What’s Hiding In the First Doctor Who Series 9 Image?

Katie Gribble is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

So the new promo picture for Doctor Who Series 9 has been released by the BBC and, as with every year, it’s time to spot the series in the image. What’s in the picture (above, or full resolution here) and what could it possibly mean for the Doctor and Clara in the upcoming weeks?

Gallifrey?

An obscure planet hovers in the top left hand corner of the image. But which planet is it? Could it be Gallifrey?

We know that series nine will answer some questions about the Twelfth Doctor’s brief appearance in The Day of the Doctor which saw him join his other selves attempting to save Gallifrey. We know that Gallifrey is out there somewhere, as stated in Death in Heaven during the brief conversation in the plane’s hold:

The Doctor: Gallifrey’s lost in another dimension.

Missy: Yes and no.

The Doctor: Meaning?

Missy: Yes, it’s in another dimension. No, it’s not lost.

And we saw the Doctor at the end of Death in Heaven fly the TARDIS to the galactic coordinates only to find nothing where his home might have been. That scene was one of the most powerful of the series and showed a side of the Doctor that the audience is rarely shown.

There are other arguments for the planet being Gallifrey due to the colour resembling the red tinge of the blazing home of the Time Lords resembling what we saw in The End of Time. Some have argued that the planets transparency represents the fact that it’s lost. Trapped in another dimension which the Doctor is yet to find.

Attire

The character’s clothing. The Doctor’s jacket is making a welcome return but otherwise the Doctor seems to be settling into his rebel phase. The hoodie and scruffy checked trousers bring a casual look to the Doctor who, even in Matt Smith’s time, still had a kind of uniform or set costume. We know that Peter Capaldi has been a Doctor Who fan since the beginning, and we know that he likes to have a big influence on the Twelfth Doctor’s sartorial stylings, so it comes as no surprise to see a pair of checked trousers turning up in his wardrobe, a clear nod to the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton.

Meanwhile, Clara’s checked dress has been proposed as something that Susan might wear. It’s style is very 60s and is probably just a nod to the show’s past, but could it be more?

Clara

Continuing with the constant Clara Oswald, she is now apparently properly back with the Doctor. Travelling through time and space, in the glory years of their partnership. Just look at the expression on Clara’s face. Will this series bring the long needed fun romp for the Doctor and his companion or will it lead to something all the more sinister?

Pompeii?

The huge explosion and the mountain in the background bring about images of Pompeii.  We know of rumours that the mystery of Peter’s recurring appearances in the Doctor Who universe is likely to be addressed in series nine, and The Fires of Pompeii would obviously fit into the group of episodes which need to be explained. As we know, before he was cast as the Doctor, Peter played Roman merchant Lucius Caecilius Iucundus opposite David Tennant in the season four episode. Will this mystery be solved in series 9? Only time will tell.

The Rest…

What else can you see in the picture? What other secrets does it hide? Whatever is this?

All I know is that this little teaser has made me so much more excited for the show and 19th September can not come soon enough!

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