For a show all about time travel, there are many Doctor Who fans who would love to jump in the TARDIS and head back in time before all the chaos began. Years before a disappointing Disney era, Ncuti Gatwa‘s controversial exit, declining ratings, and a new sour relationship between fans and returning showrunner Russell T. Davies saw the timey-wimey series put out to tender, Doctor Who fans enjoyed a retrospectively appreciated era led by star Peter Capaldi.
Capaldi was the second Doctor to fly the TARDIS during Steven Moffat‘s reign as showrunner, and is arguably the biggest fan of the series to ever hold a sonic screwdriver (or wear sonic sunglasses). Although there were mixed reviews for Capaldi’s time flying the TARDIS, there was no doubt that the actor brought an energy and enthusiasm to the role that only someone with the utmost respect and admiration for the series could. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that the man himself has spoken out about the show’s troubled times, and warned against those in charge not being suitable for such an iconic British institution.
Capaldi explained that there is only “a small group of professionals” that could take charge of Doctor Who during an interview on the Half the Picture podcast. Capaldi warned that BBC executives who “don’t really understand it” threaten to derail the show once more. It needs love,” he said, adding, “I sometimes think people in the BBC don’t really understand it. I think that’s kind of a problem. People don’t really know what it’s supposed to be.” He continued:
“That’s why the show is made by Russell and Steven and all that, because they love it, and they loved it from when they were little, and when it was not on they loved it. So they knew what it was [and] they knew what to bring to it. I don’t think there were any executives in the BBC [who] had a checklist of things that should be in it. It had to be left to Russell to do that. And there’ll be someone like that now.”
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
When Will ‘Doctor Who’ Return?
Although nothing is confirmed, the future of Doctor Who now feels secure, with a return on the horizon. According to reports, the series is eyeing a 2028 or 2029 return to the BBC, with Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio, through his production company, Hat Trick Mercurio, most likely to take over control of the TARDIS. Former showrunner Davies believes that a decision on the show would arrive sooner rather than later, saying, “You’ll start to see production with a brand-new Doctor, a brand-new companion, summer next year.”
The last season of Doctor Who is available to stream on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for all the latest updates.
Release Date
2005 – 2022-00-00
Network
BBC
Directors
Graeme Harper, Euros Lyn, Douglas Mackinnon, Jamie Magnus Stone, Charles Palmer, Rachel Talalay, Joe Ahearne, James Strong, Jamie Childs, Saul Metzstein, Toby Haynes, Wayne Che Yip, Nick Hurran, Richard Clark, James Hawes, Daniel Nettheim, Colin Teague, Keith Boak, Azhur Saleem, Adam Smith, Andrew Gunn, Nida Manzoor, Lawrence Gough, Paul Murphy
