Doctor Who season 11 is an ‘inclusive, accessible’ series for Whovians and newcomers alike

Doctor Who season 11’s inclusive storytelling will be a hit for both super-fans and newcomers to the iconic drama series.

Ahead of its premiere this fall on BBC America, Doctor Who cast members Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill were joined by executive producers Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens at San Diego Comic-Con for their first ever press conference together.

To kick off the discussion, Jodie Whittaker was asked to comment on whether she was nervous about taking on the role of the Doctor. “It’s a funny one because obviously it’s an iconic show,” she said. “This show is huge and it has an amazing, loyal fanbase, and it was obviously a nerve-wracking moment for the reveal to see how that reaction would land, and it seems positive.”

In Whittaker’s mind, being the first woman to play this iconic character allows for some freedom. “I think actually being the first woman to play the Doctor is incredibly liberating,” she said. “The rules are out the window because the most wonderful thing is you regenerate, so you can bring everything you, everything from previous, you know? You can make it your own.”

Doctor Who season 11 challenges and changes

When asked if the Doctor would face any challenges specifically because of gender, executive producer Chris Chibnall was quick to confirm that the character itself has not changed. “The Doctor’s still the Doctor… and I’m not sure that’s a gender-related issue. Certainly not from the way we’re writing it, and certainly not from the way it’s being performed,” he said. “The Doctor is that character who can walk into a room, and through force of personality and force of charm… will solve the problem, diffuse the problem, make everybody happy, and get out alive.”

A change that you’ll hear in Doctor Who season 11 is that the Doctor will refer those working alongside her as “friends” rather than as “companions.” Executive producers said that it’s not a rule within the Doctor Who universe for the word companion to be used, and that when the series first started, the Doctor actually referred to them as “assistants.” So why change companions to friends? Chibnall said that in a modern age, the word mates or friends just felt much more natural for the character.

What if you’ve never seen an episode of Doctor Who?

If you’ve never seen Doctor Who before, the cast and creators want you to know that you shouldn’t hesitate to jump into season 11. While yes, the series is very much for the fans, it’s also for people new to the universe. “You don’t need encyclopedic knowledge on the history of Doctor Who to be included in this journey,” Whittaker said. There are 10 standalone episodes that we’re told will have huge character arcs for the Doctor and her friends, but if you start watching in episode 4, there will be a complete adventure in episode 4.

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So, if you missed last night’s premiere, don’t worry about jumping right in with the show next Sunday. “You don’t need the fifty-year history to go with it,” Whittaker said. “Which is exciting for us, and also often daunting for us, you know, because we know what’s going on.”

Chibnall also wanted to give super-fans a challenge. “For all of the Doctor Who fans out there, we encourage you to go find that friend who’s never seen Doctor Who – that crazy friend – and get them into your front room for Jodie’s first episode and go, ‘This is why you should love this show.’”

Why the Doctor is the greatest character in the history of drama

So what can fans expect to see when Doctor Who returns this season? “It’s hopefully funny, scary, emotional, exciting, full of action-adventure, it’s cinematic, it’s epic, it’s got amazing actors, it’s got loads of brilliant guest actors coming in across the series,” Chibnall said. “I hope it’s as inclusive, accessible on-screen entertainment of a version of Doctor Who that we could possibly make. It’s really for us, it’s going: if you’ve never seen Doctor Who before and you came into it this year, I feel like our job is to convince people who’ve never seen it that it is the greatest idea television has ever had. The Doctor is the greatest character creation in the history of drama. And for people who love the show and know every episode of the show, it’s to give them a really concentrated hit of everything we know about Doctor Who.”

Watch a first-look of Doctor Who season 11 below:

Grab your non-Doctor Who watching friends and your Doctor Who-obsessed friends, and get ready for the Doctor Who season 11, airing Sundays on BBC America!