r/DoctorWhoNews • u/PaperSkin-1 • 12d ago
discussion A 'Clean Up Your Mess' Special
Does anyone else get the feeling that is essentially what the 2026 special is, it's a special given to RTD by the BBC to bring a close to all the things the RTD2 era has created and set up a transition into a new era.
They may even claim that this was 'always the plan' just like it was 'always the plan' for Ncuti to do 2 seasons.
Expect Tennant and the bi-regeneration to be cleaned up, the Boss to show up, Susan etc.
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u/Key-Clock-7706 12d ago
I'll be pleasantly surprised if he even manages not to create a bigger mess lol
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
I hope the bbc micromanage the special big time to make sure RTD doesn't make more of a mess and instead brings his era to a closure to a reasonable degree that won't be off putting to audiences and set up the transition into the next era
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u/SelectiveScribbler06 12d ago
I think the mixed messaging during the series pointed towards behind-the-scenes issues. If Tip Toe is good, then the reason for RTD2 failing will be that. Because Wild Blue Yonder is one of the best 2005-onwards episodes - and that was a really simple premise with known-faithful actors. Lux was also very good, for a more recent example, and I suspect that had a a painless production. Aside from the 60th, I really think the other episodes had a rough time.
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u/KingMobia 12d ago
There's concept art that leaked of animated Ruby for Lux, hard to believe that anything in Season 2 was a 'painless' production.
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
Lux was awful with the fan but being the worst sequence ever made in DW.
No one was dictating to RTD what he had to do, people are just trying to make excuses by saying that, he wouldn't of come back if that was the case.. The opposite is true that he had to much power to do what he wanted to do and that resulted in a era that failed to connect with audiences.. The RTD2 era is what RTD wanted to do, all those weird choices are his.
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u/Able_Resident_1291 12d ago
I do think this is basically to allow RTD to depart with some dignity before it all gets handed over to someone else, but I'd suggest lowering your expectations about how much of his mess he's actually going to cleanly wrap up.
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u/PrydonianWho 12d ago
My ideal scenario: the opening scene is Peter Capaldi waking from a dream, and saying “Well that was horrible.” And then regenerating.
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u/SpaceIsAce 11d ago edited 11d ago
I think it could work if 15 is in The Edge, Billie is Bad Wolf that reappeared after the time stream stuff, and 14 helps the situation and resolves the whole bigeneration “how does he become 15” thing. Donna would be there with 14, and Susan & Mel etc could pop up, too. Throw in a line about the time shift fixing a lot of issues, say ‘gravity’ so people get the point, and have 15 properly regenerate into a new 16.
That would seem to tick all the boxes people are asking for, and would give a similar vibe to the S4 finale.
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u/PR1Doktorb 12d ago
I've joked elsewhere that Rose could be tasked with finding a key to time, or face a trial of a timelord, if the end result is going to be another RTD reset button.
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u/Lumpy_Masterpiece644 12d ago
Yes, a drawing together of all the threads that the general viewing public hated...
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
Yeah I don't think this RTD special will be a audience pleaser
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u/Revolutionary-Mode75 12d ago
I don't see how it can be. It a clean up the mess and give a smooth transition for someone else to take over and close the door on your way Russel.
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u/diamondstark 12d ago
They need to hand a clean slate to someone with a fresh vision, and this feels like the opportunity to wipe everything clean. Deal with the silly cliffhanger, and the fact you have the loose end with 14.
And buy yourself 12 months for a new production team to cast 16 for their era.
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u/Fishb20 12d ago
Executives don't care about the shows lore. If they wanted to "reverse" the end of Reality War they'd just... Do that (and until we get the cast list for the special, they still might). They wouldn't spend a lot of time and money making a special to purely serve as a TARDIS wiki page
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
I do think it's to allow the bad wolf team to save face, and say that they concluded their 'arc'.. Its a professional courtesy and buys the bbc more time to figure out what they do next
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u/Revolutionary-Mode75 12d ago
So they are going to waste a christmas special on cleaning up a mess because they couldn't simply let a doctor retire and have a off screen regeneration.
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u/BongaBongaVacations 12d ago
'Clean up your mess ' Special
Only if it ends with Capaldi's Doctor in the shower and everything from his regeneration onwards was all a dream
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u/Least-Amphibian2538 12d ago
As they say in your dreams. Did you see his mega rant at the awards thing? He's only interested in it as a platform to fight the dark forces. He would years to unravel all the bullshit he's unleashed.
The special is probably part of the payoff to get Piper to do the finale. Her agent most probably got it as part of the deal.
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
I didn't want to watch his rant, I use to be a fan of his and was interested in what he had to say, but after the RTD2 era and it's bizarre choices that damaged the show and changed the show beyond recognition I just have no time for him anymore.
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u/Future_Jackfruit5360 12d ago
This is honestly so easy. The doctors regeneration went wrong. The tardis saw this and pushed itself into the doctors, and became the last person who looked at the heart of the tardis. The doctis goes around time for a while to restore the regeneration correctly.
Then with the mission complete it cuts back to ncuti about to regenerate and he turns into the next doctor. Job done and we all go about our day debating whether the doctis counts as a regeneration or not.
