This is going to be fun – the Doctor Who Series 11 trailers

Promos and trailers for Doctor Who since the show was revived in 2005 have had an interesting evolution. If you look way back at the material for 2005 and 2006 it’s often incredibly vague and focuses on Eccleston or Tennant mostly talking to the camera. They hint at the experience ahead; the clips are minimal and the theme tune backs their ominous words about the trip of a lifetime you will undertake following them on their travels. As the years went by the emphasis moved away from the Doctor and took on a more cinematic style with big monster reveals, landscape shots and a bombastic backing track usually provided by either Murray Gold or Two Steps from Hell, both masters of the overblown orchestral arrangement.

more recently the show’s teasers have gone too far in showing audiences what’s in store

While a few still hold up brilliantly well (Series 5’s still remains an adrenaline rush of anticipation while Series 4’s hits you right in the nostalgic sweet-spot) more recently the show’s teasers have gone too far in showing audiences what’s in store. The most notable example was Series 10’s trailer, which revealed far too much that clearly wasn’t meant to be revealed. It showed us all our major locations, monsters and, of course, it gave away John Simm while simultaneously not giving us the best impression of Pearl Mackie’s Bill. So much of what could have made for jaw dropping moments were scrapped out of fear of not attracting audiences. Evidently the marketing and creative sides hadn’t communicated well enough. So with over a decade of teasing audiences behind Doctor Who, has it learned to be a bit more conservative in hyping up its audience?

Well, after intense debate, failed petitions and screams that the show has become ruined by political correctness we have two teasers, the first released at the World Cup final and the second at San Diego Comic Con to give us a hint as to what is to come in the Jodie Whittaker era of the show. So, what has the show got for us this time?

We’ve not got a lot to go on. The first teaser essentially exists to show that the four leads can move their facial muscles while Jodie whizzes past them and occasionally hands out pizza and copies of the Beano. It is the definition of a teaser: here are your companions, all of whom are from the modern era, and here is Jodie in her costume. While it gives us little information the tone at least is reassuring. It’s light, it’s fun and there’s no great questioning of the Doctor’s morality, instead just Jodie’s perfect grin and the words: The Universe is Calling.

I can’t wait and would be completely fine not seeing any further promotional material

So far, so short on answers, the second teaser we got expands a bit more. We see Jodie both in her new costume and in Capaldi’s, there’s an emphasis on our new team exploring together, new horizons and a sense of adventure. Again, it’s minimal, but honestly is that a bad thing? Given we’ve had early reveals for so many years, having practically nothing at this point is refreshing. What we do see is good cinematography (there’s a much better sense of space than last season’s teasers which felt oddly crammed) and Whittaker clearly having fun with the role as she asks her new companions to be her friends. The sonic screwdriver is still in use, the Doctor is still eager to explore the universe and it feels like the beginning of a truly different era. Personally, I can’t wait and would be completely fine not seeing any further promotional material to whet my appetite.

On a final note, the reactions to the trailers have been somewhat predictable with many claiming that SJW’s and the PC brigade have seized control of the show now that there is a female Doctor and a racially diverse cast. For anyone nostalgic for the good old days before Doctor Who was politically correct, then this link should satisfy nicely.