Doctor Who’s next holiday special will feature the return of one key enemy: the Daleks. The long-running BBC show is a staple of British television, with the first iteration premiering in the 1960s. After 26 seasons and a TV movie, Doctor Who took a nearly decade-long break, returning with the show fans know now in 2005. That revival has featured five Doctors, with Jodie Whittaker playing the role currently. While the Thirteenth Doctor overall, she’s the first woman to take on the part. Whittaker has already confirmed she’ll return for Doctor Who’s next season.
The Daleks have a long history on Doctor Who, dating back to the start of the series. As alien beings, the appearance of the Daleks has changed over the years, with 2019’s New Year’s Day special featuring a redesign. That episode, titled “Resolution,” was also the first time Whittaker’s Doctor faced a Dalek. Though, in this case, it was a Recon Scout Dalek who wrecked havoc. The Daleks have been absent for all of season 12, the finale of which aired today.
However, fans are already looking ahead to the next holiday special. Via The BBC, Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall teased what’s to come for the Thirteenth Doctor, and it includes the Daleks:
Director of BBC Content Charlotte Moore also weighed in on the upcoming holiday outing, calling the Daleks “the ultimate enemy,” a distinction that matches what fans have seen of the characters so far. Appropriately, the episode will be titled “Revolution of the Daleks.”
We can’t leave the Doctor there! On that cliffhanger! Well, we did. But rest assured, the Doctor and her friends will be back for a one-off extended Special around Christmas and New Year. (I don’t know when they’re going to put it on yet, otherwise we’d tell you!). There will be Daleks. There will be exterminations. Thrills, laughter, tears. You know. The usual. See you at the end of the year.
Holiday episodes have become a staple of Doctor Who, especially since the show returned in 2005. Before then, it had aired episodes on Christmas and New Year’s Day occasionally, but not with the consistency it has in the revival. All but three holiday specials have aired on Christmas Day rather than New Year’s. However, every special with Whittaker as the Doctor has. This would make that the more likely date, if not for Chibnall’s insistence that he doesn’t know when it will air yet.
As the last appearance by a Dalek happened in a holiday special, it makes sense to bring them back for the next one as well. Since the Thirteenth Doctor has only faced a single Dalek thus far, the possibility of more should be exciting to fans. Since Chibnall specifies “daleks” plural, it seems that will be the case in the next Doctor Who holiday special. However, viewers will have to wait until late this year or early next to see Whittaker’s Doctor take on the classic villains.
More: ‘Dalek’ Is Still The Best Dalek Episode of Doctor Who
Source: The BBC
