Doctor Who Spinoffs I'd Love To See
Doctor Who is back! This coming Saturday sees the first new episode in absolute yoinks, and there's tons more to come. Returning showrunner Russell T. Davies has said one of his goals is to make more Who spinoffs, the same way RTD's previous stint was accompanied by Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. (Full disclosure: RTD gave a very generous cover blurb to my novel Victories Greater Than Death.)
As someone who thinks about Doctor Who all the time (it's true!) I've been musing about spin-offs I'd like to see. Here's a bunch. (Warning: Spoilers for old Doctor Who stories ahead...)
U.N.I.T.
There have been lots of reports that this is the most likely new spin-off, including a Deadline report from last March that cited official BBC sources. And I'm so on board. Jemma Redgrave is great as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and the groundwork has already been laid for former companions like Tegan or Ace to work as field agents. The concept sells itself: a paramilitary science organization deals with threats to Earth when the Doctor is off doing stuff elsewhere.
Note: I'm not including a Torchwood revival on this list, because it sounds like a U.N.I.T. spinoff is a done deal, and Torchwood and U.N.I.T. would cover a lot of the same territory — and Torchwood could easily appear on a U.N.I.T. show as a rival organization.
The Eighth Doctor
This is one that's been bandied about — basically, since Paul McGann only got to play the Doctor in one TV movie and one minisode, why not give him a show of his own? After all, he's been incredible in all the Big Finish audios. I have to admit, I don't quite see this one, because having two actors playing the Doctor on screen at the same time could be a mite confusing for casual viewers. And if any past Doctor could get their own show, I'd vote for the Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin). But this is one that people keep talking about, so I thought I'd mention it here.
The Paternoster Gang
Apparently this one has been a possibility at various times. For those who missed it, past showrunner Steven Moffat introduced a lady Silurian (Madame Vastra) and her human assistant/lover Jenny, living in Victorian England. They were eventually joined by Strax, an oddly peace-loving Sontaran warrior, and made several appearances during the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras, as well as some Big Finish audios. A lesbian dinosaur lady solving mysteries with her friends in Victorian England honestly just feels like a no-brainer. Why doesn't this exist already?
Clara and Lady Me: The Immortals
Another hold-over from the Moffat era. The Doctor's longtime companion Clara became immortal, teamed up with another immortal named Lady Me, and stole a TARDIS. And then... they were never seen again. I would give a few teeth (someone else's, natch) to see what happened to these two unkillable ladies who used to be human. How much trouble can they get up to? (How much you got?) The main question is whether the quite-busy Jenna Coleman would come back to play Clara again.
(Side note: Borusa's scheme in "The Five Doctors" seems increasingly silly, considering how easy it was for these two characters, along with Captain Jack Harkness, to become immortal. Five out of ten, Borusa!)
Porridge the Emperor
Neil Gaiman's second Doctor Who story introduced a genuinely fascinating character: a galactic emperor who decided to quit and go work at a circus, Hedgewick's World of Wonders, under the name Porridge. I stan a reluctant ruler! And watching this guy try to defend all the civilized worlds against alien armadas, when he'd really rather be sleeping in a barn and playing chess, would be super fun. Mostly, though, after falling in love with the TV show Willow and being supremely bummed that there's no second season, I want more of Warwick Davis as a tired, burned-out warrior who's still doing his best.
Clyde and Rani
I miss The Sarah Jane Adventures. So, so much. I'm still mourning the incredible Elisabeth Sladen, who meant so much to me as a child, too. My favorite characters in the show, apart from Sarah Jane herself, were the wise-cracking Clyde and the resourceful Rani. And the recent Tales of the Tardis episode with Clyde and Jo Grant made it clear that Clyde is in love with Rani. So now I want a TV show about Clyde and Rani as a couple who try to carry on Sarah Jane's work while also trying to figure out who they are to each other. Also, Rani could meet the latest incarnation of the Master, and sparks would fly! (Rani is played by Anjli Mohindra, whose romantic partner is current Master actor Sacha Dhiwan.)
