The Doctor could come face-to-face with his own face when Doctor Who travels back to Ancient Rome for Season 10 next year.
Speaking to the Guardian, Peter Capaldi, the incumbent star of Doctor Who, mentioned a few different plot aspects of season 10 saying, “We’ve got all kinds of things — we’ve got Romans, we’ve got robots, we’ve got serpents.”
For longtime fans of the show, the “Romans” detail brings up some interesting Who mythology. In the ninth season episode “The Girl Who Died,” it was established canonically that the reason the 12th Doctor regenerated to look the way he does is specifically to remind himself that he (as the 10th Doctor) saved a Roman family who all should have died in the season four episode “The Fires of Pompeii.” This is why the 12th Doctor looks exactly like the Roman man Caecilius, who was also played by Peter Capaldi. “I know where I got this face, and I know what it’s for!” the Doctor bellowed, telling Clara that his new/old face was a reminder of his personal mission to “save people.”
Obviously this was a cool bit of retcon since Capaldi played Caecilius way before he played the Doctor, but now that the show could head back to Ancient Rome, perhaps Caecilius could encounter the Doctor again.
Rory as a Roman
Still, Capaldi’s reference to “Romans,” may not mean the TARDIS will journey back in time to Ancient Rome, but could instead, encounter a different type or Roman. After all, Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) frequently wore Roman outfits, both as a human, and plastic robot Auton in fifth season finale two-parter “The Pandorica Opens” and “The Big Bang.” And if Rory returned to season 10, then his wife, Amy Pond (Karen Gillian) would probably have to appear, too.
Or, this could be a different reference all together: The very 1st Doctor (William Hartnell) time-traveled back to Ancient Rome in the original show’s second season in 1965. That time, the Doctor tangled with the Roman Emperor Nero. Could the 12th Doctor now revisit those events?
All of the above probably won’t happen, but Doctor Who’s obsession with Ancient Rome will be back regardless when Season 10 debuts on the BCC in the spring of 2017.
