'Doctor Who' Series 12 Needs to Reintroduce the "Doctor-Lite" Tradition

Doctor Who Series 11 is easily one of the most divisive series since the show was revived back in 2005 by Russell T. Davies. Series 11 introduced not only a new Doctor, but three new companions, a new TARDIS exterior and interior, new behind the camera crew, all new writers, and a new showrunner, Chris Chibnall, who also casted the show’s first ever female Doctor, Jodie Whittaker.

Whittaker was joined by Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill as they travelled through time and space for 10 episodes and a New Year’s Day special. With Series 11 done and dusted, the crew is already out filming Series 12 ahead of its 2020 release date, with filming recently wrapping up in Cape Town, South Africa. But there’s one thing on fans mind: Why haven’t the companions been fully developed yet? There’s one way to get fans to properly meet the companions: Reintroduce the “Doctor-Lite” tradition.

So, what is a “Doctor-Lite” episode? The term “Doctor-Lite” was introduced by the Doctor Who production team in Wales to describe a Doctor Who episode/episodes that involve very little of the Doctor. Self-explanatory, right? Usually a “Doctor-Lite” episode is double-banked, meaning one production team is filming the “Doctor-Lite” episode, whereas another production team is out filming another episode with the Doctor and their companion.

Since 2005, there have been multiple “Doctor-Lite” episodes, which has proved to be big hits with the fans, some of which in a unique way. The first “Doctor-Lite” episode of the revived years was “Love and Monsters” in Series 2, an episode featuring very little David Tennant and Billie Piper, focusing on Jackie Tyler and Elton Pope. Keeping it simple, you either love that episode or you hate it.

The next “Doctor-Lite” episode was Steven Moffat’s smash hit episode “Blink”—hugely popular within the fanbase. This episode, again saw Tennant and Freema Agyeman onscreen for a short period, giving the episode to Sally Sparrow battling the Weeping Angels.

Series 4’s “Turn Left” put the spotlight on Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), leaving out Tennant again after the Doctor supposedly dies, not making it to the next regeneration. This gave fans the opportunity to not only emotionally relate to Tate’s companion, but to fully understand her with full character development, something which Series 11 lacked in massively.

Note: Series 11 Spoilers Below

Character building is essential in any film or television film. This not only helps a story flow easier, but it helps the characters standout to the viewers watching. If fans aren’t fully introduced to the Doctor’s companions, how are the fans supposed to relate to them or actually like them? Bradley Walsh’s companion, Graham, was the only character in Series 11 who was properly developed. In the opening episode, we found out he had cancer, which is how he met his wife, Grace (Sharon D Clarke). With Grace passing away in the Series 11 debut episode, fans became emotionally attached to Graham as he started visioning Grace further on in the series.

Regarding the other two companions, Ryan (Tosin Cole) and Yaz (Mandip Gill), we know very little of them, even though they’ve had 11 episodes broadcasted. We know that Ryan has dyspraxia, Graham is his step-grandfather, his mum has passed away, and he has little contact with his father. As for Yaz, who is she? She’s a policewoman. That’s about it really. There was an episode focussing on her family’s past, but we still don’t know her personally.

Along with the two-part stories and classic monsters, Chibnall needs to reintroduce the “Doctor-Lite” episode so the three companions actually bond together. During the spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures, the late Elisabeth Sladen featured very little in certain stories, meaning it was up to the kids to save the world from the alien invasion, giving them the opportunity to bond, relate, get to know each other, and actually grow closer together. This gave fans an insight of who they really are and what they’re actually capable of.

Providing the episode is written powerfully, brilliantly, and with some pure excitment, a “Doctor-Lite” episode with the three companions taking centre stage will finally let fans get to know our trio from Sheffield.

Little details have been revealed for Series 12 at the time of writing, but it is said that Yaz is set to have a much stronger storyline for the next series. So, it might be finally time we meet her properly and not just a quick pop home this time.

Doctor Who returns in “very early” 2020 with the Series 12 of the show.