It's been 10 years since Marvel started something that would shape both blockbuster cinema and some of television's biggest hitters.

With the MCU popularising the idea of a shared universe – one that could take in films, television, web series and more – other franchises have looked to follow its path, to varying degrees of success.

Star Wars has released spin-off movies like Rogue One and the upcoming Solo alongside its core Skywalker Saga, while Universal had planned to unite all of its horror favourites – Frankenstein, The Mummy et al – in the Dark Universe (though that one might've come off the rails before it really got started).

Lucasfilm

There have even been rumours of a James Bond shared universe, exploring the wider world surrounding agent 007, and rumblings of something similar for Indiana Jones.

So here's an idea: how about applying the same thinking to one of the biggest science-fiction properties in the galaxy, Doctor Who?

The series is, of course, at a ripe old age already. By the time it returns to BBC One in October, it'll be just shy of 55. Which is why, wisely, new showrunner Chris Chibnall is embracing "risk and boldness" for the new series, starting with casting the show's first ever female Doctor in the form of celebrated actress Jodie Whittaker.

It's an exciting time for the show, a new era with innovation at the heart of it. So, with change very much in the air, could it also be a chance to reinvent Doctor Who as more than just a single television series?

BBC

Of course, there's precedent: when the show returned in 2005, it enjoyed one of the greatest periods of popular acclaim in its history and the BBC was quick to capitalise on its success, commissioning first Torchwood and later The Sarah Jane Adventures – two series which were aimed at, respectively, a slightly older and a slightly younger audience than the flagship.

But while Doctor Who lives on, both of those shows have faded away. The axe came quick, too, for Class, a last-gasp attempt at a spin-off from the Steven Moffat era.

This new period, though, presents an obvious opportunity for the brand to expand once more – back into spin-offs, back into animated specials (remember 'The Infinite Quest' and 'Dreamland'?) and back into online-only content (remember the Tardisodes?).

Doctor Who offers up a wonderfully large sandbox in which to play, quite literally all of time and space, so how fascinating would it be to see the franchise follow the Star Wars model, inviting a wealth of creative talents from across film and television to contribute their own series, or one-off special, or short film?

Related: Doctor Who season 11 air date, cast, episodes and everything you need to know

Of course, it's important to invest in the main show and ensure it's as good as it can possibly be. But, if series 11 proves to be as vital and as successful as we hope it will be, it's also important to build on its success.

Like Star Wars, Doctor Who has a rich and expansive mythology which would welcome different approaches, tones and styles of storytelling. And if you're questioning whether the Time Lord and her TARDIS have the same pulling power as stories of Jedi and the Rebellion, they absolutely do.

Way back when Black Mirror launched in 2011, Charlie Brooker voiced his desire to one day type the words "Int. TARDIS", in an interview with Digital Spy.

BBC

"If Doctor Who approached you, that's something you'd have to consider, isn't it?" said the Emmy winner. "That's like getting an invitation to a particular party. That's an interesting one, in that part of the appeal of Doctor Who is that it's so different each week.

"There's a lot of ideas that go on in it, and the scenario changes, so there's a lot of room for creating things within it."

Yes, indeed – and other big-name talents who've expressed an interest in working on Doctor Who in the past, and might be open to bringing us their own stories within the Whoniverse, include Edgar Wright, Armando Iannucci, Nicolas Winding Refn and even JK Rowling. (According to Russell T Davies, Rowling once entertained his offer to write an episode, but turned it down due to other commitments.)

Frederic J Brown/AFP/John Phillips/Getty Images

The main show – flexible as it is in terms of setting and story – still has a set format of 50 minutes, one episode per week. Given room to experiment and cut loose from these restrictions, creative minds like the ones listed above could bring us wholly unexpected takes on the franchise, outside of the regular schedule. Shorter. Longer. Darker. Funnier.

Ever since it began in 1963, Doctor Who has changed to reflect the times in which it's made. In an age of (again) the Star Wars movies being fronted by a female lead, and of Wonder Woman utterly demolishing its box-office rivals, the show gets to be a part of something by casting its first female lead, instead of being left behind.

So keep the changes coming. Turn Doctor Who the series into Doctor Who the brand, one that welcomes experimentation and different perspectives across a variety of different platforms.

From the core series outwards, why not build a shared world that's truly bigger on the inside?

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