the strong character work to land. If Magrs is right, Chibnall diagnosed the issue but came up with the wrong treatment.
I don’t like Magrs’ argument. I love Doctor Who, I’ve been watching the show for as long as I can remember, and the continuity and lore are old friends to me. But he’s undeniably got a point, especially because I want Doctor Who to still be going strong in another 60 years’ time. Doctor Who has always insisted that life depends on change and renewal; by now, the periodic regenerations and relaunches are the norm, rather than drastic change, and something much more dramatic may well be necessary. When a writer of Paul Magrs’ caliber reaches that conclusion, it’s worth sitting up and paying attention.
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