When we saw this article in the newsfeed by Comic Book Resources:

Why Russell T Davies Won't Retcon the Timeless Child

we were rather surprised as earlier this week the BBC made a clear statement to the effect that the future of Doctor Who was not something they were ready to talk about. It was too far into the future:

I almost think that I don’t need to answer that question. I think bringing back Russell for Doctor Who was one of the least painful decisions I’ve ever had to make.

How will he evolve that show? I mean, he is a man with a vision, for sure. But, you know, we are way off filming. We’ve got a new series starting at the end of the month, and a whole year of Jodie [Whittaker] to go yet. And lots of adventures ahead for her. And so I think it’s just a bit early to say what his vision will be, but it was a very exciting opportunity for the BBC to bring him back.

This was in response to Davies - independently of the BBC - making comments in defense of the BBC but in a manner which drew considerable criticism.

Was this Davies contradicting the BBC? No. Just an opinion piece and a poor one at that.

Their only "proof" of why Davies won't undo The Timeless Child retcon is that he himself retconned Galifrey by destroying it. But anyone who has watched Doctor Who knows that this retcon was undone. That began with Davies:

When Russell T. Davies brought the Doctor back, he introduced the concept of the Time War - a devastating conflict between the Time Lords and the Daleks that took place prior to the Ninth Doctor's debut. In order to end the war, both species (supposedly) had to be destroyed, leaving the Doctor as (again, supposedly) the last of his kind.

The Davies era had already started slackening up the destruction of Gallifrey, first by revealing the Master and then by having Timothy Dalton's Rassilon and his cohorts temporarily break their way out of the Time War. 

Everything is fair game for retcons.

Who Is in Control of Who?

BBC executives.

Showrunners are hired by executives and can be fired by them. They're not a law unto themselves.

Though studios wouldn't mind the public seeing them as such because any major mistakes which turn out to be unpopular can be laid at the feet of a showrunner. Then said showrunner can be replaced. Yes, we're looking squarely at Chibnall.

No-one would believe it a coincidence that The Master had their first female regeneration just before the Doctor did. The BBC was warming up audiences for the big one and likely also testing the waters.

So this isn't up to Davies anyway and it's possible that when deciding on The Timeless Child retcon that a break-in-case-of-emergency undo was also put in place.

It could be built into season 13's Flux, which many guess might be multiverse related.

Does the retcon matter? Maybe it doesn't really but there are plenty of people on both sides of this fence.

Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady

One of the reasons frequently put forth in defence of The Timeless Child is it means that the Doctor's current female form isn't a one-off. He had been female before and could again. So nah!

It's a weak argument though. Time Lords changing gender is far from a new concept and while he had been male a lot, regenerating into a woman even once proves that it's an option for all future regenerations.

Also it's a missed opportunity.

Recent series of Doctor Who are often criticised for being too political and preachy. Politics is far from alien to science fiction but it's best done artfully. The BBC could have nailed this one down without retconning the Doctor's past.

Taking companions as he does and often visiting and revisiting Earth in their times in a mostly linear fashion, when a dire threat emerges here, his efforts to deal with that often involve interactions with various groups and authorities.

Certainly in his earlier days those efforts could have been critically hindered - as in goodbye Earth forever - had he been female. Every second spent trying to overcome gender barriers was another second some big bad had to beat him and destroy our world.

While The Doctor doesn't have concious control over his regenerations it's possible that subconsciously he has some influence and had been keeping them male for this reason.

She (now) could have theorised that with gender attitudes improving maybe she stopped forcing male regenerations. Providing an opportunity to explicitly introduce gender commentary in a way which feels natural to and supports the story, and also leaves the door wide open for more female regenerations.

A Woman of the People

One obvious potential motivation for retconning the Doctor's origins is class politics - Time "Lord".

It had been previously established that this wasn't an inherited title. It was a job description. They were essentially a government formed from the academic elite.

Doctor Who left them. Stole a Tardis and ran away to do his own thing. He was never very Lordy.