The Masters
Speaking of the Master... Big Finish has already shown how fun it is to have different Masters team up/fight each other, plus there was that John Simm/Michelle Gomez crossover in Peter Capaldi's penultimate story. A TV series, or at least a miniseries, would be so fun! Basically, take the Simm/Gomez dynamic, and throw Sacha Dhiwan into the mix, and you've got wonderful chaos. I would each each episode five times.
Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer!
By all indications, this Saturday's Doctor Who episode is a retelling of the comic strip "The Star Beast" from Doctor Who Monthly. (Or maybe a homage? We'll see.) So on that subject, there's another Doctor Who Weekly/Monthly comic that I'd like to see adapted for the screen: Abslom Daak. Basically, Abslom Daak is a criminal who gets a choice between execution and being sent to kill Daleks. (Guess which he chooses.) He just goes around cutting up Daleks with a big chainsaw, and occasionally tangles with Draconians and other aliens. He eventually gathers a crew of rascals who become a kind of chosen family, including an Ice Warrior. It is SO FUN. (Though I would leave out the girlfriend in the refrigerator, please.)
Class
Besides Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures, there was one other Doctor Who spinoff: this lovely show about high-school students who have to clean up some messes the Doctor left behind. One of the students and one of the teachers are both refugees from the same genocide, and it gets intense for various reasons. (Mostly because the Twelfth Doctor does not clean up after himself very well.) I really loved this show, and I'm still not over the fact that it only got one season. It ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, plus I need to see what happened to these characters. Okay, so they wouldn't be teenagers anymore, but we could get a sequel with some new characters in the mix. Call it Class 2.0.
Martha and Mickey, Defenders of the Earth
And finally... this could just be part of a U.N.I.T. show, but I'd really love to see Martha Jones and Mickey Smith teaming up to save the Earth. They're both really fun characters, and we never got to see enough of their relationship. And I would watch Freema Agyeman do literally anything. She could boil eggs for an hour and I'd be into it. (Update: Several folks on social media have pointed out that Mickey might need to be recast for this show, for reasons.)
Something I Love Right Now
I've been fascinated with civil rights leader Bayard Rustin ever since I heard a soundbite of him at the start of Deep Dickollective's song "We Out." And now there's an extremely good biopic of him on Netflix, starring Colman Domingo, called Rustin. It focuses pretty much exclusively on his work organizing the 1963 March on Washington, and somewhat simplifies/softens his life before and afterward. But it's highly watchable and a great introduction to one of the most underexposed figures in the Civil Rights movement. If you want more info about Rustin, there's a wonderful book called Troublemaker For Justice from City Lights Publishing, which I was proud to blurb a few years ago. (Troublemaker For Justice is aimed at teens, but is also a quick and informative read for adults.)
My Stuff
On Dec. 5, I'm taking part in a discussion about the future at LiveWired in San Francisco, with Annalee Newitz and Yudhanjaya Wijeratne.
I wrote a YA space opera trilogy about queer kids who save the galaxy, and it would make me so happy if you bought it and shared it with your peeps. The first two books, Victories Greater Than Death and Promises Stronger Than Darkness, both won Locus Awards and were nominated for the Andre Norton and Lodestar awards respectively. The third book, Promises Stronger Than Darkness, came out in April.
Over in the Washington Post, I name my picks for the ten best science fiction and fantasy books of 2023. (Paywall-free link!)
I co-created a trans superhero for Marvel named Escapade. She's introduced in the 2022 pride issue, and she has further adventures in New Mutants Vol. 4 followed by New Mutants: Lethal Legion (preorder link.) I'm still really proud of the nine-part story we managed to tell about her, and I hope you get to check it out.
I'm still very proud of Never Say You Can't Survive, the book I wrote about using creative writing to get through tough times. And my short story collection, Even Greater Mistakes.