Christmas Special Idea?
So obviously by now most people have seen the speculation around David Tennant and Billie Piper potentially not being involved in the Christmas special due to scheduling conflicts and the apparent lack of filming windows before the end of the year.
But the thing is when the special was announced, nobody actually confirmed it would directly continue the cliffhanger, nor did they confirm Tennant or Piper would even appear. All they really confirmed was that there would be a Doctor Who Christmas Special. So realistically, the story could go in any direction.
Honestly, I think this could be the perfect opportunity to finally give Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor a proper onscreen special. She already seems actively involved with Doctor Who projects right now thanks to Circuit Breaker and Big Finish audios, so it wouldn’t feel out of nowhere at all.
You could even make it work naturally within the story. Imagine UNIT trying to contact the current Doctor after the cliffhanger, only to accidentally summon the Fugitive Doctor instead. She steps in to deal with the Christmas threat while also helping UNIT investigate what happened to the current Doctor, gradually uncovering clues that lead toward the bigger Piper storyline.
Then at the very end, you do a cliffhanger reveal teasing Piper’s return, setting up a Spring or Easter 2027 special once schedules line up properly.
Honestly, if there genuinely isn’t a fully locked-in long-term plan for the show beyond Christmas yet, a run of interconnected specials spread across a year might actually be the smartest route forward anyway. It keeps the franchise active, gives the production team breathing room, and lets them work around actor availability instead of forcing a rushed continuation.
And beyond all of that, it would finally give Jo Martin the spotlight she deserves. The Fugitive Doctor has massive untapped potential and it feels weird that such a popular incarnation has never properly led a full televised story of her own.