Doctor Who's Opening Titles Just Did Something I Can't Remember Ever Happening Before

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 14, episodes 1 & 2 - "Space Babies" & "The Devil's Chord."

Summary Maestro's performance merges with the Doctor Who theme song, signaling a bold new direction for the show's Disney era.

Russell T Davies is embracing experimentation in Doctor Who season 14, with Maestro's theme song moment being a prime example.

The show's new approach under Davies includes more meta moments, showing a willingness to depart from Doctor Who's traditional formula.

Doctor Who's iconic theme song comes with a twist early into season 14, and it's a true rarity for the long-running British sci-fi show. Returning showrunner Russell T Davies has already installed a few changes to the Doctor Who formula during the Disney era, but a specific moment from one of the new episodes is one of the clearest examples of the show's new direction. Doctor Who has never been afraid to push the creative envelope, but this latest alteration is a little more meta than most.

Doctor Who's Disney era began in late 2023. Initially, all that seemed to have changed was the show's aesthetic benefiting greatly from the increased production budget. The feeling of familiarity was reinforced by David Tennant's return to the show's leading role, before passing the baton to Ncuti Gatwa at the end of the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials. Gatwa has already proven to be a great fit for the show, even as the fabric of the show's universe is tweaked around him.

Related 20 Greatest Doctor Who Stories Of All Time, Ranked Doctor Who has been a fixture on TV screens for 60 years, meaning there are plenty of stories to choose from when picking out the Time Lord's best.

Maestro Joining In With Doctor Who's Theme Song Is A Groundbreaking Moment For The Show

Jinkk Monsoon's character enjoys an impromptu meta performance

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The cold open of Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord," introduces Jinkx Monsoon as the enigmatic Maestro. Monsoon's unconventional entrance of emerging from a piano is made even more compelling by having the character not only trigger the Doctor Who theme but also join in with it as the scene transitions into the opening credits. The surprise performance is pretty unusual in the context of Doctor Who, and raises questions about whether it's just a bit of fun or whether it'll have a larger meaning going forward.

While the change to the Doctor Who title sequence doesn't come out of nowhere, it's still a very bold choice for Russell T Davies to make.

Maestro's abilities are tied very closely to music, with the Fifteenth Doctor describing the villain as "The essence of music itself." So, while the change to the Doctor Who title sequence doesn't come out of nowhere, it's still a very bold choice for Russell T Davies to make. It also makes it unclear whether this was a one-off event or if another character could invade the Doctor Who theme song in future installments.

What Doctor Who's Opening Titles Change Says About RTD's New Approach

Davies is being much looser with the Doctor Who formula

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Doctor Who season 14 marks the beginning of Russell T Davies' second stint as showrunner, and he's approaching the task differently this time around. Maestro joining in with the Doctor Who theme song is a shining example of how much RTD is willing to experiment with the show's structure. This meta and arguably more relaxed ethos has been evident in other moments of the Disney era.

Related Doctor Who's Disney Era Is Doing Both What You Feared & What You Wanted Doctor Who's deal with Disney raised a few eyebrows at first, and while some of the concerns are starting to become justified, there are upsides too.

For example, Mrs. Flood looked directly down the lens and seemingly addressed the audience in the 2023 Doctor Who Christmas special, "The Church on Ruby Road." Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor also repeated this feat in "The Devil's Chord" when he winked at the camera. Like Maestro's theme song performance, it's unclear whether these moments are simply Davies having more fun during his second Doctor Who tenure, but his past work with the show proves he has a penchant for big payoffs further down the line.

Episode Disney+ Release Date "Space Babies" & "The Devil's Chord" May 10 "Boom" May 17 "73 Yards" May 24 "Dot & Bubble" May 31 "Rogue" June 7 "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" June 14 "Empire of Death" June 21