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From mystery characters to the Doctor's many costumes... there's always a twist at the end.
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00:00Doctor Who Season 1 is finally upon us. Woohoo! It's been a tough wait since Christmas, not gonna lie, but
00:07let's all be happy now, let's celebrate!
00:09Doctor Who is back and we've got a very exciting few months ahead of us.
00:12Now of course, we've been doing a lot of theorising to pass the time since the church on Ruby Road.
00:18Everyone and their dog has a wacky theory about Season 1 at this point.
00:21Stuff like, the one who waits is actually Cherry Sunday, waiting for her tea!
00:25Somehow, David Tennant will find a way to appear, not counting holograms.
00:30Now while neither of these will feature here, we would like to discuss some of the juiciest, most interesting theories
00:35we have for these next 8 episodes.
00:38I'm Ellie for WhoCulture, and here are 10 insane Doctor Who Season 1 theories.
00:43Number 10. The Doctor's Costumes Have Hidden Significance
00:47Despite only appearing in 2 episodes so far, Shooty Gatwa has quickly established himself as the Fashion Doctor.
00:53He's already worn 5 costumes, with many more to follow in Season 1.
00:58The Doctor's previous incarnations have all, to a certain extent, stuck to one core costume.
01:03Occasionally swapping a shirt or a t-shirt or a coat out for a different one, but always maintaining a
01:07certain silhouette.
01:08So this is quite a departure.
01:10However, the most puzzling thing about the 15th Doctor's wardrobe was the choice to announce the checkered ensemble as his
01:16main look,
01:17when the leather jacket costume has so far featured much more prominently.
01:20Unless, as some have suggested, there's more to this Doctor's costumes than meets the eye.
01:25Just as the future Doctor in Flesh and Stone was distinguishable from his present day counterpart because he was still
01:30wearing his jacket,
01:32could the 15th Doctor's costumes correspond to specific moments in time?
01:36Perhaps all the scenes featuring the checkered outfit take place in the Doctor's future.
01:40After all, there did seem to be something different about the Doctor stood in the bar, observing Ruby from a
01:46distance.
01:46Either that, or 15th has just finally decided to delve into the TARDIS wardrobe.
01:51And it's about damn time!
01:53Number 9.
01:54Ruby is a Space Baby
01:55Season 1 will open with an episode titled Space Babies, which unsurprisingly will feature a load of babies in space.
02:04This story will also involve Golda Rushabelle's character Jocelyn, presumably a space nanny friend,
02:08and a big green bogeyman, presumably a baby-eating foe.
02:11Overall, Ruby's first trip off-world looks set to be fairly standard Doctor Who fare,
02:16but could it have implications for the season as a whole?
02:19We know that the mystery of Ruby's heritage is set to be a running thread,
02:23so what if, during the course of this adventure, she discovers that she is herself a space baby?
02:29What if this spaceship is where she was born?
02:31A reveal like this would be the perfect way to nudge the mystery forward without giving too much away.
02:36It would also provide more questions than answers.
02:39Who created Ruby? How did she end up on Earth? And why?
02:42Showrunner Russell T. Davis recently told SFX magazine that, quote,
02:46the story of Ruby's birth continues from episode 1.
02:49Consider, too, that three out of four Russell T. Davis season openers have referenced the companion in the title.
02:55Rose, Smith & Jones, and Partners in Crime.
02:58Could Space Babies actually be referencing Ruby?
03:00And if so, it's not as silly a title as it might have originally seemed.
03:05Number 8.
03:05The Doctor Goes Boom
03:07There's much hype surrounding Boom, not least because it's written by former showrunner Stephen Moffat,
03:13his first contribution to the show in seven years.
03:16Even before that fact was known, there was a buzz about the season's third episode.
03:20God, this is gorgeous, RTD told Doctor Who magazine in February, saying,
03:24The emotion, the depth, the performances, beautiful.
03:27The episode is heavily rumoured to revolve around the Doctor stepping on a landmine, hence the title.
03:32Fans have speculated that it will, as a result, be fairly Doctor-light.
03:36There's one particular shot that would fit this theory, which has been appearing in trailers since September 2023.
03:42It shows a calm Doctor against a gold background, opening his eyes and looking out into the distance.
03:48Could this be him waking up in some sort of timey-wimey limbo after the landmine goes off?
03:53His outfit here matches the outfit we've seen in other shots from Boom, so there is a good chance it
03:58is from this episode.
03:59Moffat never plays by the rules, and for him to actually blow the Doctor up is the exact type of
04:04difficult situation he would often write himself into in some of his previous episodes.
04:10Number 7.
04:11Vara de Sethou will appear.
04:12Doctor Who's lead times are currently longer than ever.
04:16In most cases, episodes are being shot well over a year in advance.
04:19Indeed, by the time Season 1 premieres, Season 2 will basically be in the can.
