Doctor Who Series 2 is on its way, and the latest trailer has revealed some intriguing details about the Time Lord’s upcoming adventures…
1) There is something connecting the Doctor and Belinda
As with many Doctor Who companions, there is something unusual about the Time Lord’s new friend Belinda Chandra. As the Doctor points out in the Doctor Who Series 2 trailer, there is something connecting them both; there was a flashback in the video of actor Varada Sethu’s character from ‘Boom,’ so it’s clear that the detail about these characters sharing the same face is no coincidence.
It’s also reminiscent of the plot arc that surrounded Clara Oswald in Series 7, whose character kept appearing in myriad forms wherever the TARDIS landed. This, as it turned out, was because she entered the Doctor’s timestream and saved him in all his incarnations from the Great Intelligence. So is a similar thing about to happen?
Possibly. Or it could be that Doctor Who Series 2 will further develop the Sutekh storyline. In the last series, the Time Lord’s old enemy caused various versions of Susan Triad to appear wherever he went, so this could be another manifestation of his power. Or it could be something completely different.
Either way, colour us intrigued.
2) Mel is back (and so is Ruby Sunday)
If you’ve been following your Doctor Who news closely, you’ll know that Ruby Sunday is slated to return in Doctor Who Series 2, and indeed she made an appearance in the trailer. But quite what she’ll make of the Doctor’s new friend Belinda remains to be seen. It will also be interesting to see how her relationship with the Doctor develops across the new series, particularly now that she is reunited with her mum and enjoying an ordinary life on Earth.
But it was a nice surprise to see Melanie Bush in the Doctor Who Series 2 trailer, even if she did appear to be (once again) in the midst of a life-threatening situation. She was shown standing in the middle of a street as the buildings collapsed all around her and a strange, pink energy filled the sky.
Presumably, Mel is still working at UNIT, so it’s possible that we will also see a return of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart at some point in the series. Indeed, there was a shot of a distinctly Kate-like figure walking down a darkened corridor, and we have the spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea coming up in the not-too-distant future, so it would make sense for Doctor Who Series 2 to keep the alien-fighting organisation in the frame.
But we’ll have to wait and see.
3) No classic monsters?
You will sad or delighted to learn that there were no classic monsters in the Doctor Who Series 2 trailer. This doesn’t mean that they won’t appear, necessarily, but if they do feature at some point then their appearance(s) are being kept well under wraps.
There was, however, a shot of various saucer-like spacecraft which looked distinctly Dalek, and Ncuti Gatwa has yet to meet the metal mutants from Skaro, so it’s unthinkable that he wouldn’t encounter them at some point. But it might not be in Doctor Who Series 2.
At the same time, we have to remember that we do have a few loose threads that need tying up. Beep the Meep and the Celestial Toymaker previously alluded to “the one who waits.” And in ‘The Devil’s Chord,’ Maestro said “the one who waits is almost here.” Were they referring to Sutekh, or someone else?
And then there is the Toymaker’s gold tooth containing the imprisoned Master, which was picked up by an unseen figure in ‘The Giggle.’ And then, as previously mentioned, we have The War Between the Land and the Sea coming up in 2025, so it’s possible that Doctor Who Series 2 will tie into this spin-off in some way, possibly re-introducing the Silurians and Sea Devils.
But this is all speculation at this point. The trailer, alas, had nothing to say on the subject of classic baddies.
4) Rylan Clark is guest starring
In a surprising twist, the Doctor Who Series 2 trailer revealed that former X Factor contestant Rylan Clark will be making an appearance, hosting what appears to be an outer space show known as The Interstellar Song Contest – a bit like Eurovision, but in the future (we assume.)
This is a curious idea, and it opens the door to the possibility of Maestro returning. At the same time, the trailer revealed that the character of Mrs Flood was also in attendance, which is strange if this performance is indeed set on another planet, or in the far future. How did she get there? And why?
And speaking of Mrs Flood, the actor Anita Dobson has confirmed that the mystery surrounding her character will be resolved in Doctor Who Series 2, so we don’t have much longer to wait. Perhaps she will reveal all during the Interstellar Contest; after all, she did say that the Doctor’s story will end in “absolute terror.” Perhaps he will walk away with “nil points.”
5) It’s (partly) a cartoon
It was announced previously that guest star Alan Cumming would be making an appearance in Doctor Who Series 2 as a runaway cartoon, and in the latest trailer we finally got to hear his voice.
But there is more to this moment than meets the eye. Disney released further footage showing the character in question – Mr Ring-a-Ding – using his powers to transform the Doctor and Belinda into cartoons, and transporting them (presumably) into the town of Sunny Town, where he resides. This means that, effectively, some portion of this episode will be entirely animated, which is exciting. Certainly, the brief clip that we saw looks incredible, like an old-school Disney movie.
This is a first for Doctor Who, aside from the bespoke animated adventures like ‘Scream of the Shalka‘ and ‘Dreamland.’ It promises to be one of the most interesting episodes of the upcoming series.
Doctor Who Series 2 is set to land on Saturday 12th April on BBC, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside of the UK, where available. Tell us: what are you most looking forward to about the new series?
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