Doctor Who Series 8 – a hypothetical dream series

Barry Quinn
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An undeniable fact about the Doctor Who fanbase is that ever every single one of us has a dream series mapped out entirely in our heads. We all know what we want and what we don’t want to see from Capaldi’s debut series.

In anticipation of the upcoming eighth series I thought it would be a good idea to share my dream series and encourage our readers at Vada to do likewise. Sound of in the comments or tweet us directly.

This list will be derived partially from what little we do know about series 8 – which isn’t much. Mild spoilers to follow.

Episode 1 – a new Doctor needs time to make the role his own. I want to see Twelve struggling initially and Clara struggling to accept that this is the same man. I don’t want her to accept him straight away until he has proven himself to both her and the viewers. A scary monster is needed, but one which isn’t the primary focus of the episode. After all, Capaldi is the primary focus. Clara needs to find herself in danger, and Twelve needs to step in at the last minute to prove that yes, he is still a good man. The storyarc of looking for Gallifrey will be established here.

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Episode 2 – the Daleks return. This episode has to be good otherwise why resurrect them so quickly? The Daleks need a chilling plan which they somehow manage to succeed in. In doing so I hope the Daleks have to leave our universe for some reason and not return until series ten at the earliest. They need a rest. Perhaps the Daleks know something of Gallifrey’s location?

Episode 3 – this episode features robots and Robin Hood. Nothing else is known. I want to see a fun historical episode but one which is based more on fact than fiction. Those that could be true are better than those which aren’t. Think ‘Tooth and Claw’ or ‘The Unicorn and the Wasp’, both of which were incredible. We also need a memorable villain who will be controlling the robots, and I want a plausible answer as to why. No sonic screwdriver get out this time – the Doctor needs to be smart.

Episode 4 – nothing is known about this episode so this is purely hypothetical. I want to see Capaldi’s Doctor travel to an alien world early in his debut run, and encounter a truly devastated planet ravaged by a terrifying monster. I want a monster who is destroying the planet to have a reason for doing so – revenge, a vendetta, anything other than he’s hungry. This scary monster could perhaps become the new Weeping Angels if it’s impressive enough.

Episode 5 – the only thing known about this episode is that it’s about a heist. I want this episode to be set on an alien world in a titanic bank run by a host of aliens. I expect this to be quite a fun episode, with a decent monster running rampage throughout the bank on the quest to steal something of importance. Whilst looking for the monster the Doctor could unwittingly discover something about Gallifrey in one of the vaults.

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Episode 6 – again, purely hypothetical. Perhaps a story set on modern-day Earth in which Clara’s family return and they discover the full event about her travels with the Doctor. She’ll have to explain how Eleven changed into Twelve, and then some form of threat will make the Doctor have to rescue Clara’s family, thus cementing their trust in him.

Episode 7 – a journey into the past could see the Doctor encounter another Time Lord that has somehow escaped Gallifrey. A good Time Lord who could give him some information or a bad Time Lord which could rival the Master. Perhaps it would end with the Time Lord regenerating but we don’t see their face – leading to a return eventually. Danny perhaps?

Episode 8 – a modern-day story set in Cole Hill School in a similar vein to ‘School Reunion’. This could further help to establish Danny as a companion. I predict romance between Danny and Clara, although I hope they don’t go down that route again.

Episode 9 – I want to see another story set in Victorian-England in which the Doctor is somehow incapacitated and the Paternoster Gang come to the forefront. Strax needs more to do other than being funny. Perhaps the Sontaran’s return for him and he faces a decision to stay or leave. Ultimately I want him to leave and become ruthless once more. The Sontaran’s need to be re-established as a threat.

Episode 10 – perhaps a fairy-tale story with a beautiful creature which isn’t at all as it seems. The creature could turn out to be deadly and the Doctor has to turn dark once more to kill it. This will begin to see Clara’s relationship with the Doctor souring.

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Episode 11/12 – modern-day Earth, with the Cybermen and UNIT returning. I want the Cybermen to be truly menacing and threatening the world on a global scale. Clara’s family will become involved somehow. Perhaps the Doctor’s new companion Danny will become a Cyberman – that would be an interesting twist. I want this episode to end with the Doctor getting closer to Gallifrey but something getting in the way. Maybe (hopefully) River will return.

So there you have Vada’s hypothetical dream series. Something’s here won’t agree with all – but what would you like to see? Let us know.

#keepmespoilerfree

About Barry Quinn

Barry Quinn is an English Language and Literature graduate and a Creative Writer MA studier. He is an aspiring creative and professional writer and is currently in the process of writing his first novel. His writing blog can be viewed here: https://barrygjquinn.wordpress.com You can follow him on Twitter at: @mrbarryquinn

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