Flux (Doctor Who)

The thirteenth series of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', known collectively as ''Flux'', was broadcast from 31 October to 5 December 2021. The series is the third and last to be led by Chris Chibnall as head writer and executive producer. It is the thirteenth to air following the programme's revival in 2005, and the thirty-ninth season overall. The series, initially announced in November 2019, was the last to be broadcast on Sunday nights, continuing the trend set by the previous two series. It was followed by three associated specials, all of which aired in 2022.

Jodie Whittaker returns for her third and final series as the Thirteenth Doctor, an incarnation of the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time and space in her ship, the TARDIS, which externally assumes the appearance of a British police box. The thirteenth series also stars Mandip Gill and John Bishop as the Doctor's travelling companions, playing Yasmin Khan and Dan Lewis, respectively. The series follows the Thirteenth Doctor and her companions as they navigate a universe-ending anomaly called the "Flux", while dealing with enemies and secrets from the Doctor's past.

The series consists of six episodes, which form a single story across the series. The six episodes were directed by Jamie Magnus Stone and Azhur Saleem; Stone returned from directing for the previous series, with Saleem directing as a new contributor. Chibnall wrote all six episodes of the series, co-writing one episode with Maxine Alderton, who also returned after writing for the previous series. Filming commenced in November 2020, and was completed by August 2021. The series has received generally positive reviews from critics.

Episodes

For the first time since ''The Trial of a Time Lord'' (1986), and the third time in the programme's history, the series tells one complete story across its entirety, rather than self-contained episodic stories. It is the second time where all episodes are encompassed by a single story number; ''The Key to Time'' (1978–79) maintained separate serial designations.

Casting

The series is the third to feature Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. Mandip Gill also returns as Yasmin Khan. Following the departures of Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole in "Revolution of the Daleks" (2021), John Bishop joined the cast for the series as Dan Lewis.

Jacob Anderson appears in a recurring role as Vinder. Jo Martin returned as the Fugitive Doctor in "Once, Upon Time", having last appeared in the twelfth series episodes "Fugitive of the Judoon" and "The Timeless Children" (2020). Additionally Jemma Redgrave reprises her role as Kate Stewart, a recurring character alongside the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, who was last seen in " The Zygon Invasion" / "The Zygon Inversion" (2015). Also appearing in recurring roles throughout the series are Thaddea Graham as Vinder's paramour Bel, Craige Els as the Lupari Karvanista, Rochenda Sandall and Sam Spruell as the villainous Ravagers Azure and Swarm, Annabel Scholey as Claire, and Kevin McNally as Professor Jericho.

Other guest actors in the series include Craig Parkinson as the Grand Serpent, Sara Powell as Mary Seacole, Gerald Kyd as General Logan, Penelope Ann McGhie as Mrs Hayward, Steve Oram as Joseph Williamson, Nadia Albina as Diane, Jonathan Watson as Commander Riskaw and Skaak, and Paul Broughton as Neville.

Production

Development

The thirteenth series was in development by November 2019, before the twelfth series premiered. In December of the same year, the ScreenSkills initiative announced an opportunity for an emerging writer to get a bursary and develop a spec script for an episode of the series, though with no guarantee of it eventually entering production. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on television, the series' production included only eight episodes, reduced from the previous eleven, with six episodes designated to the thirteenth series, with an additional two airing the following year (in addition to the BBC centenary special). Chibnall said that there were times when they thought they would be unable to do the show under COVID conditions, and because the only other alternative was "tiny little episodes in one room, with no monsters", they decided to do the biggest story they had done in their time on the series.

He would also later reveal on the ''Radio Free Skaro'' podcast that the series only narrowly escaped cancellation, with him and Whittaker turning down other job offers to make it work; he stated that there were times when the series was not going to be made and even one hour, at the least, when the series had effectively been axed.

The last episode of the three associated specials, which aired in 2022, would be Whittaker and Chibnall's last as star and executive producer respectively, with both Whittaker and Chibnall announcing their intention to leave the programme in July 2021, near the end of filming. Chibnall stated that both he and Whittaker had originally agreed to only do three series, and that "now our shift is done, and we're handing back the Tardis keys". Series composer Segun Akinola also left, saying that he planned to leave alongside the pair.

Writing

In April 2020, Chibnall confirmed that writing for the series had commenced and continued remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Chibnall wrote all six episodes of the series, co-writing the fourth episode with Maxine Alderton. Alderton, who had previously written for the twelfth series episode "The Haunting of Villa Diodati", was originally scheduled to be a major writer for the thirteenth series, with Ed Hime and Pete McTighe, both of whom had written for the eleventh and twelfth series, also writing episodes. However, Chibnall later told Doctor Who Magazine in an interview that they originally had some great writers scheduled, but with the series changing into one single serial with fewer episodes, the plans were greatly changed, to minimize turnaround.

Whittaker stated that in the series, the Doctor is "faced with a temptation of delving into the mysteries of her past", because "it's hard to go forward, if you don't know where you have come from". She stated that the series has labyrinthine layers, with the revelations spread out, as well as epic dramatic levels. She also liked working with recurring aliens such as the Ood, the Sontarans, and especially the Weeping Angels.

