Doctor Who fans think the specials are setting up a new Bad Wolf-style mystery

Eagle-eyed Doctor Who fans think the anniversary specials could be setting up a Bad Wolf-style mystery, and they could be on to something...

Following the release of 'The Giggle' on December 9, which saw the Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) face off against Neil Patrick Harris's Toymaker, one viewer took to Reddit to claim that a star motif glimpsed in both the new episode and the trailer for upcoming Christmas outing 'The Church on Ruby Road' might be hinting at the introduction of a new character or ongoing mystery along the lines of the Saxon Master or Bad Wolf in season one.

"The scene where Donna fights the puppets also has the same clock face as a window (numbers and pattern around the outside are identical, just without the star)," another points out. "Could be reuse of design/assets, but the implication that Donna was inside a clock tower is very interesting."

"Three cubes, and a clock... Time for Q-Bert?" said a third.

In the comments, theories as to whether it could be a nod to characters like The One Who Waits, the Boneless or the Rani started swirling, while someone else gushed: "Chimes of Midnight adaptation? I'm f***ing down," referring to a popular Doctor Who audio drama starring Paul McGann. Though not everyone was all in on the speculation...

"It can certainly be a hidden clue. But it could just as well be a reuse of design assets to save money," argued a doubter, as another added: "I'm getting flashbacks to the brooch that both River and that woman at Amy and Rory's wedding both wore. Theories flew. Turns out, they just reused a costume element."

All that considered, it'd hardly be the first time Russell T Davies has teased future themes. When he initially rebooted the long-running sci-fi series in 2005, the showrunner included references in almost every episode of the first season to Bad Wolf, the entity that would eventually possess Billie Piper's Rose Tyler.

Elsewhere, he mentioned the likes of Torchwood and using 'Vote Saxon' posters in backgrounds before fans even knew what they meant. So it's certainly not out of the realms of possibility that he would do something like that again...

Doctor Who's 2023 Christmas special airs on Christmas Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK from 5.55pm. In the US, it is released on Disney Plus at 12:55pm ET/9:55am PT. For more, check out our guide to the Doctor Who release schedule and the other best new TV shows coming our way in 2023 and beyond.