But maybe still too Lordy for some - who prefer the idea of Time Lords being secretly super evil and The Doctor never having been one, but rather just one of their many victims.

Regeneration Limit Solution

Some argue that the Timeless Child Retcon is vital because it solves the problem of limited regenerations - 12 total. If not for that the television series could continue forever with no concern for actors aging, leaving or dying.

However, multiple Capaldi episodes cast doubt on the assumption that the Time Lords only granted another 12 regenerations in The Twelfth Doctor.

And since the Time Lords can circumvent the regeneration limit we know it's not absolute. The Doctor is a major smarty pants and could conceivably figure it out.

Equality versus Gender Supremacy

On the other side of the fence, we'll again start with gender.

Recent series of Doctor Who have been very balanced and fair in their treatment of gender but they have arguably tiptoed across the line with The Timeless Child.

Remember that politics in entertainment is often not a blunt instrument. It is subtle and viewers can - correctly or not - interpret multiple elements in combination.

The Master was evil.... until he regenerated as a woman. Then the Doctor was able to sway her towards the light. By itself, no big deal.

The Doctor regenerates as a woman. Didn't get any cooler or better. Still ok on this score.

In Spyfall The Doctor quips, "I've had an upgrade" in response to someone giving her crap about not being a man. Fair response.

We get to The Timeless Children and The Doctor was female to start with. Had been female many times.

Had their noggin messed with.

Then it's nothing but male regenerations until Jodie. As if the Doctor's maleness had been an affliction.

As if maleness is an affliction.

Not the only possible interpretation but a reasonable one and it could be one of the big turn-offs associated with this retcon.

Rebel or Victim?

Original Doctor was a rebel. Committed grand theft Tardis then started zipping around through time and space outrunning and outsmarting baddies.

Super cool.

Current Doctor was a spy in the employ of a clandestine order quietly violating the Time Lords' strict policy of non-interference. Said clandestine order messed with the Doc's noggin and wiped their memories. Then he committed grand theft Tardis and started zipping around through time and space openly violating the Time Lords' strict policy of non-interference.

Most people would broadly agree with the idea of non-interference. It is, for example, baked into the soul of Star Trek with its Prime Directive.

Probably nearly all Doctor Who fans would also support their interventions. Again in Star Trek parlance they aren't interference in the sense of trying to change a foreign civilisation. None are committed for the benefit of either the Doctor or Time Lords. They are defensive actions against malign beings or groups.

That still qualifies as interference and is unacceptable to the Time Lords but most viewers would consider it at least morally defensible and possibly morally necessary.

Original Doctor does this in defiance of his people. 

Current Doctor might essentially just be a subconscious slave to their earlier spy work. Memory gone but kind of still doing the same thing.

The Flux

Compared to other franchises in recent times, Doctor Who's retcons have been of the wiser and more respectful variety. New information unveiled in stories which change our knowledge of some elements of that world as opposed to artless hacks which don't even pay lip service to continuity.

Whether or not anyone likes them, they have a much better chance of being accepted by audiences. Whatever their true past was, the Doctor still zips about in their cool little blue box saving the universe in unconventional ways.

Season 13 might in part be a test of acceptance of The Timeless Child retcon and also laying the groundwork for undoing it.

Viewer numbers dropped sharply from season 11 to 12. If they don't improve or even drop again with 13 that could force the BBC's hand.

[ Main Image: Doctor Who in The Timeless Children. Credit: BBC. ]

References

Elvy, Craig (January 13, 2020). Why Doctor Who Keeps Retconning Gallifrey's Destruction. ScreenRant.

Gladman, Andrew (October 15, 2021). Doctor Who: Russell T Davies Already Proved Why He Won't Retcon the Timeless Child. Comic Book Resources.

Wikipedia. List of Doctor Who episodes (2005–present). (viewed October 13, 2021)

Wikipedia. Regeneration (Doctor Who). (viewed October 17, 2021) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regeneration_(Doctor_Who)