Chibnall stated that he wondered if people would expect that the series would begin with a sequence in a single room; he decided to open big by doing the "biggest action-effects sequence the show has ever done". He decided to start the sequence in medias res, to imply that Yaz and the Doctor have had many adventures since the end of the previous series. He also stated that he wanted to use more "studio-based spectacular set-pieces", to fill the lack of exotic locations due to COVID. The sequence was a combination of green-screen mixed with a CGI background, and VFX.

The Cybermen and Daleks also appeared in small appearances.

Filming

According to production executive Tracie Simpson, pre-production for the thirteenth series was originally set to begin in June 2020, with filming set for September 2020; however filming only eventually commenced in November 2020, and ran for ten months, even during the time the series trailer was dropped in July 2021 at San Diego Comic-Con. Jamie Magnus Stone directed the first, second, and fourth episodes, and Azhur Saleem directed the third, fifth, and sixth. Filming for the six episodes of the series, along with two of the 2022 specials, had concluded by the end of July 2021.

Stone stated in an interview that directing for the series felt different because of the serialisation and the lockdown. He praised the plan of the serialisation, as it allowed for more ambitious set builds, while reducing the use of interior locations. According to him, COVID presented some "curveballs" as well, due to cases causing crew shuffling, and the need to shoot it single-camera as opposed to multi-camera. He also said that because it was Whitaker's last series, he wanted to "do it justice". Stone also stated in a different interview that having to shoot at, or close to, location, gave the series a different mood, with the harshness of the November and December weather making the battle sequence in episode two feel even more realistic.

Production blocks were arranged as follows:

"Village of the Angels" was filmed separately from the other two episodes in the block, due to a late finalisation of the script.

Speaking to ''Doctor Who Magazine'', Stone and Saleem both stated that they liked working with the "Weeping Angels", because of a reversal which puts editing and negative spaces in the forefront of their terror.

Stone described a trick-shot, involving a mirror in episode four, which he felt really proud of. He filmed Scholey as Claire looking at her double through a mirror, which was moved in that single shot to Claire's face, while a statue was moved by the crew behind her, something they did throughout the episode. Stone stated that it allowed for extra tension, because the Angels moved not only on blinking, but whenever they moved out of focus. Saleem, just like Stone, liked the mirror shot, stating that shooting and witnessing Whitaker and Martin mirroring each other was, despite being "a simple thing", a "joy to witness". He stated that his block of filming lasted for 15 weeks.

Music

Segun Akinola returned to compose for the thirteenth series making it the third and final series to be scored by Akinola, as he left and was replaced by his predecessor Murray Gold. In an interview with ''Doctor Who Magazine'', Akinola revealed how he had composed the music for series 13. He stated that he knew that working on series 13 would be different due both to Covid and it being serialised.

According to him, for self-contained episodes, the story would have a "beginning, middle and end", which the music needs to convey; Flux forced him to alter his workload- because most of the themes had to be introduced in the beginning, especially the first episode itself. He said he enjoyed making the themes for the new guest stars, and making them fit in the overall 'serial' sound. He explained that since he began working with the show, each series' soundtrack had been an evolution of the previous one, with the serial format leading to an even bigger change.

He explained his creative process: he first composed themes for the series, and for the Doctor and her companions, with each episodic theme distinct and usually centered on the villain of the story. For Flux's serial format, he stated that he had to change it up- the episodic themes were composed to be similar in nature and flow into each other; any difference in the music elements was also emphasised in the series' theme for the episode.

Speaking of Flux in particular, Akinola stated that the changes they made included a greater use of synth, which they also used in a more foregrounded way, and the use of orchestral elements in each and every episode. The social distancing required made him use experiment with his use of string instruments, with a greater use of brass, and the experimental combining of string and audio manipulation. Akinola felt that this helped heighten the "tension and suspense" and helped achieve a larger-scale sound. Akinola himself played the piano, which he featured more, and with a greater spread, which means he usually "pops up" somewhere on the scores.

Release

Promotion

The series was first promoted at San Diego Comic-Con on 25 July 2021, where the first teaser trailer was released. A second trailer was released on 15 October 2021, during an episode of ''The Graham Norton Show,'' with Whittaker appearing.

Throughout October 2021, a Sontaran ship was projected over Liverpool, and the Doctor's "phone number" was released in a promotional message. On 8 October 2021, the social media accounts for ''Doctor Who'' went offline. A teaser had been shown beforehand for the previous week on various BBC shows, which showed the Doctor urgently asking, "Can you hear me?" with static and interference obscuring the video. All accounts had been restored by the next day.

Other sources of promotion included images of upcoming guest stars, episodic promos, the ''Doctor Who Magazine'', and interviews with Whitaker.

Broadcast

The series premiered on 31 October 2021 on BBC One, and aired through 5 December 2021. The six-episode series is collectively referred to under the subtitle ''Flux''. In the United States the series aired the same day on BBC America, while the streaming service AMC+ carried the streaming video on demand rights to new episodes. In Australia episodes were released same-day on ABC iview and broadcast on ABC TV Plus.

