Let us speculate, just for a change, about what series eight ofDoctor Whoholds in store.
Is Peter Capaldis Twelth Doctor going to be a less risky version of the Sixth?
Initially unlikeable, but with the audience warming to him as he progresses?
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Maybe, maybe, and yes.
A storyline calledSpace Stationis commissioned by Robert Holmes,Doctor Whos new script editor.
After the Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks swansongRobot,Space Stationwas to be the first production under Philip Hinchcliffe.
Now, when viewed in the isolation of its DVD release, its merely brilliant.
When it was broadcast in 1975The Ark In Spacewas surely nothing short of astonishing.
It wasnt broke, and it didnt need fixing.
So Robert Holmes broke it.
Episode One ofThe Ark In Spaceharkens back toThe Dead Planet, the first ever Dalek story.
The TARDIS crew explore a location.
Its dangerous, an unknown quantity.
They dont speak to another creature.
Other life is out there, but its briefly glimpsed.
You would be forgiven for thinking that this approach could unsettle the audience.
Ratings for episode two increased by over four million.
Last week was amazing!
They wandered around a space station for twenty minutes and then a wasp fell out of a cupboard!
Would that have been too much?
There are potential similarities in series eight.Robotfeatured UNIT, and familiarity.Deep Breathfeatures the return of the Paternoster Gang.
This is putting unfair pressure on that episode, though.
Its only forty-five minutes, and there is a guest cast (quite an impressive one) confirmed.
What this does illustrate, though, is thatDoctor Whoshould not venture to be exactly what it was before.
Thats much, much harder to do nowadays.
Its harder to surprise.
Thats the balancing act when it comes to writingDoctor Who.
What can you add?
Can you expand on whats gone before while entertaining millions?
The Ark In Spacedemonstrates that, yes, you could.
