Jodie Whittaker and John Barrowman Split Responsibilities in Festive Special DOCTOR WHO: REVOLUTION OF THE DALEKS

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede DOCTOR WHO is delegating? Well, she’s delegating by circumstance, if not by choice, as fans will see for themselves in this year’s festive special, DOCTOR WHO: REVOLUTION OF THE DALEKS, which airs Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, at 8 p.m. ET on CTV Sci-Fi Channel. Continuing with the game-changing events that occurred most recently in the long-running series, DOCTOR WHO: REVOLUTION OF THE DALEKS begins with the Doctor locked away in a high-security alien prison. Parole seems unlikely, escape even less so. “The opening of this has the Doctor in prison, but with time passed – and obviously time plays out for the Doctor in a certain way as well,” said Jodie Whittaker, the Thirteenth, and first female, Doctor. “So I think what’s interesting about the start of this is the discoveries and the journeys that we all go on aren’t necessarily Doctor-led, in a way. So that’s what makes it really exciting, because it’s definitely a team effort throughout.” And what the team is facing will send a shiver down the spines of DOCTOR WHO fans of all ages. As the title suggests, “Revolution of the Daleks“ marks the return of one of the Doctor’s most feared enemies: merciless cyborg aliens known as Daleks who demand total conformity. With the Doctor indisposed, her best friends Yaz (played by Mandip Gill), Ryan (Tosin Cole), and Graham (Bradley Walsh) have to pick up the slack. If the biggest question in the festive special is, “How can they fight Daleks without the Doctor?” then the answer is, “They had better figure it out in a hurry.” “While it’s a stand-alone episode for this festive season, it also follows on from events that happened in our last festive Dalek special (“Resolution“, which debuted on Jan. 1, 2019),” said showrunner, head writer, and executive producer Chris Chibnall. “Some time has passed, the Doctor has been in prison, and she’s struggling there. Yaz, Graham and Ryan, who were dumped back on Earth at the end of the last series, are struggling to figure out their lives without the Doctor. It has been 10 months since they’ve seen her. And then, at the beginning of this, they discover the presence of a Dalek.” Of course, the Daleks aren’t the only classic DOCTOR WHO characters to be making a comeback. As has been highly publicized, Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, is returning to the scene, following his brief appearance in a series 12 episode titled “Fugitive of the Judoon,” which aired early in 2020. “I know exactly who he is, I know exactly how he talks, I know exactly the way he delivers things, so it’s like putting on an old pair of shoes or an old coat – it’s why I rarely put the coat on for photographs and things, because it changes my whole demeanour,” Barrowman explained. “Yes, Captain Jack is a little older, but he’s still fun.” Chibnall admitted that Captain Jack’s return has been in the works for a very long time. “He’s funny, he’s dynamic, he’s a really important part of DOCTOR WHO history, and also, I knew we’d need a character who might help the family in the Doctor’s absence,” Chibnall said. “Plus, he has a particular perspective on the Doctor, and being with her, and being without her, or him. So he brings a lot of things to the table. And he has a great coat as well. I knew I really wanted Captain Jack to meet the Thirteenth Doctor – it’s well overdue.” But wait … is that kind of a spoiler? Did Chibnall just confirm that Captain Jack and the Thirteenth Doctor will physically meet? What do you have to say about it, Jodie Whittaker? With a chuckle, Whittaker replied, “I’m better at this – I’m not saying anything.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv