Peter Capaldi has joined Steven Moffat in announcing that season ten will be his last full series of Doctor Who. As has become the tradition Capaldi will regeneration into the thirteenth Doctor during this years Christmas special.

Even though both Capaldi and Moffat have faced criticism during their time, overall their stints have been fairly successful.

Tabloid speculation about ratings and just how unpopular Capaldi has been have both been proven to be unfounded. The shows audience share has not changed since the Matt Smith days whilst overseas ratings have increased. This is without mentioning its popularity on iPlayer the general good reviews lauded on season nine. Capaldi has also been loved especially by the old school Whovians and even a new generation fans too young to have been around for nine and ten.

With that in mind here are my hopes for season ten.

One of the main criticism of Steven Moffat’s time as show runner was how badly the love interests have been handled. Complaints that Matt Smith’s run as the Doctor nearly tuned into the ‘Amy & Rory Show: featuring the Doctor’ were largely justified and the Mr Pink story line turned Clara from one of the most loved companions too, throughout season eight, one many found annoying. Luckily Clara redeemed herself in season nine but, for a while there it seemed they’d destroyed her reputation for good. Even, at times, the Doctor and River’s arc became clunky and unbelievable. Despite this the arc was given a great end with the 2015 Christmas special ‘The Husbands of River Song’. Whilst it’s hard to see new companion Bill and Matt Lucas’s Nardole becoming amorous I hope they follow the example of season nine and keep a long running love story arc out of the show.

One character many Whovians have missed is John Barrowman’s Captain Jack Harkness. I’ve always felt that Harkness and the twelfth Doctor would interact so well. Especially the more serious and focused version of Harkness seen in Torchwood. John Barrowman has shown a lot of interest in returning to Doctor Who. He was also one of the main voices that got the Big Finish Torchwood series made and is currently pushing for the return of the show to the BBC. Hopefully this character, seemingly forgotten by Moffat, will be given his chance in season ten.

Recent spinoff Class struggled for ratings and there are rumours that the show could be cancelled after only one series. This would be a shame as it really was an enjoyable watch. Despite this I would love to see the cast of Class cross over to Doctor Who. It wouldn’t need much explanation; there’s also a president with the casts of Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures making appearances. Also, if the rumours of cancelation are true, it would be nice to see the story arc started in Class at some point resolved within Doctor Who. I know this can be done in spin offs such as books or Big Finish it just seems it deserves more than that.

One of the biggest successes of season nine was the, in the main, the stories being set across more than one episode. This let the plot breathe, allowed character development for one off characters and gave the series a classic Who feel. Hopefully this will be something repeated in season ten.

Lastly I would love to see the Doctor’s past delved into a little more. The Doctor Who extended universe has provided an extensive back story for the Doctors but, there is still large gaps. The return of the Doctors home planet Gallifrey, gives Moffat and Capaldi an opportunity to explore the Doctors past. This has been largely unavailable since the shows return which has seen, until now, the Doctor trying to come to terms with what he did in the Time War and always trying to look to the future rather than into his past. An actor with the talent of Capaldi should add a weight and pathos to any revelations.