Capaldi may have had a mercifully large influence (or so we are imagining, for our own amusement) on the upcoming season of Doctor Who, but it seems there’s one area of the show where his amusing, probably imaginary iron fist doesn’t rule (yet).
Entertainment Weekly reports that although Season 8 will feature Daleks and Cybermen, Capaldi also has a soft spot in his heart for some of the more obscure villains of Whovian lore. “Axons appeared as these kind of god-like creatures, but underneath they were festering bags of flesh,” says Capaldi of the baddies from the 1971 episode “The Claws of Axos.”
I’d love to see a modern version of that. I’d also like to see—this is really one for geeks—the return of the Mondasian Cybermen. They came from the Planet Mondas and first appeared in [1966’s] ‘The Tenth Planet.’ They were absolutely terrifying, with cloth faces. That was really creepy.
Sadly, Moffat doesn’t share Capaldi’s enthusiasm for vintage villains. “I always thought the Axons had a natural resemblance to a BAFTA [the British equivalent of an Oscar]” says the showrunner, who is similarly dismissive of Mondasian Cybermen: “We’re not bringing those back, because they look like boys with [sweaters] pulled over their heads.”
(I think Moffat might be underestimating the potential impact of pulling a sweater over one’s head.) However, just because Capaldi isn’t getting his way doesn’t mean there are monstrous differences on set. Says Moffat: “We’re not having a fight about which kind of Cybermen are better!”
In addition to detailing what kinds of monsters fans shouldn’t expect in forthcoming episodes, Moffat has also revealed how Season 8 will handle Capaldi’s previous appearance in the Whovian universe, and it seems that Moffat is taking the lead of previous showrunner Russel T. Davies:
When Peter Capaldi turned up in Torchwood Russell said he had a plan in his head on why he looked like the guy in “The Fires of Pompeii.” So I emailed him and said what was the explanation and does it fit with the new Doctor? And it sort of does. So in a very low-key way we’ll address it. It won’t be a major deal because in the end people know the real reason is he’s played by the same actor.
What’s really worrying me is Karen Gillan in “The Fires of Pompeii.” That’s just inexplicable – I’m going to get to that eventually.
(via Doctor Who TV)
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