The annals of Doctor Who history.
Making their first appearance in 1972's The Sea Devils, the amphibian cousins of the Silurians will be returning as the Doctor's main threat for the first time since 1984's Warriors of the Deep. Alongside the aquatic menaces, Legend of the Sea Devils will also see the Doctor, Yaz, and Dan come up against Zheng Yi Sao, the most famous and prolific female pirate of all time, who unwittingly unleashes the creatures. The episode will air on BBC America on April 17 and is the second of three specials set to air in 2022 that will mark the end of the Thirteenth Doctor's era.
While the plot of the episode certainly sounds break-neck, it might not match up to the speed at which it was brainstormed. In Doctor Who Magazine (via RadioTimes), Ella Road describes how she was drafted into the writing partnership quickly and sped off to Chibnall's house in Wales, where the pair brainstormed plot ideas for 3 days. She outlines that she initially thought Chibnall would have a story prepared before she ed, but was surprised to find that she was actually being called in to help write it. You can find the full quote below:
"I was brought on board on the Thursday, and I was in Wales by the Monday, brainstorming with Chris and the amazing script editors, Becky [Roughan] and Caroline [Buckley]. So it was kind of an immediate entry into – literally! – deep-sea diving.
When they first called me up, I assumed they’d have a story and they wanted me to write the episode. But they also wanted me to help come up with the story, which was great.
We had three really intense days at the beginning, sitting in Chris' house in Wales, just coming up with stuff.
For fans of the show, this news could be unwelcome. While Legend of the Sea Devils certainly has an amazing premise, as Zheng Yi Sao is one of the few truly interesting historical figures Doctor Who hasn't portrayed, a rushed pre-production might not be comforting to those fans that have felt let down by the writing in recent years. Whittaker is herself a great actress, but critical and fan reception of her tenure has been far from favorable, owing mainly to weak storylines and decisions that retconned 60 years of series history. This has been matched by a steady decline in the ratings, with the New Year's Day special Eve of the Daleks pulling in some of the worst figures since the reboot era began.
However, it might not be all doom and gloom for Legend of the Sea Devils, as the presence of fresh writing talent might spark life into the story. Road has had considerable success as a playwright, winning an Olivier award for her debut The Phlebotomist in 2019, and has since penned episodes for Ten Percent, the British remake of Call My Agent. The fact that she was air-lifted into the Doctor Who writing process is therefore a good sign and with the return of a Legend of the Sea Devils might prove to be one of the best Whittaker episodes yet.
Source: RadioTimes