Latest news with #SpaceBabies
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Worst episode ever? Why Space Babies doomed Doctor Who
In space, nobody can hear you scream. But can they hear you gurgle? That was the question posed last year by the instantly divisive first full episode of Ncuti Gatwa's tenure as the Doctor. Arriving amid huge anticipation in May 2024 and on the heels of a solid debut by Gatwa in the 2023 Christmas Special, Space Babies marooned the titular Time Lord on a spaceship populated by… talking infants – plus a 'snot monster'. Some viewers were charmed by this tale of interstellar tots/snots. Others wondered if returning showrunner Russell T Davies, back after 14 years, was several microchips short of a sonic screwdriver. 'Space Babies was at the extreme end of light and fluffy,' says Rob Irwin, co-host of The Doctor Who Podcast. 'To be running around a spaceship with some babies and a 'snot monster' – who was really just misunderstood [he was revealed to be a pet] – put some fans off from the start.' Many never returned. Ratings for Davies's second tilt at Who have nose-dived ever since – a decline that has accelerated through the latest season, which reaches its finale this weekend. So sharp has been the spiral – down 800,000 on 2024 and two million fewer than the not-especially-loved Jodie Whittaker era – there is speculation that the BBC is to quietly put Who out to pasture, with Gatwa strongly rumoured as leaving while will make him the shortest serving Doctor since Christopher 'one and done' Eccleston in 2005). Are they 'soft cancelling' a show which, some feel, caused itself irreparable damage with the insufferably twee Space Babies? What's especially baffling is that Davies – who presided over the Doctor's glory years of 2005 to 2010 which gave us all-time great Who moments such as the Weeping Angels in Blink – did it all on purpose. Space Babies arrived early in the BBC's £80m deal with Disney to stream Doctor Who outside the UK and Ireland on Disney+ (and chip in on the budget). Eager to appeal – perhaps 'pander' is a better word – to a vast untapped audience of potential Whovians, Davies decided to go cuddly. He also apparently believed there was something innately hilarious about a spaceship full of talking babies, whose creepy CGI mouth movements allow them to be voiced by adult actors, including Sami Amber and Shola Olaitan-Ajiboye. 'I think the chance to do jokes – jokes like that on a bigger scale – is enormous fun,' Davies said. 'And let's face it, the freedom that I'm given and the trust I'm given by the BBC and by Disney+ is glorious.' 'Glorious' is not a word many fans have used about Space Babies, which arrived five months after Gatwa's official debut in the solid Christmas special, The Church on Ruby Road ('delightful' proclaimed the Telegraph). After the Doctor and new assistant, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), are catapulted through time to a space station, they encounter a robot guardian named NAN-E and a population of infants left behind on the abandoned structure. The babies can talk – in squeaky and very annoying voices – and tell the Doctor about the Bogeyman. The monster was created by the ship in a misguided attempt to entertain the children and is inevitably made out of actual bogies. Although NAN-E (revealed to be a Golda Rosheuvel's Jocelyn) wants to blast it out of the airlock – the fate suffered by HR Giger's Xenomorph at the end of Alien – the Doctor saves it, and the babies adopt it as a sort of disgusting pet. It wasn't supposed to be like this when the BBC announced Davies was coming back to Who. His predecessor Chris Chibnall had allowed the series to descend into a purgatory of claggy, meandering plots – dragged out over multiple episodes yet rarely approaching coherence. (Can anyone explain what the 'Lone Cyberman' arc was about? Even the Cyberman seemed confused.) Davies, by contrast, had a reputation for 'getting Who right'. As mentioned above, the Blink/Weeping Angels episode is considered one of the best in Who history (though it was actually written by Steven Moffat, who would succeed Davies as showrunner). He also gave us the terrifying 'Flood' aliens in 2008's Waters of Mars and teamed up the Daleks and Cybermen to winning effect with Army of Ghosts. That said, Space Babies wasn't breaking any hard and fast rules. Doctor Who has had some wacky concepts in its day: The