Davies talks “Sarah Jane”, “Doctor Who”

Last week, we reported on comments made by outgoing “Doctor Who” producer Russell T. Davies on who he thinks would be an ideal replacement for current Doctor David Tennant. Of course, that assumes that Tennant is thinking of leaving the role, which despite persistant rumors, the actor has shown few, if any, signs of leaving the iconic role.

“David may never leave, he could go on forever,” Davies said. “I haven’t talked to him about leaving. Maybe it will never happen. Maybe he’ll be 70 and have to be taken off the set.”

“David has brought everything to ‘Doctor Who,'” added Davies.

However, just to keep audiences guessing, Davies said that he’s considering not having an advance screening of this year’s Christmas special, entitled “The Next Doctor.”

“We don’t think anyone will be able to keep it secret,” Davies hinted, discussing a plot twist in the show’s final moments. Will it be Tennant regenerating or something else to keep audiences on the edge of their seat for next year’s specials? Looks like we’ll have to wait until Christmas to find out.

Between now and then, UK audiences will be able to keep their hunger for new stories in the “Doctor Who” universe satisfied with the second series of the popular “The Sarah Jane Chronicles.”

Entering its second season, Davies say he believes the fan base is a year older and readier for the second season to be a bit more “complex” and “dark.”

“They get the mythology and want to see things dealt with in detail. So the scripts for this second series are a little more complex,” he said. “Kids love dark. I think it’s only adults watching who worry about that. Harry Potter gets as dark as hell in some places. All the great fairytales and myths are full of loss and longing. You’re an idiot if you remember childhood as just laughing, running about and having a good time. But I think it’s a job of good children’s drama to include the full range of emotions, which also includes happiness.”

And while the series is a spin-off from “Doctor Who” and features a former companion in the lead, having the Doctor on the show may not happen in the near future.

“I don’t think that would be wrong, not at all. It doesn’t happen in this series partly because you want the series to stand on its own two feet. We might consider it in the future, but it’s certainly not the first thing on our agenda,” said Davies.

However, that doesn’t mean that other former companions and villians won’t show up. This year, the popular character Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart played by Nicholas Courtney will put in a guest appearance as do the menacing Sontarans. However, Davies says he is being careful to not put too many of the old school “Doctor Who” characters on the series without a good reason.

“We’ve got to limit it. It’s not a pension plan for people who used to be in Doctor Who,” he said.