04:23As such, we already know who will be joining Shuti Gatwa in the TARDIS in 2025.
04:28Vara de Sethou, best known for her role in Star Wars spin-off Andor and a bit part in Jurassic
04:33World Dominion,
04:34has now officially being confirmed as the show's next companion.
04:37But despite the rumours, this does not mean that Millie Gibson is leaving.
04:41On the contrary, RWBY will feature heavily in Season 2.
04:44It's a strange situation regardless, as TARDIS teams rarely feature new companions alongside established travellers, especially in New Who.
04:52Likewise, outgoing and incoming companions rarely overlap.
04:56One time when this did happen was in 2012 with Asylum of the Daleks, the opening story of Amy and
05:01Rory's final run.
05:02It also featured the surprise debut of Jenna Coleman.
05:06Might Vara de Sethou also appear earlier than we expect?
05:09Given how little we currently know about her character, it's perfectly possible.
05:13And if this was a twist the team wanted to pull off, the longer lead times would provide the perfect
05:17smokescreen.
05:18Number 6. Jonathan Groff is a recast Captain Jack
05:22Russell T. Davis' first series introduced a dashing hero, ostensibly from the past, but actually from the future,
05:29played by a dazzling actor with American heritage.
05:32Now, 19 years later, he seems to be doing the same thing again with Jonathan Groff following in the footsteps
05:37of John Barrowman.
05:39If his blaster is anything to go by, and no, that's not a euphemism,
05:42Groff is also playing an anachronistic rogue, possibly even a time agent.
05:47And like Jack, the Doctor seems dubious of him to begin with.
05:50As the Goblin King would happily admit, this is a bit of a coincidence.
05:54But is that all it is?
05:56Perhaps Groff's character isn't just similar to Jack.
05:58Perhaps he is Jack.
06:00Admittedly, it's never been established that Jack can regenerate or change form before,
06:04but there's no reason why he couldn't.
06:06This is Doctor Who.
06:07Just invent some sci-fi babble, and hey presto.
06:10In terms of other evidence, there's the shot of the Doctor being scanned on a ship alongside a hologram of
06:15his tenth incarnation,
06:16the one Jack is most familiar with.
06:18There's also the shot of him saluting someone, just as he saluted Jack in Last of the Time Lords.
06:23There's definitely something going on here.
06:25Could it really be something as daring as this, though?
06:27Personally, I don't want this character to be a reinvention of Captain Jack,
06:32but I am very intrigued by who this rogue person is.
06:36Number 5.
06:37The TARDIS HAS TURNED EVIL
06:38The big bad for Season 1 is heavily rumoured to be the mysterious Triad Technology,
06:44a company previously referenced in The Giggle and The Church on Ruby Road.
06:48Eagle-eyed fans spotted another reference to Triad in the recent Season 1 trailer,
06:52with one of the screens in units displaying a news report titled S-TRIAD Technology Announcement.
06:58S-TRIAD is rumoured to be the company's founder,
07:01and the plot thickens when you consider that S-TRIAD is an anagram of a certain Type 40 time spaceship,
07:07which prompts the question, is the TARDIS somehow connected to Triad?
07:10There are multiple possibilities.
07:12Perhaps the Doctor's ship has been hijacked by Triad.
07:15Perhaps it's turned evil, Mr. Smith style.
07:17Or perhaps Triad is manufacturing TARDIS's of its own.
07:20It's worth noting that Astrid's name was also an anagram of TARDIS,
07:25and that was just a coincidence.
07:26This could easily just be another sneaky misdirect on Russell T. Davis' part.
07:30Then again, the TARDIS was pretty prominent in the title reveal clip for Empire of Death,
07:35and it didn't exactly look too healthy.
07:37Number 4.
07:38MUSIC IS A MAJOR PLOT POINT
07:40Every episode of Doctor Who features music of some sort or another,
07:44but usually this music is non-diegetic rather than diegetic,
07:49meaning it occurs outside of the story world and is therefore not heard by the characters.
07:53So far, though, RTD Era 2 has utilised diegetic music quite heavily.
07:59The Starbeasts showed one of Donna's neighbours listening to music on their headphones.
08:03Wild Blue Yonder is literally named after the anthem of the US Air Force.
08:07The Giggle featured arpeggios as a plot point,
08:10plus an incredible Spice Up Your Life dance routine from the Toymaker.
08:13And the church on Ruby Road introduced us to singing goblins,
08:17with the Doctor and Ruby getting in on the act in order to escape their ship.
08:20Episode 2 of Season 1 will continue this trend,
08:23with Jinx Monsoon's Maestro, The Beatles, and Abbey Road Studios all featuring.
08:28It even looks set to include a musical number or two.
08:30But could something bigger be going on here?
08:32Perhaps diegetic music will play a part in every episode in some way.
