Prisoner Zero could be returning to Doctor Who, according to a newly-revealed snippet of information. After Matt Smith’s freshly-regenerated Eleventh Doctor polished off his custard-soaked fish fingers and adjusted his bow tie, the first Doctor Who villain he faced was the formidable Prisoner Zero. In its base form, this creature looked like a DNA mashup of an eel and a piranha, but the creature’s shapeshifting ability meant it typically looked human during Doctor Who season 5’s “The Eleventh Hour.”
Most memorably, Prisoner Zero was portrayed by Olivia Colman in her pre-Oscar years. When “The Eleventh Hour” aired in 2010, Colman was best known for her long-running role as Sophie in the British comedy series Peep Show. The actress would, of course, go on to win a Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite, and is now a firm favorite of Hollywood. Interestingly, a sneaky clue released ahead of Doctor Who season 15 means Prisoner Zero is primed for a return, setting up a rematch against the latest regeneration of the Doctor.
Prisoner Zero Has Been Released: Can They Return To Doctor Who?
A Huge Miscarriage Of Justice Has Occurred
A new Tweet on Doctor Who‘s official X account gives a closer look at the front page of a newspaper that Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor will be carrying in forthcoming Christmas special “Joy to the World.” At the top of the issue, a headline confirms Prisoner Zero has been found innocent. “The Eleventh Hour” ended with the villain being taken back into custody by the Atraxi, and Prisoner Zero hasn’t been glimpsed again since, but if the sharp-toothed snake has now been exonerated of their crimes, they will presumably be released before long.
There must be some kind of reason or motivation beyond simply dropping a callback to a random one-off villain from 14 years ago.
It’s only logical that the creature would then seek revenge against the person responsible for their recapture: the Doctor. One could argue that a social media post doesn’t necessarily constitute an official addition to Doctor Who canon, and while that’s certainly true, the newspaper headline undoubtedly raises suspicion. Prisoner Zero is not a Doctor Who villain that would have been on viewers’ radars after season 14, so getting any kind of update on the carnivorous convict in 2024 is highly unexpected.
So unexpected, in fact, there must be some kind of reason or motivation beyond simply dropping a callback to a random one-off villain from 14 years ago. Especially curious is that the newspaper specifies Prisoner Zero as being found innocent, which feels like a deliberate opening of the door for future appearances. On its own, a Tweet wouldn’t be enough to prompt such speculation, but it’s worth reiterating that the newspaper article will feature, albeit subtly, in Doctor Who‘s 2024 Christmas special.
Doctor Who Never Actually Revealed What Prisoner Zero Wanted
Prisoner Zero Is A Surprisingly Mysterious Character
A Prisoner Zero return in Doctor Who season 15 might seem wildly random at first glance, but begins to make more sense when examined up-close. Surprisingly, Doctor Who has never addressed why Prisoner Zero was taken prisoner by the Atraxi in the first place. “The Eleventh Hour” contains no mention of their supposed crimes, and even wider Doctor Who media has left the mystery unsolved.
According to the newspaper headline, Prisoner Zero was tried by the Icelandic Alliance. This political bloc was mentioned by Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor in “The Talons of Weng-Chiang” and exists around the year 5000.
The plot thickens, as Doctor Who also never revealed what Prisoner Zero’s ultimate goal was, beyond just escaping. At the same time, Prisoner Zero knew about the Pandorica, “silence will fall,” the cracks in time, and even the Doctor themselves, suggesting the villain was possibly a bigger deal than Doctor Who ever revealed.
The One Who Waits finally shows his face in Doctor Who season 14, episode 7, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” and he has a history with the Doctor.
Clearly, therefore, Prisoner Zero is a Doctor Who enemy with the potential to explore more deeply in future episodes. Since Russell T Davies resumed his previous role as showrunner, Doctor Who has delighted in bringing back relatively obscure villains from years gone by, with the Toymaker and Doctor Who season 14’s Sutekh the most notable. In this era of Doctor Who, Prisoner Zero, having been found innocent at trial and released, making a comeback to get revenge on the Doctor after “The Eleventh Hour” falls very much within the realms of possibility.
How Doctor Who Can Bring Back Olivia Colman As Prisoner Zero
“The Eleventh Hour” Didn’t Make The Most Of Olivia Colman
The other angle to Prisoner Zero’s potential Doctor Who return is what it could mean for Olivia Colman. In a 2019 RadioTimes interview, former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat acknowledged the show had, with the benefit of hindsight, wasted Olivia Colman. Should Prisoner Zero appear in a future season of Doctor Who, the show could easily write in some explanation about the alien returning to any physical form it took previously, and use that to put Colman in a far more prominent role. The only obstacle would be whether, 14 years down the line, Colman’s schedule would allow it.
The opportunity to bring Olivia Colman back to Doctor Who combined with the unresolved intrigue surrounding her character highlights two major motivations for Prisoner Zero to return. Meanwhile, the new update that Prisoner Zero – now just “Zero,” presumably – is a free alien provides the opportunity and means. It is now for Russell T Davies to decide where Prisoner Zero could potentially slot into Doctor Who‘s future plans.
