The First Look At The 'Doctor Who' Holiday Special Shows A Team Divided

It's been a very long year since fans last saw the Doctor Who fam in the Season 12 finale in March. The series ended on a cliffhanger, as the Judoon catch up with the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), imprisoning her for crimes committed during a period of her life she cannot recall. The three companions, Yaz (Mandip Gill), Ryan (Tosin Cole), and Graham (Bradley Walsh), settle in at home, believing this to be a short break. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, the Doctor is trapped in a far-away Maximum Containment prison for life, with no hope of rescue.

Season 12 already shook the show's foundations up by introducing this massive raft of extra Doctors, including the "Morbius Doctors" faces that previously had been considered canonical errors. Leaving the companions to function Doctorless for the holiday special was just another step in changing the expected norms.

That's not to say the show hasn't done things like this before. Companions have been doing it for themselves even as far back as Classic Who with Sarah Jane. (One could argue that the spinoffs The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood were entire shows based on the notion.) But this is the first case where the Companions already functioned as a team before danger struck. (Whereas in other situations, Companions usually have to build a team or find each other before getting started.) Moreover, this time, they'll be facing down a villain who is traditionally reserved only for the Doctor (or other Timelords): The Daleks.

The first images from the Holiday special show the Doctor has been imprisoned for a long time.

As for the fam, this is the ultimate "discuss it around the kitchen table" situation.

The BBC released these photos at the New York Comic-Con Doctor Who virtual panel, along with a synopsis of the Holiday special. Whittaker, Gill, and Walsh attempted not to give away any spoilers during their interview with TV critic Melanie McFarland. Check out the full discussion below.