farting Slitheens from Davies's 2005 episode, Aliens of London, the Adipose creatures made of human fat from 2008 (another Davies concept – is this a pattern?). I can't lie, Space Babies is downright restrained and tasteful compared to some of the comedy swings Russell T Davies has made in past. — Someone Called Kevin (@scribblesscript) May 14, 2024 But for sheer silliness Space Babies nonetheless took the interstellar biscuit – and a backlash against it has been building among the fanbase ever since, to the point where the episode arguably threatens to overshadow the entirety of the Gatwa era. Even for a character as long-established as the Doctor, first impressions count more than ever today – and Davies's revamped vision of the franchise was hard to take seriously. 'This isn't Dr Who. This is some of the worst TV I've ever seen. Seriously, the writing here is abysmal. I can't imagine how it could get any worse. Worse is not conceivable,' wrote one aghast fan on a Doctor Who forum. 'The poorest I have ever seen due mostly to plot and themes,' agreed another. 'Ncuti Gatwa needs better episodes written if he's going to stand the test of time. Massive budgets and charisma from Ncuti don't compensate for lame stories about space babies.' That isn't to say Space Babies is universally loathed. Some fans will argue passionately on its behalf. It has even been contended that the story is a moving metaphor for the plight of asylum seekers, caught – much like the babies in their space station – in limbo between their old and new lives. SPACE BABIES Writer: Russell T Davies Director: Julie Anne Robinson #DoctorWho — Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) March 31, 2024 'Underneath the snot and out-of-this-world peril of Space Babies, it's a story about searching for a chosen family,' argued Digital Spy's Jamie Windust. 'The babies are repeatedly referenced as being refugees, looking for love and connection at a time when they are in desperate fear of the big bad monster that hears every step they make.' And amidst all the hate and the occasional admiration, many Whovians take a more neutral view and acknowledge Space Babies has both strengths and weaknesses. 'I don't believe Space Babies to be the worst episode of Doctor Who or even in the bottom 20,' says Doctor Who podcaster Philip Edney. 'The production values are too high and some of the concepts are great. RTD has always started every season with a story that is a bit light and fluffy to hook audience.' One issue with the episode, he feels, is that it does not play to Gatwa's strengths. Quite the opposite – in expecting the actor to hold his own against a bunch of giggling babies, the script hangs him out to dry slightly. It exposes his limitations as an actor who can do emotion well but struggles to communicate the Time Lord's cerebral qualities, which is what you need when trying to maintain a straight face against a rampaging snot monster. 'I loved him in Sex Education. But the high-level camp energy of [his Sex Education character] Eric or the sad, thoughtful Eric were the only two things Ncuti seemed able to bring to the Doctor. Some other actors are able to lift his performance,' said Edney. 'But put him in a room with babies and you can really see his weakness. And, as it becomes apparent that he is going to cry in every episode, you start to wonder where the Doctor has gone.' Davies's error, many fans believe, was trying to appeal to a new audience while taking for granted the ardent Whoheads who have stuck by the show through good and bad. He also appeared to have buckled slightly under the pressure of re-imagining Doctor Who as a series that could thrive on streaming. And for what? Disney is rumoured to have been unhappy with Space Babies – to the point where executives judged it unfixable (in contrast to the Christmas special in which they had inserted a scene in which an inflatable snowman falls on the Doctor). There was no tweaking a story about talking babies and snot monsters – so they just let it out into the world, as Davies intended. 'Doctor Who had gone through three very weak years of story and an actor who struggled with poor scripts and knowing who her Doctor was,' says Edney, referring to Gatwa's predecessor Jodie Whittaker. 'The hope was that this new era was going to fix all the issues and bring back Doctor Who. But what we got was Space Babies. That is what broke people's hearts.'
