Despite the tumultuous past couple of weeks the band has had, it was announced today one of the most famous British bands will be appearing on one of the most famous television shows, Doctor Who.
In an effort to join old and new British culture, the BBC announced that The Beatles for today’s generation, One Direction, will be stopping by Doctor Who to take the Tardis out for a ride.
No word on whether they will be singing at any point in the episode, but we find it hard to believe the writers wouldn’t write their main selling point into the show. Perhaps a new single will debut to coincide with the episode’s release. This announcement comes just a couple days after Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams announced she has her own guest role coming up.
Doctor Who series 9, set to return later this fall, has slowly been releasing details about guest appearances and episode plot lines. It looks like after the first few, wherein we know Missy will be returning, the Doctor will be joined by five four young talented men. The episode title, “What’s a Few More?” could provide insight into what it will actually be about. Maybe the Doctor accidentally picks them up after a concert one night and takes them around the universe to make them a truly universally beloved band? Or maybe they don’t even play themselves, but rather entirely new characters that sneak aboard the ship to experience all the fun Clara and the Doctor have (most of the time).
The timing of this announcement is a bit awkward — Zayn Malik’s recent departure from the band might not be sudden, but it still shook the 1D fandom to its core. The band is still slated to have a wild summer, touring around North America, while continuing work on new music, before appearing on British airwaves (again) later this fall.
In a tweet, Harry Styles wrote, “Vroom vroom. Can’t wait to join the doctor for an adventure. Hope you all tune in. H.” Louis Tomlinson (whose Twitter bio still has ‘1/5 of One Direction’ in it) tweeted his excitement for the gig with just a series of exclamation points followed by multiple smile emojis.
Ratings for Doctor Who have been strong, particularly in the U.S., where the show continues to gain momentum among the Millennial generation. This opportunity is the perfect way for audiences of the band to tune in and be exposed to the show.
