One of the relatively straightforward parts of Doctor Who lore is the linear progression of how the show’s main character changes over time. However, even that has become more complicated in recent years. After former showrunner Chris Chibnall introduced a string of Doctors from before William Hartnell’s original version from 1963, Russell T Davies then made this even more complex by inventing the concept of bi-generation in 2023’s “The Giggle.” While recording a commentary for the final episode of Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary trilogy, Davies explained what he saw as a hidden quirk of the Doctor splitting in two, and his bizarre theory deepens the mystery even further of what was once a relatively easy timeline to follow.
The concept of regeneration was added to Doctor Who canon when Hartnell stepped aside as the Doctor, and the BBC wanted to keep the show going. From there, many other actors have come and gone from the sought-after role, meaning there have been many sequences that show the Doctor’s transition between faces. That said, there have been a few occasions where the show reveals there is more to the Doctor’s string of regenerations than meets the eye, and that secret versions of the character can be slotted in at different points.
The best example of a time when this worked well was when Steven Moffat revealed a new version of the Doctor who had secretly existed between Paul McGann’s Eighth and Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth. John Hurt’s War Doctor was a huge part of Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary special in 2013, “The Day of the Doctor,” and the plot holes that could have resulted from such a radical twist were expertly patched. A decade before “The Day of the Doctor,” another iteration of the Time Lord popped up, and many Whovians may still be unaware he even exists. While this 2003 addition to the Doctor’s timeline stopped making sense when Davies rebooted the show in 2025, the showrunner’s comments about bi-generation in “The Giggle” may have now resolved a wild paradox.
Richard E. Grant Was the Original Ninth Doctor When ‘Scream of the Shalka’ Premiered
Doctor Who managed to find a cool way to celebrate the show’s 40th anniversary, despite not being on the air at the time. An animated miniseries was released on the BBC’s website in 2003, featuring a story initially intended to be part of the main canon. Richard E. Grant voiced the character who was originally intended to be the Ninth Doctor in a six-episode adventure. However, the project was generally deemed retconned when Christopher Eccleston debuted as the Ninth Doctor in 2005, upon the show’s return. This relegated the Shalka Doctor to the realm of non-canon Doctor Who stories, and Grant’s version of the Time Lord became little more than a fun warm-up for the show’s true comeback.
Then, Davies surprised everyone during Ncuti Gatwa’s first season as the Fifteenth Doctor. In “Rogue,” Grant’s face shows up among the holographic faces of other actors who have stepped into the shoes of Doctor Who‘s main character. It’s not a moment that’s highlighted in any real way, but it’s unmistakably Richard E. Grant, implying that the Shalka Doctor is still an official part of the character’s larger timeline. If so, and there’s no reason to believe this isn’t the case, then that means there are two Ninth Doctors: Richard E. Grant and Christopher Eccleston.
Once believed to have been the immediate predecessor of Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor, Eccleston’s place in the timeline has now been shifted twice. The War Doctor technically made Eccleston’s Time Lord the Tenth iteration, and Grant moves Eccleston along even further into the Eleventh slot. Still, the numbering system has been arbitrary for a while now, and recent trends make it more than possible that other Doctors have existed between the more renowned ones. So, it would only be confusing to strip Eccleston’s Doctor of his title as Nine, but it can’t be ignored that the designation probably belongs just as much to the iteration from Scream of the Shalka.
RTD’s Bi-Generation Theory Provides the Best Explanation for Why There Are 2 Ninth Doctors
On the commentary track for “The Giggle,” the episode that saw David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor bi-generate to spawn Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth, Davies explained that, in his opinion, every version of the Doctor bi-generated at once when it happened in the 2023 special. In other words, while it might not have happened originally, each Doctor’s regeneration sequence is now retroactively a bi-generation sequence, allowing every injured version of the Doctor to heal while creating a new and separate version at the same time. The new iteration would then go off to have their own adventures, just as Fifteen did when he and Fourteen parted ways at the end of “The Giggle.”
Assuming that Davies’ theory is correct, and focusing specifically on where in the timeline the Shalka Doctor would show up, it would make sense if either the Eighth Doctor’s bi-generation sequence, or possibly the War Doctor’s, would open the door for where Grant’s version of the Time Lord would enter the fray. If the Shalka Doctor emerged from either Eight or War, he would have a legitimate claim to being the Ninth Doctor, and so his original designation would make sense. Then, when the War Doctor went on to regenerate traditionally, that’s where Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor would come into existence. It’s a complex chain of possibilities to imagine, but an interesting one.
RTD’s Bi-Generation Theory Raises More Questions Than Answers
As a one-off quirk, bi-generation is an intriguing Doctor Who twist. The fact that even the Doctor seems confused by the event proves how unlikely it was to ever happen. If it had been contained to an isolated occurrence, it would have been an even better moment, but after the Rani bi-generated in Gatwa’s second season, things stopped being quite so self-contained and unique. Now, it almost seems as though any Time Lord could bi-generate any time near the end of their life, which removes some of the peril that’s implied by the suggestion that a version of the Doctor is about to “die.”
Although Davies’ view on how bi-generation impacts a Time Lord’s entire chain of faces is certainly a compelling one, officially integrating that theory into the main canon would open up far too many plot holes, with potentially infinite Doctors unaccounted for. It seems like a great addition on paper, but in practice, it would quickly spiral out of control. Instead, it’s better to leave the mystery of the Shalka Doctor untouched, avoiding the potential damage to the timeline of Doctor Who‘s alien protagonist.
- Release Date
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May 11, 2024
- Network
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BBC One
- Directors
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Alex Pillai, Peter Hoar, Ben Chessell, Julie Anne Robinson, Jamie Donoughue, Amanda Brotchie, Dylan Holmes Williams
- Writers
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Steven Moffat, Pete McTighe, Kate Herron, Inua Ellams, Juno Dawson
- Franchise(s)
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Doctor Who / Whoniverse