Metro
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Doctor Who fans convinced unexpected character will change show forever
Doctor Who fans believe season one's episode Space Babies character Captain Poppy could change Doctor Who lore forever. Ncuti Gatwa's second season as the 15th Doctor is coming to a close with an epic two-part finale as he attempts to not only get Belinda (Varada Sethu) home, but save the Earth from total destruction – so business as usual. The latest couple of episodes have dropped some major twists and turns including the return of the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) for the first time in 60 years Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) revealing she is actually classic Who villain, The Rani – and promptly bi-generating into Archie Panjabi. Not to mentionthe threat of yet another Classic Who villain, Omega, being as the third 'Unholy Trinity' member. Needless to say, it has been a rollercoaster. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. But there is one character whose return has completely baffled fans as to how she will be involved – Space Babies character Captain Poppy. Keen-eyed fans spotted a mysterious cameo from Captain Poppy (portrayed by Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps) at the end of The Story and the Engine when she is seen by Belinda. Then, in The Interstellar Song Contest, some fans believe the name of the corrupt company sponsoring the show, Poppy Honey, is no coincidence and refers back to her. And in the latest episode, Wish World, she is the Doctor and Belinda's child after they are transformed into a married couple in Conrad's dystopian alternate reality. By the end of the episode, as the fictional reality crumbles, the Doctor even proclaims that Poppy, his daughter, is real. What's more, in November Anita confirmed that season two would recontextualise Space Babies at Comic Con Cardiff – whatever that means. For those who need a refresher, the season one premiere is set in 21506 where the Doctor and Ruby arrive on a seemingly abandoned space ship until they stumble upon a legion of intelligent babies in space led by Poppy who initially thinks the Doctor is her dad. The episode, which received mixed reviews from fans, seems to have been more relevant than any of us realised at the time – and there are plenty of ideas of exactly how she fits in. Reddit user ThelastoftheTzars theorised that Captain Poppy could be Susan's mother. 'Maybe when she made it off the ship she didn't have anyone so she decided to keep calling the Doctor her father. 'When she got older she heard of another Space baby that was abandoned and decided to adopt her so she wouldn't be alone. Poppy told her about her 'Father'.' The theory continues that perhaps, when she grew up, Susan attempted to find the Doctor and stumbled across the First Doctor (William Hartnell) rather than Ncuti's iteration and explains her connection to him. 'Given that we saw Poppy last week and Susan last night I am hoping that this theory proves correct,' the theory ended. And it is further bolstered by the idea that the name of the first ever Doctor Who episode which introduces Susan, An Unearthly Child, is a synonym for Space Baby. Another theory posed by Cool-Cover 23-27 outlines that Captain Poppy could be one of The Rani's experiments, considering her track record as a science genius. 'What if the Space Babies aren't just babies, but an experiment by the Rani/Mrs Flood to bring the Time Lords back from the dead?,' the user wonders, adding that she could even be a half-Time Lord, half Human using Belinda's DNA. They conclude: 'Captain Poppy is a Time Lord/human hybrid created from the DNA of the Doctor and Belinda—and she's actually a younger version of the Timeless Child discovered by Tecteun.' And finally another user Okay_Activity_6449 wondered whether the Space Babies power to make stories come true (such as creating the Bogeyman) will mean they were 'making stories about the Doctor being a hero who saves people.' The theory continues: 'Maybe these babies are telling stories about the doctor, stories coming to life… 'Can Belinda be a character from a fairytale who came to life because of a story told by Captain Poppy?' This would also tie into the idea that this entire season is fictional, considering Mrs Flood's fourth wall breaks and even the Doctor and Belinda meeting some Whovians in episode two, Lux. 'Poppy being the only thing he doesn't doubt, yeah she's definitely gonna be Susan's mother isn't she,' X user Becky speculated. And others agreed that perhaps Poppy could even be the Doctor if she becomes the child left for Tecteun to find – thus wrapping up the Timeless Chid mystery in a neat bow. More Trending Regardless of how exactly it plays out, fans are united behind one thing – that Captain Poppy is related to the Doctor and his Time Lord heritage in some shape or form. The synopsis for The Reality Way reads: 'Battle rages across the skies as the Unholy Trinity unleash their deadly ambition. The Doctor, Belinda and Ruby have to risk everything in the quest to save one innocent life.' Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday. This article was first published on May 19. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: Doctor Who star 'had his eye on' Fantastic Four role that went to Pedro Pascal MORE: Doctor Who fans convinced they've worked out what shock villain is plotting MORE: Doctor Who has fixed a big mistake – but it might be too late
Metro
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Doctor Who has fixed a big mistake – but it might be too late
