The BBC Releases First Look At ‘Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew’ Animated Series
by Erik Amaya
While the future of Doctor Who as a live-action series is still being decided, an animated adventure is readying to materialize.
Although it has been in the works since the last Disney season of Doctor Who aired, the British Broadcasting Corporation released a first look at the upcoming Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew animated series on Wednesday. It is, of course, a single image and we expect the usual clamor about the art style will erupt once it goes wide:
Intended for preschool-aged children, TARDIS Crew will follow a younger version of The Doctor and new friends Hannah, Beastie and Toast-IE as they “embark on extraordinary adventures through time and space.” Along the way, they will see startling things, including the Daleks, as the program celebrates “curiosity, courage and kindness, encouraging young viewers to explore new ideas, solve problems and embrace the unexpected,” per the BBC’s own description.
Produced by Blue Zoo Animation Studio, the program will feature 52 eleven-minute episodes guided by series director Dominic Minns.
Admittedly, this is a strange one for long-time Who fans. Like Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures and Star Trek: Prodigy, the intended audience is not the established cohort with several decades of life experience. It is, instead, focused on youngsters who don’t know a Time War from a Reality War or a Cyberman from a Borg. The art style, pace, and subject matter will be attuned to that sensibility and, perhaps, create a new generation of fans willing to travel with the other Doctors. Nevertheless, we expect the usual arguments, continuity concerns, and questions that seem to follow any Doctor Who project.
At the same time, while this isn’t aimed at this particular fan, it’s heartening to see the BBC understand that the show cannot remain dormant like it did in the 1990s. Creating a child-focused Who spinoff is the best way to secure a future while the adults squabble about how and when a live-action series should be.
Of course, it remains to be seen how TARDIS Crew will turn out. The program is schedule to run on the BBC’s child-focused CBeebies sometime in 2027 or 2028.