Russell T Davies wanted to prove 'Doctor Who' hasn't "severed its roots" since moving to Disney.
Russell T Davies wanted to reassure Doctor Who fans after Disney deal
The iconic BBC sci fi show returned earlier this year for its 14th season with Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in the TARDIS, and the showrunner has explained his logic in bringing back Sutekh the Destroyer in 'The Legend of Ruby Sunday' with the series now being co-produced by Disney+.
He told Doctor Who Magazine: "Being on Disney Plus now, this is a very deliberate choice to bring back an old BBC enemy – we've even cast the same actor [Gabriel Woolf] – to prove that the show hasn't severed its roots.
"To delve into your backstory is a very fine thing. That's thrilling for new viewers, and for old viewers, it's a great reward."
Russell was "fascinated" after speaking to a producer friend Nicola Shindler, who was "so excited" by Agatha Harkness appearing in 'WandaVision'.
He recalled: "I asked her, 'Do you know who Agatha Harkness is?' She went, 'No, I've no idea!'
"And I'm fascinated by that – that you can introduce a character from the lore, who a modern viewer doesn't know, and yet they get the thrill of it."
He pointed out that the modern world makes it much easier to bring back classic characters, as "the internet will do your work for you".
He added: "In the old days, you could feasibly have said, 'Will people know who Sutekh is?'
"Now, it's on our official site. It's on our Instagram posts. Type in the word 'Sutekh' and there's an entire Wikipedia article, full of the history."
Meanwhile, the BBC heaped praise on 'Doctor Who' in its annual report this week, with "huge audiences" on iPlayer, and the introduction of the Whoniverse as a "dedicated home for all shows within the orbit of Doctor Who".
The report also noted that BBC and Disney had come "together to transform Doctor Who into a global franchise for UK audiences and the rest of the world".
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