Guest contributors Isaac Bowen and Yossi Pinkus examine Series 8’s parallels to the past.



Some people forget that Doctor Who has had an eighth season long before August this year. Prior to 2014, there was 1971. What’s interesting now is this earlier period has far more in common with the season just passed than would occur to most…

(re)Introduction of the Master

In the 1971 opening story Terror of the Autons, Roger Delgado made his debut as the Master. Unlike other recurring aliens such as the Daleks or Cybermen, the Master was humanoid, and so his hypnotic, gentlemanlike manner of killing and deceiving his victims all in the name of universal domination created a terrifying sense of unease.

The Master was the leading villain in not one or two, but all five of the stories in season eight. However in some stories he enlisted the help of other monsters to assist in completing his plans, such as the Autons in Terror of the Autons and Azal in The Dæmons. Often these alliances were the Master’s downfall; being betrayed by the monsters with which he was ‘co­operating’.

The 2014 season saw the re­imagining of the Master in the form of Missy. Due to this change in certain character aspects, it can be argued that this is once again an introduction of the Master. She takes on the more unhinged persona of “bananas”, a far cry from Delgado’s collected take, but no less chilling.

Missy appeared in 7 episodes in the 2014, making her a regular character, with many episode appearances prior to her reveal being short Heaven/Nethersphere sequences following onscreen deaths of characters. She likewise was not the only villain in her two main episodes; she was accompanied by the Cybermen and similar to the 1971 season, Missy’s downfall was due to the creatures with which she had aligned herself.

A New(ish) Companion

Season Eight introduces the much loved Jo Grant as the Doctor’s new lab assistant and travelling companion, as played by Katy Manning. Following the brilliant, but short lived Liz Shaw, Jo’s role included fetching coffee and screaming at monsters. However some of the best Jo Grant moments include her scenes with the Master, something that was lacking in the finale of the 2014 season, with the only Clara/Missy interaction occurring in the graveyard at the climax of the episode. One cannot help but imagine how a scene or two with Clara and Missy alone à la Jo and the Master style would add to the depth of the episode.

Series Eight gives Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald a much ­needed personality upgrade. Moving on from the previous series’ ‘Impossible Girl’ routine, she is finally given some definition. Clear flaws in her character are made more apparent: she is something of a “control freak” and her worrying ability to lie to both the Doctor and to Danny in order to be able to live life with both shows how the Doctor’s own manipulative ways have rubbed off on Clara. This may be cheating, but due to these large character changes, we feel that this Clara is almost a whole new companion from last year, and so matches the 1971 change of companion.

Trouble with the Time Lords

Following from the 1970 season, the Doctor can still be seen to be infuriated with the Time Lords’ decision to exile him on Earth, with the Doctor’s main mission this season to mend his dematerialisation circuit (or steal the Master’s working one) and escape the Time Lords’ clutches. The Time Lords do, however, send the Doctor a message to warn him that the Master is on Earth, which shows that while he is being punished, they do still trust and care for him to some degree. And while he is technically exiled, that doesn’t stop the meddling Gallifreyans from temporarily removing him from Earth and placing him on Uxarieus to prevent the unleashing of the Doomsday Weapon in Colony in Space.

In the 2014 season, the Doctor has yet to relocate Gallifrey, still trapped in a pocket universe following the events of The Day/Time of the Doctor, and shows his increasing frustration in being unable to find his planet again, a stark contrast to the 1971 season in which all he wanted to do was run away from, not toward, his home.

UNIT

Just as with season seven, the Doctor continues on in his role as chief scientific advisor for UNIT, cooperating with their affairs based on Earth while he awaits the return of his freedom. UNIT is heavily involved in the 1971 season, helping to prevent the destruction of Earth from alien encounters. The Brigadier and his gang assist the Doctor in 4 stories that year, with the exception of Colony in Space and are essential in aiding the Doctor in defeating the Master.

In series eight, the Doctor once again works with UNIT to try to thwart the plans made by the Master and the Cybermen. Unlike the Pertwee years, the Doctor is much more highly regarded by UNIT in Death in Heaven and all decision made by the Doctor are obeyed without question, as evidenced by his prompt appointment as President of Earth.

Complaints and Controversy

Terror of the Autons saw complaints made about its depiction of onscreen violence, the use of killer toys and the way that it represented (facsimile) police officers, and sparked yet another debate about whether or not Doctor Who might be too frightening for younger children.

Dark Water also infamously received many complaints because of the idea it brought forth that people remain conscious after death. In particular, the “Don’t cremate me!” sequence was found very troubling to some viewers, the BBC receiving well over 100 complaints. Many of these people with the view that this idea was disrespectful and insensitive to those who may have recently suffered losses, especially for children, who may not yet have a very clear understanding of death.

In both cases, the decisions to bring these ideas/themes to the programme were defended by the producers, giving credit to the sorts of children who watch Doctor Who. They acknowledged that while it can be genuinely frightening, that is part of the appeal of the show for children and adults alike.

With all these parallels to the past, we hope that in 2015, Moffat will once again draw from the past and find inspiration in the best parts of the 1972 season.