Doctor Who: Next and After Next

For the last two posts, I've added at the end some teaser clips of the Doctor trying to break through BBC programming. 

Some sneaky viral marketing to drum up interest in the forthcoming 13th season of Doctor Who. 

 Yes, there is still a forthcoming 13th season of Doctor Who to contend with. 

Sometime.

The spot running on BBC America has only updated itself from "later this year" to "coming soon". 

Still, no date for the premier of Doctor Who's 13th season.

There is a hint that date might be forthcoming fairly soon.

Jodie Whitaker is scheduled to appear on Graham Norton's show on October 15th.  Assuming she's there to promote Doctor Who, it seems likely there would be a premier date by the point. 

But is this where our interests truly lie?

Ever since the announcement that Russell T Davies is returning as showrunner in 2023, it seems most of the attention has been focused less on what happens next and what happens after next.

With Jodie Whitaker heading out the door with Chris Chibnall in 2022, Russell's first big decision has to be who will be the next Doctor? 

Is the answer to that question a done deal?

Recently, betting parlors taking bets on the next Doctor have shut down that particular subject to bet on.

It seems that speculation has firmly centered around the next Doctor as Olly Alexander. 

Now I've noted in the past that whoever you think will be the next person to pilot the TARDIS on Doctor Who will likely not be the next Doctor. 

The next Doctor is whoever you're not thinking about.  

Olly himself has said he's not going to be the next Doctor.

But...

Olly really impressed a lot of people with his role on It's A Sin, the recent TV project created and written by Russell T Davies.

And the last time RTD had to cast a new Doctor, he went back to someone he knew from a previous project: David Tennant from Casanova.  

With that in mind, Olly Alexander kind of makes sense as the next Doctor. 

But...

It is still too early for this to come out. 

I can see Russell not wanting to rain on  Chris Chibnall's parade by stealing the Doctor Who spotlight with a new Doctor casting announcement before Chibnall's season 13 even airs. 

I would expect that even if RTD does have his next Doctor all picked out, that he will try to keep the lid on that information until after season 13 is completed.  

As for Olly's denials, well, lying is part of the game before the reveal of a new Doctor. 

It could still be Olly Alexander. 

But since a lot of people think it will be Olly Alexander, odds are it will not be. 

Still, it seems the interest in what Chris Chibnall is doing next is not as intense as interest in what Russell T Davies is doing after next.