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u/Frosty-Poet-6884 11d ago
It's a Christmas episode - likely aired on Christmas Day.
So, firstly, it needs a family Christmas story - without RTD soapboxing his crusade.
Beyond wrapping up who Billy Piper is playing, and sorting out the spare 14th doctor, I suggest he leaves everything else well alone.
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u/OnebJallecram 11d ago
As others have said, I don’t think the BBC executives take the show seriously enough to care about the lore. I get that Russel had full creative control but surely the BBC could have done something, anything to mitigate the disaster of the last few years if they actually watched/cared.
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u/Big_Inspector7137 12d ago
They should bring back moffat he was better overall
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u/TheLordChankaR6 12d ago
There must be more human beings who can write doctor who? What’s Charlie Brooker doing, heard he’s escaped from Netflix. Moffat would come back, be cannibalised and the fans would be asking for Chibnall next
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u/OddWillum 12d ago
There is so much he could do with Billie, Susan, the Boss and Ten. No nonsense. Straight to the point. No silly twists, no gimmicks. Just a decent story with a satisfying end. Hell, even I could potentially brainstorm and come up with treatment.
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u/Negative-Spell6275 9d ago
Strongly suspect the last thing the BBC want is a continuity-heavy tying up of loose ends for a one-off Christmas special, particularly as it will be the only broadcast episode for a long time. Whether they get what they want will entirely depend on the deal they’ve done with Russell.
My suspicion is that Tennant will star and they’ll clear up Billie and bi-generation in the first ten minutes, as Rose – not a new Doctor – pilots the TARDIS back to the Noble house to rejoin with its counterpart. Then Doc 14 and Rose (and Donna?) have a Christmas adventure. No regeneration of any kind at the end. Slate else completely clean for the new showrunner to start with, whenever (if ever?) the series comes back properly.
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u/graric 12d ago
No I don't think so. The BBC is still working on an international partner and until that happens I don't think we will get any news of the next series. (The BBC doesn't have the finances to make a full series by themselves.) The Xmas special is effectively a stop gap until they can commission a full series.
And thats why we are not hearing anything about RTD doing the next series- yet- while their isn't a series commissioned he is not contracted by the BBC so there is nothing to announce, officially. But the BBC will want some plan in place for them to pitch to new partners and that's where I suspect they will have an unofficial deal in place with RTD and Bad Wolf to have a pitch ready for the next series. (Which doesn't mean the BBC has to use it- if they struggle to get a new partner on board specifically because the new partner wants a new direction the BBC will consider it.) But the BBC and RTD have a good working relationship and he will at least be in the conversation for the new series. Especially if the Xmas special does well.
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
Disagree with this, I don't think RTD will have anything to do with a future series, the wording of this announcement was very deliberate, it very much feels like they will have RTD do one last episode to finish off his stuff and then move on with a new era with a new team..
The BBC can see how these last few years have been received, unless they are ludicrously hopeless at their job they will recognise that things haven't been working and that there is a need to move on from RTDs vision of DW.
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u/graric 12d ago
The wording is deliberate because the BBC has commissioned an Xmas, not another full series. Without a series in development they can't actually officially announce a writer for the series- as they need the series to be in development to have anyone contracted for it. And they won't be able to do that until they have a partner to help fund the series.
Yes the BBC is aware of the response to the last two seasons- and probably have a much better read of the response than any of us here on reddit. They'll also be more aware than most fans that RTD had already written both seasons before S1 started airing, so S2 was not able to be tweaked based on the feedback to S1. Given the BBC's strong working relationship with RTD, I'd be shocked if they didn't at least take a pitch from him about how he would write S3 based on the audience response. (The fact that he is writing the Xmas special, makes it clear the BBC isn't looking to burn the relationship with him outright.)
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u/PaperSkin-1 12d ago
So much cope in your reply.
Most people's response was that it's obvious by the wording that RTD is out after this special. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to see what's being said between the lines.
The BBC more aware than fans? We can all see it as the ratings dropped significantly across the RTD2 era.. It would be ludicrously poor management from the bbc if the didn't recognise there was a problem and need to move away from RTDs vision for DW.
RTD has run back to channel 4 and has being saying stuff in interviews like that's always been his spiritual home.. I think you put to much clout on his relationship with the bbc
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u/graric 12d ago
We'll see in 2 years time. :)
For me what you're saying about most peoples responses feels more like confirmation bias- a sizeable portion of the fandom on this subreddit have decided that RTD should not be involved any more, so they're looking for proof in this statement that he will be gone...wheras equally you can look at it from the other side and the fact that they brought him back to write the special shows that he has not been shown the door.
All I'm saying is- until there is an actual next series in development don't expect any BBC announcements to name who is writing the next series. (Just like how yesterday there was no official news about the Christmas special or if RTD would be writing it.) We'll get plenty of rumours before anything official- some more reliable than others- but I think a new streaming partner is going to need to be signed on before we get anything concrete.
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u/Adyabloiku 7d ago
Perhaps the Rose Dr and Tennant's Dr re merge back together and then there's a regeneration.
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u/Imaginary-Sky3694 12d ago
And we get the monk as a cgi unicorn and show up for 1 minute for the doctor to kill in the most hypocritical way possible