Should Doctor Who use Comic-Con to reveal Thirteenth Doctor?

On Sunday, July 23, Doctor Who is heading to San Diego Comic-Con in order to have an epic panel like no other. Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Lucas, and Michelle Gomez will be there to represent the cast of performers, and then you also will have executive producer / showrunner Steven Moffat to go along with writer Mark Gatiss. It’s a great group of people, and with the promise of footage from the upcoming Christmas Special, you know that it’ll be an extra treat to be there in person. That’s especially true when you remember that some Doctor Who footage posted here is traditionally not shared online by official channels until some time after the fact.

As any diehard Whovian knows at this point, this Christmas Special is really like no other in that it marks the final appearance for Capaldi as The Doctor, and then also for Moffat as showrunner. The status of everyone else is not altogether clear, but there could be a mass changing of the guard given that Chris Chibnall is taking over and he may want to impart the show with his own style and his own cast.

With this, it feels like the right time to beg the question: Should the Doctor Who panel reveal the Thirteenth Doctor, or any other plans from Chibnall? Given the timing of the event, it makes sense. Eventually, the series will likely confirm the new Doctor before the Christmas Special, especially given that they will appear in it. The folks over at the BBC are also going to want to get out in front of any announcement, given that the last thing anyone wants is to be completely scooped by a press eager to get their mitts on any and every story that they can related to the series.

With all of this said, Comic-Con just doesn’t feel like the right time for a number of reasons.

1. This is a celebration of the Capaldi era – It’s his final Comic-Con appearance as The Doctor, and the same for Moffat as showrunner. It doesn’t feel right to use this in order to make a reveal that will completely overshadow the two of them. Let them bask in their much-deserved glory.

2. A UK TV announcement feels more apt – This is what was done for Capaldi, and it just makes sense for a British series to be able to announce the news on British television rather than at an American convention. It’d be like The Walking Dead recasting Rick Grimes and then announcing the news at a comic convention in London.

3. You want all audiences to know at the same time – Comic-Con is tremendous, but unless you put out a concurrent press release, there could be a lot of miscommunication and misinformation. Remember that this is also a really chaotic convention with a lot of moving parts.

How do you think that the Thirteenth Doctor should be announced? Be sure to share in the comments below!

Meanwhile, head over to the link here in the event you want some further news regarding Doctor Who, including further information on the special. (Photo: BBC.)