Is Doctor Who Stuck In A Time Loop? This Fan Theory Suggests So

Russell T. Davies returned as Doctor Who showrunner in time for the show’s 60th Anniversary. Davies’ initial stint as showrunner, between 2005 and 2010, was widely considered one of the best periods of the show, leading audiences to have high expectations for the rest of his current tenure. Around the same time that Davies returned, Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the next Doctor, first appearing in the 2023 Christmas Special, ‘The Church on Ruby Road.’

With the release of the 2024 Christmas special and the next season’s teaser, some fans have noticed a pattern occurring, which could have everything (or nothing_ to do with the trajectory of the show. Doctor Who is a show that has trained its fans to notice details, particularly during Davies’ first period as showrunner. Considering this, fans are keen to establish whether this emerging pattern is pure coincidence, or if it could have broader consequences for the Doctor.

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Is History Repeating Itself?

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Fifteen’s companions seemed to be mirroring the 10th Doctor’s companions from the beginning of New Who.

For those who haven’t watched the early seasons in a while, here’s a recap. At the beginning of the revival in 2005, the Doctor meets Rose Tyler, and they travel together for two seasons. Donna appears in the last scene of Season 2’s finale, ‘Doomsday,’ before featuring more prominently in the Christmas special, ‘The Runaway Bride.’ The Doctor’s second companion, Martha Jones, travels with him for just a single series, season 3, but makes a number of minor appearances going forward into season 4. Of course, the Doctor meets Donna again, and she is the primary companion for the show’s 4th season. But what does rehashing the past have to do with anything?

The first companion of the 15th Doctor was Ruby Sunday. It seems next season she’ll be taking the back foot, potentially as part of UNIT, making way for a new companion, Belinda, who was seen in the teaser trailer for the upcoming season. On the surface, this seems a perfectly ordinary transition between companions. That is, unless audiences look to the most recent Christmas special, ‘Joy to the World.’

During this episode, the Doctor spends a year living at the Sandringham Hotel in London, where he grows close with Anita Benn, a woman who works at the hotel. Fans enjoyed the relationship forged between the Doctor and Anita, and some speculated that she could be intended as a later companion.

This mirrors the initial pattern seen in the early seasons of the revival. Rose served as the companion, before a standalone meeting between the Doctor and Donna, followed by the introduction of Martha, only for Donna to return later as a full-time companion in her own season.

Digging deeper, there are more similarities between the companions. Some details are fairly arbitrary, like Rose and Ruby both being blondes whose names start with an R, named for shades of red. Both also spent at least part of their time with the Doctor searching for a parent who they had lost: Rose’s dead father, and Ruby’s birth mother.

Some details might have more weight, though: when Martha became the companion, Freema Agyeman had appeared in Doctor Who before, playing Torchwood employee Adeola in the previous season’s episode ‘Army of Ghosts.’ This was explained away in a comment by Martha, telling the Doctor that one of her cousins had worked, and died, at Canary Wharf during the Dalek invasion. Similarly, the actor playing Belinda, Varada Sethu, also appeared in the previous season, playing Mundy Flynn in the episode ‘Boom’. Will this reccurring face be explained in the upcoming season?

Does This Pattern Mean Anything?

The way the 15th Doctor’s story is playing out is not identical to that of 10. Rose Tyler had a longer run as companion, starting the show with the 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston). This means she had one season more than Ruby Sunday. Moreover, fans aren’t, broadly speaking, as connected to Ruby as they were to Rose, who remains a favorite to this day. Ruby’s arc has certainly felt less impactful than the ultimately devastating romantic overtones between Rose and the Doctor.

While Rose and Ruby’s arcs aren’t identical, there is enough to suggest that some kind of pattern is forming. Despite their differences, both explored similar themes of family and loss in their character arcs, and both were able to meet their lost parent as a result of meeting the Doctor. It’s not just Ruby that seems to trace Rose’s past either. Similar to the debacle with the new companions, many fans have compared the bounty hunter Rogue, the eponymous character from the episode ‘Rogue’, to Captain Jack Harkness, a popular recurring character from the early revival who later got his own spinoff with Torchwood. Perhaps these eerie similarities are designed to draw the audience in, asking them to question why this is happening.

Maybe the pattern has been created in order to be broken. It would be particularly interesting if the audience was led to believe history was repeating itself, only for there to be a twist that shatters the illusion. How could this work? We don’t yet know enough about Belinda, or perhaps Anita, to understand their motivations and allegiances. Either character could be presented as an amiable companion, only to later be revealed as something very different.

Should Russell T. Davies Continue As Showrunner?

Opinions always seem to be in flux about Doctor Who showrunners. Naturally, the huge audience for this show varies in its opinions about episodes and whole seasons. While Russell T. Davies is generally regarded positively for his work in the first years of the show’s revival, the jury is still out on his work on Doctor Who in recent years. Arguably, the audience should have some faith in him, given how good his past seasons have been, and wait to see what he does from here.

Davies’ earlier seasons could illuminate what is currently going on with the companions, and whether this cyclic pattern has any meaning. The early revival was rich with easily-overlooked details that tied together, revealing important information. Think ‘Bad Wolf’ in season 1, ‘Torchwood’ in season 2, ‘Vote Saxon’ in season 3, and the repeated references to the bees disappearing in season 4. The closest audiences have to this in the most recent season is the mysterious Mrs. Flood, and Susan Twist, a recurring actress whose name crops up throughout the series. These instances suggest that Davies has a bigger plan for the story, and that rarely should patterns be overlooked.

What Can We Expect From The Future?

From the teaser trailer, it’s clear that the next season will definitely feature both current companion Ruby Sunday, and a new companion, Belinda Chandra. Belinda seems at first reluctant to travel with the Doctor, but it’s unknown how her arc will develop from there. Whether the show will establish a link between Belinda and Mundy Flynn remains to be seen. Maybe we’ll even see more of Anita in later seasons.

The teaser for the new season shows an exciting glimpse into the convergence of old stories and new. Fans might want to keep this theory in mind when the new season airs, looking out for further similarities that could give insight into where the Doctor’s story is heading.

Season 15 of Doctor Who is expected in May 2025, on Disney+ and the BBC.

Doctor Who

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Release Date

December 25, 2023

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