In May 2017, it was announced that due to the terms of a deal between BBC Worldwide and SMG Pictures in China, the company has first right of refusal on the purchase for the Chinese market of future series of the programme until and including Series 15. In October 2019, a deal was made between HBO Max and BBC for an additional two series of ''Doctor Who'', including the thirteenth and fourteenth series.

Home media

On 24 January 2022, the entirety of Series 13 was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 2. The release contained supplementary "special features", which included behind-the-scenes footage, the series trailer, a vlog and an audio commentary for the second episode. Releases in Region 1 and Region 4 followed afterwards on 15 February 2022 and 16 March 2022 respectively.

A release collecting all of Whittaker's episodes (including "Twice Upon a Time") was released exclusively for Region 1 following her regeneration and the end of her tenure as the Doctor. The DVD was released on 25 April 2023, and the Blu-ray following on 5 November 2024.

Soundtrack

30 selected pieces of score from this series as composed by Akinola was released on digital music platforms on 30 September 2022 by Silva Screen Records, and was released on a 3-CD set on 11 November 2022. The physical release of the soundtrack includes twelve selected pieces of score from "Revolution of the Daleks" as the third disc, which were originally released on digital music platforms on 2 January 2021.

Reception

Ratings

The highest viewed episode of the serial was episode 1 "The Halloween Apocalypse" with 5.8 million viewers in its first week, with the lowest being episode 4 "Village of the Angels" with 4.5 million viewers. The average approval rate of the series was 77/100, according to the Appreciation Index, with all episodes scoring in the 70s. The highest scoring being "Village of the Angels" with a 79, and the lowest scoring being "Once, Upon Time" with a 75.

The serial did moderately well, finishing in the top 25 every week, achieving a maximum of being the 8th highest watched show with the eighth episode. In terms of overnight viewership (which were shared by ''BBC News'' entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba via Twitter), "The Halloween Apocalypse" had about 400,000 less than the series 12 premier " Spyfall", having netted 4.4 million viewers. The other episodes had overnight numbers of 3.5-4 million.

Critical reception

''Doctor Who''s thirteenth series has received positive reviews from critics. Series 13 holds an 82% critic approval rating on online review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 6/10, based on 52 critic reviews. Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 from six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Critics were divided on the series, with most disliking it, but also finding some elements they liked, many of which were stated to be usual to Chibnall's writing. The massive number of underutilised characters was criticised, along with the overuse of exposition, and under-emphasised emotional beats.

Some reviewers also felt that the villains were built up as "big bads", but were then easily dispatched in the end; they also mention the Flux, and how it seems no one, including the Doctor, seems to care about the destruction to space and life that has been caused due to its effect. The serial form of the series was also noted, some disliking it and finding it to lack consistency and cohesion, while others felt that it allowed Chibnall to play to his strength of interweaving and writing strong cliffhangers. The feat of filming and releasing the series during the pandemic was also praised by many reviewers.

Chris Allcock, in his review of episode six for ''Den of Geek'' states that it's "maddening" that either Chibnall does not care about the aftermath of the Flux, or has mistakenly given us that impression. He characterised the series as containing some of Chibnall's best episodes, but still showing "a total disdain for picking up after itself", something the audience will watch once, laugh, and "forget it as soon as it ends". ''A.V. Clubs Caroline Siede states that even though Chibnall can write "really solid character scenes", they feel secondary due to the overcrowded plot. She felt that Karvanista being a former companion felt devastating, and that the Doctor apologizing to Yaz for keeping things from her the "single best character scene" in Chibnall's time as showrunner. Patrick Mulkern of ''Radio Times'', in his review for episode six, had a favourable view of the series, feeling that the series "chucked everything into the mix." He found the Ravagers to be memorable, with outstanding performances from the actors along with great costuming, masks and make-up. According to him, Flux trod an eventful path- frenetic, but still giving its characters time to develop and breathe.

Huw Fullerton in his series review for ''Radio Times'', felt that it was Chibnall's best run of episodes, with an "all-time classic episode" in "Village of the Angels". He thought the series was a "cohesive, dynamic and entertaining whole" with a "frenetic, breakneck pace". However, he did feel the serial format had some downsides, with few episodes having "a distinct identity", and that though he thinks ''Flux'' is the best single series, it "doesn't contain the best episodes". He concluded by saying he found ''Flux'' funny and "full of spectacle", with some of the "best guest stars" ever in the show, with Kevin McNally and Craige Els as Jericho and Karvanista in particular. He also said John Bishop's new companion Dan won him over. He gave the series a score of 3/5 stars.

In their ranking of the series of the revived era, both ''Screen Rant''s Edward Cleary and ''Digital Spy''s Morgan Jeffery and Rebecca Cook ranked the series the lowest of the revived era, while considering it Whittaker's best performance as the Doctor. They also felt that the ambition to make the series during the pandemic was "commendable". Cleary thought the series felt anti-climatic and that the ending "doesn't pay off", while Jeffery and Cook criticised the writing and lack of direction, calling it "somewhat incomprehensible".

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

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