‘Doctor Who’ Spin-Offs: All The Possibilities
Doctor Who is in a weird, spin-off-free space at the moment. But with Russell T. Davies returning that’s about to change. But how?
K9 and Company. Torchwood. The Sarah Jane Adventures. Class. These are the main attempts (most successful) to spin Doctor Who off over the years. The two most successful of these, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, come courtesy of the once and future Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies.
With Doctor Who not only returning with Davies but also with the backing of Disney, the likelihood of new (and potentially returning) spin-offs is inevitable. The only real questions are: how long will it take and which concepts will be spun?
There are a LOT of options and that’s before we know anything about the latest Ncuti Gatwa starring series. So we figure why not have a run down and see what may be and how just how likely the chances are of each show. Off we go!
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The Doctor Who Spin-Offs We Aren’t Counting On
For all the many ideas we can imagine getting a greenlight from Disney, there are just as many we’re confident will NOT be happening. And we were going to put them under a single category and then give that category a name, it would be “Moffat”. Yes, beloved though the Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who may be, we don’t see much chance of any characters from 2010-2017 making a long-term comeback.
Karen Gillan may be a Disney darling as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy, but that’s just it: she’s likely too busy to play Amy Pond again opposite Arthur Darvill’s Rory Williams. Might they appear in the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials? Maybe! But with their own show? Nah.
Similarly, we don’t see much chance of a Clara and Ashildr series either. Jenna Coleman and Maisie Williams have too much going on to rattle around in a diner-shaped TARDIS. Similarly, the odds of Bill Potts as a fluidic alien pilot also don’t exactly inspire.
Even a River Song series feels like a bit of a stretch at this point. Alex Kingston still loves the role, but it’s hard to imagine Song existing outside of the Moffat era. Besides, she’s got books and audio dramas a-plenty. It’s a safe bet that’s where Professor Song shall remain.
Now, with that out of the way…
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The Fugitive Doctor Who
Working backward, the Chris Chibnall era of Doctor Who is, let’s be honest, contentious. Leaving aside all the sexist “Nurse Who” nonsense Jodie Whittaker spent her tenure as the Doctor enduring, there is the “Timeless Child” concept. If you don’t know (or blocked it out), the Timeless Child storyline sets up the idea that the Doctor is not a Timelord. They are an alien from an alternate dimension who can regenerate and the Timelords just stole her DNA basically.
This concept is not popular. However, there is one incarnation of the Doctor which is: the Fugitive Doctor. Introduced in the episode “Fugitive of the Judoon,” Ruth Clayton turns out to be an unknown, earlier version of the Doctor. In Chibnall’s telling, this Doctor is part of a mysterious organization called “The Division”.
But here’s the thing: Davies doesn’t have to keep any part of that to keep the Fugitive Doctor. “The Brain of Morbius” establishes earlier Doctors before William Hartnell’s. And there’s the Cartmel Master Plan which also suggests there’s a lot more to the Doctor’s past than we know.
All that being said, a Doctor Who spin-off that’s just another Doctor Who? It’s not the most likely option, is it? Still, the popularity of the character lends the possibility that this could happen. And Jo Martin’s performance as the Fugitive Doc is nothing short of sensational.
We’re going to say there’s a 15% chance of A Fugitive Doctor spin-off.
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The Companion Support Group
Chris Chibnall was not short of ideas for Doctor Who. But we think we saved the most fertile notion for last. At the close of Jodie Whittaker’s final episode “The Power of the Doctor,” Graham calls all the former Doctor companions he can find–for a support group. And there are characters from all eras: Ace, Tegan, and Jo Grant all along with the latest TARDIS troublemakers.
But they haven’t assembled just for a Kumbaya, have they? Of course not! There’s always trouble lurking about every street corner–some of it even alien! And from that simple premise, we think a very good idea is born–The TARDIS Superpals! Alright, the name needs work.
Think of it, though! Former “Who” actors can come and go as they please from season to season without a problem. Bringing in characters from other spin-offs is easy, too! It’s sort of a Legends of Tomorrow but for Doctor Who.
We’re going to give this a 25% chance of happening. It’s still a Chibnall idea (and Chibnall himself said Davies isn’t interested in carrying on those ideas), but it’s arguably the former showrunner’s best idea.