Doctor Who is in a tricky spot right now, and waving their sonic screwdriver around won't save them this time. You see, the Doctor's facing a far deadlier enemy than a devious Dalek or a soulless Cyberman; they've got to battle declining viewership. Yes, sadly, while the reviews for the latest season have been more glowing than a regenerating Time Lord, the show isn't pulling in the viewers like it once did. This new season just hasn't been a ratings hit, having pulled in an average viewership of 2.93 million people (that's including the recent Christmas special). Now, those figures might not seem too bad, but it's a far cry from a few years ago, when it would regularly bring in 4-6 million people. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. So what's gone wrong? Well, as I've previously written, there are two main issues. The first is one of perception. People just don't think the new series is very good, and while there are a few reasons for that ( cough Space Babies cough ), I think it's fair to say it's a bit unfair. I know, Ncuti's had some clunkers – The Devil's Chord, Empire of Death, and Space Babies (of course) immediately spring to mind. Still, every Doctor has a stinky story or two, and for the most part, Ncuti's run has been solid. Were this the only problem, then I think Doctor Who might be able to regenerate from all the bad press, but the second problem is a little more existential. Honestly, the biggest problem is that people just don't watch TV like they used to, and in a world full of AAA TV shows, it's hard for Doctor Who to cut through. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video There's just so much content to watch and catch up on that if you don't make a splash, you're effectively dead in the water. Thankfully, the BBC seems to have finally realised there's a problem and is addressing the issue. It's been confirmed that next week's Season 15 finale isn't going to be unceremoniously dumped on iPlayer at 8am like other episodes. Instead, you're going to have to plonk your bum in front of the idiot's lantern (sorry, couldn't resist) at 7pm and watch it like we did in the good old days. To make things even more exciting, the BBC has also announced that the episode will be shown in UK cinemas. Now, you might not think that's thrilling, but as a fully paid-up TV nerd, it's music to my ears. Doctor Who, after all, should be one of the crown jewels in the BBC Saturday night schedule, along with Strictly. It's appointment viewing, not disposable streaming fodder. And I know that makes me sound pretentious, but you don't see HBO dropping The Last of Us early, do you? No. They make people wait because they know the value of their shows and that audiences will wait for them. By reducing Doctor Who to something to be streamed at your convenience, the BBC has unintentionally diminished the show's importance and prestige. It's the same thing that happened to Marvel movies and other Disney projects during the pandemic. They started releasing stuff on Premier Access, and diluted their brand's power as people started to see these shows and movies as 'just another thing on streaming'. More Trending After all, which of us hasn't seen something exclusive to streaming and thought, 'Oh, I must watch that,' then never got round to it because 'it's on streaming, it can wait.' I'm glad, then, to see Doctor Who restored to its pride of place on a Saturday night, and I just hope it's not too little, too late. Unfortunately, I think this may be a difficult genie to put back in the bottle, or to use a Doctor Who metaphor, tougher than getting a Dalek mutant back in its Mark 3 Travel Machine. View More » The reason I'm so cynical is that audiences are quick learners, and if they've learned that to think of Doctor Who as a streaming show, then it's going to be difficult (even for a Time Lord) to wind back the clock. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Extortionate train fares make it impossible to visit family – so I don't MORE: One bold but brilliant Doctor Who decision just saved the finale MORE: Celebrity Traitors star teases 'friendships went out the window' during filming
Metro
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Doctor Who boss has teased a secret villain - meet the 11 sinister suspects
Ncuti Gatwa's second season as the Doctor is almost at an end as he faces down his 'biggest threat yet' – the Unholy Trinity. After Mrs Flood's (Anita Dobson) dramatic bigeneration into The Rani (Archie Panjabi) at the end of the last episode we know they have already recruited Lucky Day conspiracy theorist Conrad into their nefarious plan. However, as showrunner Russell T Davies has confirmed – given that Mrs Flood and The Rani are essentially the same person – that leaves one more villain to stir from the depths of the show's 62-year history to come and haunt the Doctor and Belinda (Varada Sethu). Exactly how The Rani, her subservient counterpart Mrs Flood, Conrad and the mysterious final entity will destroy the earth – and with it the Doctor – remains to be seen. All we know right now is that it somehow involves Captain Poppy of Space Babies fame, the return of the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman, oh, and an exploding Tardis. