Russell T. Davies – who helmed Doctor Who from its renewal in 2005 to 2010 and is returning again next year to take over from current showrunner Chris Chibnall – has announced via an Instagram post that production has officially begun on the fourteenth season of the popular British sci-fi series.
With Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor bowing out later this year through two special outings, Davies must already be flexing his Whovian muscles to prepare for another epic run, whose prospects are already driving Doctor Who fans over the edge with excitement.
It’ll certainly be a while before Russell finishes assembling his old crew and brings new talent to fully take on season 14, but it seems that production is now well underway at Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff, Wales. Davies announced the occasion by sharing a new photo that features the showrunner’s unmistakable hairline and iconic glasses.
The official Instagram page for Doctor Who also reacted to the photo by posting a single googly-eyed emoji, and Russell responded in kind with a smirking one.
Doctor Who has been going through a bit of a rough patch due to all the controversies surrounding Chibnall’s tenure. Thus, the return of Davies, a writer who essentially proved to BBC that their long-running sci-fi series still has the potential to be extremely popular, is a monumental occasion for the fandom. Add that to all the recent scuttlebutt about David Tennant reprising his role as the Tenth Doctor and you’ll realize why fans are impatient for the next chapter.
That being said, we still have Whittaker’s regeneration to look forward to on New Year’s Day, so let’s hope that the current crew manages to stick the landing and deliver a worthy swansong to the first female Doctor in history.