08:36Perhaps music, like rope, is part of the supernatural lexicon now affecting the Doctor's adventures.
08:42Also, consider that triad has a musical meaning, a chord containing three notes.
08:47Keep those ears on high alert, people.
08:49I'm telling you, there's something in this.
08:51Number 3.
08:52Susan Twist will appear in every episode.
08:55The first New Who story arcs all revolved around a single word, phrase, or idea,
09:00which would keep cropping up out of context.
09:02But none are more iconic than the OG repeated meme, Bad Wolf.
09:07Lots of plot threads have already been established for Season 1,
09:10but the one most akin to Bad Wolf is the rather baffling reappearance of Susan Twist,
09:14as a 21st century hippie on the church on Ruby Road,
09:17following a seemingly one-off turn as Isaac Newton's maid in Wild Blue Yonder.
09:22Speculation suggests that Twist will ultimately be playing a villain in the Season 1 finale,
09:27perhaps even the meddling monk.
09:29But it seems likely that we'll see her again before then.
09:32In fact, could she cameo in every episode?
09:35When recently asked to describe the new episodes,
09:37Millie Gibson did tease that, quote,
09:39there's always a twist.
09:40If so, that would essentially make Susan Twist a living, breathing version of Bad Wolf,
09:45a person that follows the Doctor and Ruby everywhere they go.
09:48In which case, Mrs. Meridue and the woman in the pub are just the beginning,
09:52and Twist's costume count could end up rivaling Shooty Gatwurz.
09:55Are we going to see her as a crew member in Space Babies?
09:58A noblewoman in Rogue?
10:00The Beatles' PA in The Devil's Chord?
10:02It's a really fun idea,
10:03and would have fans going crazy with theories in the weeks between episodes.
10:07Number 2.
10:08We've Already Met Ruby's Parents
10:10Russell T. Davis recently teased that the Doctor and Ruby's shared orphan status
10:15is, quote, going to be the spine of the whole show going forward.
10:18So we can expect plenty of parallels between the pair in Season 1.
10:22We can also expect Ruby's storyline to go places the Timeless Child couldn't.
10:26For instance, we never found out who the Doctor's birth parents were,
10:30so as to preserve the mystery.
10:31But we can fully expect to learn the identity of Ruby's mother and father.
10:35The question is, are they characters we've already met?
10:38Mrs. Flood, Susan Twist, and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
10:41are obvious contenders for Ruby's mother.
10:44But could she be someone from the show more broadly?
10:46What if Ruby's parents are a previously established Hooniverse couple,
10:50such as the Metacrisis Doctor and Rose,
10:52or hell, even the Doctor and River Song?
10:54Look, we did warn you that these theories would be crazy.
10:57Now, it's not unheard of for the Doctor to have familial ties with companions.
11:01And if the Doctor was involved somehow,
11:03it would explain why he didn't bother trying to stop the hooded figure at the church on Ruby Road,
11:08because he already knows the truth.
11:09In any case, it's definitely possible that the Doctor knows more about Ruby's past than he's letting on.
11:15And number one, the Doctor and Ruby are in a TV show.
11:19The 15th Doctor's era has so far featured an unusual number of fourth wall breaks.
11:24In isolation, these could easily be explained away.
11:26The Doctor's wink to the camera in the Devil's Chord could be part of a musical number.
11:30His, and that's just the beginning speech in the latest trailer,
11:33could be a specially shot promotional thing.
11:35And Mrs. Flood could be talking to herself at the end of the church on Ruby Road.
11:40Alternatively, this could all be part of a bigger breakdown between the Doctor's world and ours.
11:45We know that the Hooniverse is becoming more fantastical.
11:47So what if this extends to the very fabric of its reality too?
11:51We could be seeing the beginnings of the Doctor actually realising he's in a TV show.
11:56Or it could even be part of a villainous plot to observe and ultimately defeat the Time Lord.
12:01Basically like an evil version of the MCU's Watcher.
12:04Ruby's first scene in the church on Ruby Road took place on a film set.
12:08And the title reveal clip for The Legend of Ruby Sunday featured broadcast cameras.
12:12It's almost like the Doctor and Ruby are actually in a TV show, like Truman Show style.
12:17In the real world, the Doctor and Ruby's adventures will be watched by millions on BBC iPlayer and Disney+.
12:22But maybe, just maybe, someone else is watching them too.
12:26Dun dun dun!
12:28To keep up to date with everything surrounding the upcoming Season 1,
12:32then make sure you check out our Season 1 playlist for all our trailer breakdowns,
12:36the news videos, and anything new that might be coming.
12:39In the meantime, I've been Ellie for Who Culture,
12:41and in the words of Riversong herself, goodbye, sweeties.
12:44Beep.
12:44Beep.
12:45Beep.
12:45Beep.
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