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. So, business as usual? Of course, Doctor Who wouldn't be Doctor Who without Whovians posing their wildest theories that sometimes turn out to be right on the money (emphasis on the sometimes). And what's the point in this beloved sci-fi show without us all overthinking every hint dropped until we're proven woefully, woefully wrong. So, without further ado, here is who we believe is completing this evil triad – from the likely candidates to the outlandish and everything in between. We might as well get the most obvious guess over and done with. You can't have a huicy evil Time Lord showdown without the defining (kind of) evil Time Lord of Modern Who – Missy aka The Master. Conrad aside, there definitely seems to be a powerful female aesthetic to our Unholy Trio so far which lends well to Michelle Gomez's iteration of The Master making a comeback (rather than the inimitable Sacha Dhawan). This is further backed up by Gomez's presence at the Doctor Who premiere – also attended by Jo Martin's Fugitive Doctor who ended up making a sneaky cameo this season (with more to come…?). Nothing is off limits when you have over six decades of lore to delve into – as proven by Rani's return after 30 years. And so, naturally, we have to dig some Classic Who villains out from the debris and dust them off. For those not in the know, Omega is one of the founders of Time Lord society and ally to Rassilion (who we'll get to later). But his stature is even more relevant now we know about the Timeless Child and all the implications around how the Time Lords came into existence. The last we had heard, the intergalactic engineer who gave Gallifreyans the ability to time travel was dead, but hey, when has that ever stopped anyone in Doctor Who? Now, Russell T Davies is known for whipping out a wildcard villain and nothing says totally unexpected callback that will completely delight four Whovians like Mr Kandyman. Honestly, there's no real rhyme or reason for why this liquorice antagonist from 1988 would be the chosen one aside from The Rani aiming to confuse the Doctor so thoroughly that she successfully executes her plan. It's as good a reason as any! When it comes to the Doctor Who finale's Big Bad, you can never truly rule out the Doctor's ultimate nemesis – the Daleks. Or, in this case, their creator Davros. Especially if the theory that The Rani is attempting to create Time Lords is true, who better to team up with than a fellow maniacal visionary? And with Davros's knack for survival despite having large buildings crumble on top of him – we've no doubt he could make a reappearance. What's more, the Doctor himself, Ncuti Gatwa, has spoken about his dream to battle the Daleks. Could it finally be coming true? Sticking with the theme of Time Lord history, you can't get more iconic than Rassilon himself – the Lord President who the Doctor has had to defeat more than once. Both Russell T Davies and Steven Moffatt have brought Rassilon back into the reboot, most recently appearing in Hell Bent full of fury after being deposed as the top dog Essentially, he's got all the reasons in the universe to want to take the Doctor down a notch. Look, The Trickster has proven himself a formidable foe of Sarah Jane (and even the Doctor himself during David Tennant's 2009 special). Frankly, it would be epic to see him bring his full power to the main show. Especially as one of his brigade, The Time Beetle, caused such excellent havoc in season four episode Turn Left, just think the heights we could reach. It may be a long shot that some laugh off but The Trickster has real potential as the final ingredient in the Unholy Trinity. The Interstellar Song Contest introduced one of the most complex villain's of the show, Kid, who is tortured by the Doctor. In fact, during the episode he proclaims that he'll be back which is hardly an empty threat in Doctor Who. And if Mrs Flood can recruit Conrad, another familiar face from this season hell bent on revenge against the Doctor, then who is to say she couldn't easily bring Kid around? It would be especially interesting to see Doctor face more consequences for his behaviour and give a better resolution to this controversial loose thread. We already know Doctor Who legend Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) is returning in some shape or form after appearing in visions to the Doctor in The Interstellar Song Contest. But, could this simply be a trap for the Doctor to lure him right where The Rani needs him to be? Some eager-eyed people have pointed out that Russell T Davies has teased there is a 'third lying in wait, exactly 160 years away' which suspiciously lines up with when the First Doctor left Susan behind in the 22nd Century, promising to one day come back for her. Could it be a coincidence? Or is Susan not the loving and loyal granddaughter we remember her to be? Beep the Meep meets lots of the criteria to join the Unholy Trinity – a niche Classic Who villain with a grudge against the Doctor. And just like The Rani has made Mrs Flood her minion, perhaps Beep the Meep was ripe for the picking when it came to finding yet another subservient creature to stay by her side. Sure, it's a stretch, however, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Okay, maybe it is a little bit but don't say we didn't tell you so when Beep appears out of nowhere. Villengard may not be a person but who says it needs to be an individual foe? The weapons manufacturer that has followed the Doctor around throughout the reboot, most recently in Steven Moffat's Joy to the World, could very well be the final piece in The Rani's puzzle. Especially as Moffat himself said in an interview that he received the finale of season two to read over for 'reasons that will become apparent'. It also ties in with Belinda since it is one of her descendants who appears in Boom, yet another Moffat episode with a Villengard feature. Last, but certainly not least, we have the fan-favourite Trinity Wells who, as one X user Jax put it, is the literal 'harbinger of doom' that Davies has been warning us about. More Trending The news anchor has been with the human race through thick and thin – and it would certainly be a fun twist if such a familiar face was given an even bigger role than ever as part of the Unholy Trinity. We're not saying Trinity is a shoo-in as the mysterious villain but… we wouldn't bat an eye if she swaps the newsdesk out for universe-wide domination after everything she's been through. Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More »
