Doctor Who Christmas Special: Rachel Talalay on what to expect
For the past few seasons, Talalay has been the go-to director for Moffat during critical episodes at the end of the season. She directed the final two installments this season, and she will be back to take on the role here for the special. With her own future seemingly in doubt with the show beyond this, she may also be looking at this special as a chance to take her own bow. (She will have plenty of time to think about her own future; coming back for her would be far easier than it would be for either Moffat or Capaldi.)
In previewing what fans can expect for this pivotal episode of the series, Talalay did pass along the following comments in a new piece with TV & Satellite:
“It’s a tour de force. It’s a fanboy’s dream, it’s also a beautiful and joyous script. The one thing I have to say is, it’s Christmas Day, we’re gonna keep it funny, and we’re gonna keep it lively, as well as sad … If we cry, [the audience] won’t. We want them to cry. So Doctor Who will laugh bravely into that good night.”
All of this does fit in well with the tone of what we expect the show to be. It’s okay for the series to be a little sad on Christmas, given that Christmas is not necessarily a happy day for everyone. There is a little bit of sadness that goes along with it for some people. The important thing to steer clear of is tragedy — we don’t think that this is a tragic show, and we definitely wouldn’t want it to veer in that direction for this special. The Twelfth Doctor will leave, but there is someone new coming aboard and there are some reasons to be excited about that. Granted, we don’t know who the replacement will, but we continue to have some element of faith that the fine folks over at the BBC will be giving you some news on the subject before too long.
Following the special, filming on the new season will likely begin. Maybe it’s possible that season 11 premieres in 2018, but we’re not holding our breath on that given that the last thing that we want to do is have some sort of false expectations that don’t turn into reality.
Interested in some further news on Doctor Who?
Then be sure to head over to the link here right now! We’re going to of course continue to have some additional news throughout the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for some of that. (Photo: BBC.)