{"id":31266,"date":"2023-03-20T18:14:52","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T17:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1803240"},"modified":"2023-03-21T00:50:32","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T23:50:32","slug":"dont-underestimate-doctor-whos-unit-spin-off","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/dont-underestimate-doctor-whos-unit-spin-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t underestimate Doctor Who\u2019s UNIT spin-off"},"content":{"rendered":"

The reported spin-off could live up to Torchwood’s legacy. Here’s how. <\/p>

By Christopher Connor\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 20 March 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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UNIT has been a mainstay in the world of Doctor Who<\/a> since the days of Patrick Troughton\u2019s Second Doctor \u2013 but after 50 years, it appears it\u2019s finally getting its moment in the spotlight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The reports that the BBC will launch a new spin-off<\/a> focused on the organisation and starring Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart is incredibly welcome \u2013 and long overdue. After all, while UNIT featured prominently in Classic Who, its impact on New Who has faded somewhat. But that could all be about to change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, played by Nicholas Courtney, first appeared in 1968\u2019s Web of Fear which saw the Doctor encountering the Yeti and Great Intelligence. UNIT would go on to become a regular fixture in the classic series, especially for Jon Pertwee\u2019s Third Doctor who spent much of his run in exile in 1970s Earth and working alongside UNIT and Lethbridge-Stewart.<\/span><\/p>

UNIT also featured prominently during the initial part of Tom Baker\u2019s stint in the TARDIS and appeared in the 20<\/span>th<\/span> anniversary serial The Five Doctors. We last saw the Brigadier in one of the final episodes of the Classic Era, in 1989\u2019s Battlefield, working with Sylvester McCoy\u2019s Seventh Doctor. The Brigadier would grace our screens one final time in the first of the modern spin-offs, The Sarah Jane Adventures<\/a>, in 2008.<\/span><\/p>\n

The organisation has featured less prominently in modern Who, making brief appearances for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, perhaps most notably in the 50<\/span>th<\/span> Anniversary special The Day of The Doctor in 2013, facing off with the Zygons and returning for several story arcs for Peter Capaldi\u2019s Twelfth Doctor in seasons 8 and 9.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier in Doctor Who.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

While Kate Lethbridge-Stewart has featured in the series since 2012\u2019s The Power of Three and most recently appeared in the Thirteenth Doctor\u2019s final episode<\/a>, we have only scratched the surface of the character. A spin-off will provide an opportunity to dive deeper into her and her family legacy, and to develop the character beyond simply being the Brigadier\u2019s daughter \u2013 something she\u2019s long deserved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to the UNIT series, we will see Kate and the organisation in action in the <\/span>60th anniversary specials<\/a> alongside David Tennant\u2019s Fourteenth Doctor and in the first season with Ncuti Gatwa<\/a>\u2019s Fifteenth Doctor. <\/span>It\u2019s a huge moment for the show, which hasn\u2019t had UNIT as a regular feature since the days of the Second and Third Doctors, and will give fans an opportunity to see how the organisation has evolved in the years since. How does it fit into a modern-day version of the Doctor Who universe? It\u2019s an exciting prospect that has only been briefly touched upon in recent years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The reported UNIT spin-off is currently being envisioned as a Torchwood<\/a> style offshoot of the main show. A key part of Torchwood\u2019s success was seeing characters and monsters from the main series cross over \u2013 and this could definitely happen again. <\/span><\/p>\n

Freema Agyeman, companion to the Tenth Doctor, was working for UNIT in season 4 when she put in a call to the Doctor for some help to battle against the Sontarans. Might she figure somehow in the show if she still has ties to the organisation? Or could other past companions make a return in this way? With Torchwood off screen for years, there is scope for this to bridge the gap \u2013 and with rumours circulating of a return for Eve Myles\u2019s Gwen Cooper, this might be the place for her to appear.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The cast of Torchwood.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Matt Smith and David Tennant\u2019s Doctors also both crossed over with The Sarah Jane Adventures, while Peter Capaldi made an appearance on Class, so there\u2019s plenty of room for Ncuti Gatwa to feature in some capacity in this show \u2013 and he should. The Sarah Jane Adventures would certainly still have had success without the Doctor\u2019s appearance, but there\u2019s no denying the thrill of seeing the Time Lord show up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, a UNIT-centred show has the potential to follow on from the successes of not just Torchwood but The Sarah Jane Adventures, too, showing how the Doctor\u2019s friends and allies face terrifying threats when the Time Lord is just not around to save the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

If UNIT only appears every few years in the main show, there is only so much room for development. The reported spin-off represents the perfect opportunity to make the Whoniverse feel larger and to honour the legacy of one of the most iconic elements of the classic series, fleshing it out further and facing foes both old and new.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, Russell T Davies\u2019s previous tenure produced two hugely successful spin offs in Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. There is no reason why a UNIT-centric show can\u2019t continue this and exist with other shows at the same time, expanding the Who universe further and introducing us to new characters and monsters that fans will hide behind the sofa from for years to come.<\/span><\/p>