Metro
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Doctor Who fans think they have cracked a major clue about the finale
Doctor Who fans think they have figured out how season one episode Space Babies will tie into the finale. Ncuti Gatwa's second season as the 15th Doctor is coming to a close with an epic two-part finale as he attempts to not only get Belinda (Varada Sethu) home, but save the Earth from total destruction – so business as usual. The latest couple of episodes have dropped some major twists and turns including the return of the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) for the first time in 60 years and Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) revealing she is actually classic Who villain, The Rani – and promptlybi-generating into Archie Panjabi. Not to mention Fugitive Doctor Jo Martin's surprise cameo and the promise of a third 'Unholy Trinity' member. Needless to say, its been a rollercoaster. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. But there is one character set to make a return that has left fans completely baffled as to how she will be involved – Space Babies character Captain Poppy. Keen-eyed fans will have spotted a mysterious cameo from Captain Poppy (portrayed by Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps) at the end of The Story and the Engine when she is spotted by Belinda. Then, in The Interstellar Song Contest, some fans believe the name of the corrupt company sponsoring the show, Poppy Honey, is no coincidence and refers back to her. And finally, Poppy appears in the official cast list released for the next episode, Wish World. So there's no doubt the season one premiere character will be playing a pivotal part in the events to unfold. In fact, in November, Anita confirmed that season two would recontextualise Space Babies at Comic Con Cardiff – whatever that means. For those who need a refresher, the season one premiere is set in 21506 where the Doctor and Ruby arrive on a seemingly abandoned space ship until they stumble upon a legion of intelligent babies in space led by Poppy who initially thinks the Doctor is her dad. The episode, which received mixed reviews from fans, seems to have been more relevant than any of us realised at the time – and there are plenty of ideas of exactly how she fits in. Reddit user ThelastoftheTzars theorised that Captain Poppy could be Susan's mother. 'Maybe when she made it off the ship she didn't have anyone so she decided to keep calling the Doctor her father. 'When she got older she heard of another Space baby that was abandoned and decided to adopt her so she wouldn't be alone. Poppy told her about her 'Father'.' The theory continues that perhaps, when she grew up, Susan attempted to find the Doctor and stumbled across the First Doctor (William Hartnell) rather than Ncuti's iteration and explains her connection to him. 'Given that we saw Poppy last week and Susan last night I am hoping that this theory proves correct,' the theory ended. And it is further bolstered by the idea that the name of the first ever Doctor Who episode which introduces Susan, An Unearthly Child, is a synonym for Space Baby. Another theory posed by Cool-Cover 23-27 outlines that Captain Poppy could be one of The Rani's experiment considering her track record as a science genius. 'What if the Space Babies aren't just babies, but an experiment by the Rani/Mrs Flood to bring the Time Lords back from the dead?,' the user wonders, adding that she could even be a half-Time Lord, half Human using Belinda's DNA. They conclude: 'Captain Poppy is a Time Lord/human hybrid created from the DNA of the Doctor and Belinda—and she's actually a younger version of the Timeless Child discovered by Tecteun.' And finally another user Okay_Activity_6449 wondered whether the Space Babies power to make stories come true (such as creating the Bogeyman) will mean they were 'making stories about the Doctor being a hero who saves people.' The theory continues: 'Maybe these babies are telling stories about the doctor, stories coming to life… 'Can Belinda be a character from a fairytale who came to life because of a story told by Captain Poppy?' More Trending This would also tie into the idea that this entire season is fictional, considering Mrs Flood's fourth wall breaks and even the Doctor and Belinda meeting some Whovians in episode two, Lux. Regardless of how exactly it plays out, fans are united behind one thing – that Captain Poppy is related to the Doctor and his Time Lord heritage in some shape and form. The synopsis for Wish World reads: 'Traps are sprung and old enemies unite as the Doctor and Belinda finally arrive home to find a very different world. Can the Doctor see the truth before midnight arrives?' View More » Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Doctor Who will continue even if Disney drops out – but there's a devastating catch MORE: Doctor Who fans are worried about Eurovision episode – but not for reasons you'd expect MORE: Ncuti Gatwa replaced by pop icon after pulling out as Eurovision Spokesperson