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Rose Tyler Defender of the (Alternate) Earth
Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away Rose Tyler died. Not really, but that’s what she says at the start of “Army of Ghosts”. Anyway, she’s in an alternate universe now with a half-human version of the Tenth Doctor. And while Billie Piper turns up in the 50th-anniversary episode “Day of the Doctor” it’s not as Rose Tyler.
We don’t know what happens to Rose and her alt Doctor in that alt world. But we could! What are Rose and that Doctor like all these years later? Are they married? Kids? Divorce? Dashing about and saving people? Like a strange man in Jackie Tyler’s bedroom while she’s in her dressing gown: anything could happen.
But just like with Jackie… no. Probably not, anyway. Not as a series. As much as it would be fun to see David Tennant and Billie Piper reunited, we’re already getting Tennant back as the 14th Doctor and that’s probably as much as we will do. Much like with the Moffat era characters: they could turn up for the 60th, but for an ongoing series? Sorry. No.
Just to keep hope alive let’s say this has a 5% chance of happening.
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Martha Jones and UNIT
Of all the Doctor Who companions, none has gained in estimation more than the 10th Doctor’s second companion, Martha Jones. Back in 2007, “Who” fans were still devastated at Rose Tyler’s exit. So any new companion was destined for an uphill climb. And actress Freema Agyeman had one other problem to contend with: racism. As the first full-time Black companion, Martha Jones faced a disgusting blowback.
Does time heal all wounds? No, not really. But people do view Martha Jones differently now. She’s a doctor who healed the Doctor. She walks a decimated planet Earth for a year, defeats the Master with a story, and works for Torchwood and UNIT. She also married Mickey Smith, apparently, but let’s forget about that, shall we?
The bottom line is: Martha Jones is a boss. In fact, she does more in the long term to protect the Earth than Rose Tyler and Donna Noble combined. And, interestingly, Freema Agyeman left her long-term job on New Amsterdam. She has a new series now: Dreamland. However, it’s only six episodes long.
We think Freema has the time. And frankly, now with both Jo Martin and the upcoming Ncuti Gatwa, it feels like the time is right for the first Black companion to come back and remind the world how it’s done.
It might be the overwhelming desire for it, but we’re saying this has a 40% chance of happening.
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TORCHWOOD
When you clicked on this article, you already knew what series was the most likely to happen, didn’t you? Russell T. Davies’ first Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood is still his most successful, his most dangerous, and his most delightfully weird.
And the beauty of Torchwood as an institution is that it doesn’t technically need any of the original cast whatsoever. That’s a good thing considering John Barrowman has all but confirmed he’ll never be asked back again to play Captain Jack Harkness.
Eve Myles, however, is another story entirely. In fact, if we were putting money on anything from this entire list it would be the inevitable return of Gwen Cooper. Cooper comes back as the leader of Torchwood with a new group of agents and Bob’s your uncle.
If you’re worried that fan drama might reduce the chances of a new Torchwood, trust us–Torchwood can handle a lot. “Children of Earth” and the death of Ianto Jones alone still has drama wafting of it, but most people still love Torchwood all the same.
Let’s say a new Torchwood has a 70% chance of happening just to hedge our bets.
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The Susan Foreman Adventures
Russell T Davies’ two main spin-off shows are Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. The latter was an all-ages series. But sadly it can’t return in its original form because Sarah Jane Smith actress Elisabeth Sladen passed away in 2011. However, an all-ages show still feels like something Davies wants. And we imagine Disney wants it, too.
As it happens, the actress responsible for playing the original Doctor Who companion (and the Doctor’s granddaughter) Carole Ann Ford spoke up about wanting to return to the show. And according to a Radio Times poll, fans want her back as well.
We think a new version of The Sarah Jane Adventures starring Ford as Susan makes the most sense. Just like with Lis Sladen, all you need is a group of kids and maybe something in the form of a tin dog.
There’s nothing officially on the books about this, but considering Ford’s interest and Davies’ adoration for classic Doctor Who, we’re giving this a 25% chance of happening.
And those are the spin-offs we thought of. Which of these ideas do you hope will happen and what ideas of your own are you hoping for?
