Following the latest episode of Doctor Who, the New Year's Day special "Revolution of the Daleks," rumors began swirling that Jodie Whittaker, who portrays the Thirteenth Doctor on the BBC series, would be on her way out following the upcoming Season 13. While those rumors have yet to be confirmed, they do seem plausible given that Whittaker's predecessors all left the series after playing the Doctor for three seasons.
But before fans bid farewell to Whittaker and her tenure on the show, Doctor Who should finally unite the series' last four Doctors for one massive crossover event.
While Season 13 of Doctor Who is already in production, it was revealed that this next season will be shortened due to complications that stem from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This means that the season will only feature eight episodes, three less than each of the last two seasons. With fewer episodes to film, showrunner Chris Chibnall may have extra time to write the script for the season's holiday special -- which could end up being Whittaker's farewell episode. Having the actor leave the series at that point isn't unlikely, given that David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi all exited the series in holiday specials.
However, before Whittaker leaves, Doctor Who should take the opportunity to unite past Doctors for an exciting, world-shattering episode. Having multiple Doctors interact with one another isn't unheard of in Doctor Who, but it's also somewhat of a rare occurrence. In fact, in the series' modern relaunch, such an event only happened in the 50th anniversary special, 2013's "The Day of the Doctor," when Smith and Tennant shared the screen as the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors, respectively. It's been eight years since then, and now there are two more Doctors who could join the party.
With a new season of Doctor Who in production, the series may not get another chance like this. Before Whittaker leaves, the BBC could bring Capaldi, Smith and Tennant back so they can all share the screen with the Thirteenth Doctor. This would be a historic event no Whovian would want to miss, and the best part is that this could even tie into the larger narrative of the Timeless Child. In Season 12, the Doctor learned that she was the Timeless Child and had countless previous lives dating back to her arrival from another universe before the Time Lords even existed.
After such a revelation, the Doctor is going through an identity crisis. She has no idea who she is, and there is so much to learn about her origins, so having three other Doctors help her figure it all out would be a perfect conclusion to this story. On top of that, while it would be a powerful and emotional special for the Thirteenth Doctor, the best part is that it would allow for the return of three fan-favorite Doctors for one final episode.
Doctor Who stars Jodie Whittaker as the 13th iteration of the titular Time Lord. Whittaker is joined by co-stars Mandip Gill and John Bishop in a series helmed by showrunner Chris Chibnall. Season 13 is set to premiere later this year. All previous 12 seasons will stream on HBO Max.