After the relative success of the first season of Doktor – Przez Czas i Przestrzeń, TVN were happy to give the go-ahead for it’s second season, however a renewal would not come until the final foreign adaptation, Mysteriet Doktorn, had been aired, as BBC Studios wouldn’t give their approval until they’d seen how successful the foreign adaptation scheme was as a whole. With no green light from the BBC, the production of Doktor – Przez Czas i Przestrzeń Season 2, and the other foreign adaptations was stalled, for now. In January 2020, Doktor – Przez Czas i Przestrzeń was formally commissioned with an order of 10 more bilingual episodes to be produced, this was at the same time as the announcement of Dokter Wie Season 3 and Mysteriet Doktorn Season 2, as well as the cancellation of Doctor Misterio.
The extra 6 months, created by this later-than-anticipated renewal, allowed Patrick Yoka to work full-time on two other shows he was showrunning, which helped him out a lot. Throughout this time, however, Yoka was approached by TVN to direct the new instalment of their very successful rom-com franchise, Listy Do M. 4, and therefore devised a schedule whereby he could do Doktor – Przez Czas i Przestrzeń and Listy Do M. 4. However, when COVID-19 struck in Spring 2020, these schedules were thrown out of the window. TVN aimed to get filming started for both these projects in the Summer of 2020, and as this schedule would no longer work, as time was a necessity, TVN practised Listy Do M. 4 and Yoka was taken off Doktor – Przez Czas i Przestrzeń as showrunner. This was largely due to ATM Group’s eagerness to get Season 2 out as soon as possible in order to prove the shows worth to the Doctor Who Production Team, due to another recent development.
Following the ViacomCBS report, new Executive Supervisor of Distribution, Maggy Chan, decided that Season 2 of Doktor – Przez Czas i Przestrzeń would not be made bilingually, in the way Season 1 had, as Doctor Who: Through Time and Space instead just being shot as any other show, in full Polish, and then dubbed in English – with the caveat that the original cast would provide the dub, as this would provide a consistency for English viewers. The reason behind this move was simply because Doctor Who: Through Time and Space didn’t benefit enough from the bilingual format, viewing figures wise, to necessitate the amount of money that BBC Studios and ViacomCBS were contributing towards it. However, ATM Group didn’t see it this way and were understandably unhappy, and therefore thought that if they got Doktor – Przez Czas i Przestrzeń to broadcast the fastest out of not just the foreign adaptations, but faster than most shows in the main Doctor Who Franchise then Maggy Chan might reconsider her position on the matter. The necessity to get this season out so fast, is why ATM Group allowed Yoka to be replaced as showrunner, instead of just waiting.
They turned to Tomasz Szafrański, the director of The Mara, who had been considered for a role of showrunner even before Season 1 but was unavailable due to his work on Echo Serca. This time, he happily accepted the job. To ensure the smooth transition between the existing status quo and Szafrański’s vision, Piotr Szymanek stayed as a joint showrunner for the duration of this season, taking the top billing. The rest of the crew remained unchanged.
The production moved onward only to unexpectedly find itself under fire. On 1st August 2020, Janusz Gajos was a guest on Pol’and’Rock Festival, where during the conversation panel he criticized Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the ruling party in Poland. In response, several party officials publicly attacked Gajos, and government-controlled public broadcaster TVP launched a hate campaign targeted at him. Due to Gajos being a face of the Polish adaptation, it was calumniated as well, with TVP reporters digging up the controversies around Season 1 episodes and accusing the show of promoting nihilistic, hedonistic and ‘neomarxist’ values. Several actors and politicians from the opposition came to defend Gajos and the show. TVN decided to ignore the incident, which turned out to be the right call – the bashing died down after a week, and when the involvement of Szafrański, one of TVP’s most valuable collaborators, was announced, they decided that Gajos’s remark isn’t worth alienating him and abandoned the subject altogether.
The filming started in September 2020. Despite several complications related to governmental anti-COVID restrictions and second wave of the pandemic, it was done before the end of 2020. Once again, the season consisted of 10 episodes. It premiered on 21st March 2021 at 8 PM of Polish time on TVN and their VOD service Player.
Branding wise Doktor – Przez Czas i Przestrzeń remained the same in Poland, with the same logo and title cards as Season 1. For the international English release, the logo was altered to fit the new unified brand logo and the title cards were in the style of the new unified franchise title cards, introduced in Doctor Who: Adventures Series 2.
Finally the Toymaker introductions were dropped, firstly because the show was no longer on BBC Two so it wasn’t aiming for a larger casual audience as Season 1, and secondly because technically following the events of Her Final Stand, the Toymaker was no longer controlling the pocket universe in which the show was set, and everyone had instead been transported into the main multiverse. David Bailie sadly passed away in March 2021 just before the season was aired. Although he didn’t feature in Season 2, Episode One opened with a “In loving memory of David Bailie” card – this was not present on the original Polish version.
FROM THE SEA
Season 2, Episode 1
Written by Piotr Szymanek & Tomasz Szafrański
Directed by Robert Wichrowski
TX Date – 21 March 2021
This story takes place several months after WOTAN and is a retelling The Sea Devils, however all The Master stuff, besides a little teaser at the end, is completely removed. The Doktor and Benek arrive to pick Pola up and find out she’s doing pretty well, as having become more socially active had a good effect on her. She’s still very eager to travel with The Doktor though and she still has trouble connecting with her parents, whom we meet in this episode properly. Their relationship is deeply explored in this episode, however its A-plot is The TARDIS crew and JEDNOSTKA lead by Colonel Lubicz-Sługocki trying to peacefully and quietly stop the unexpected Sea Devil invasion. They eventually manage to scare them off back to the sea, however The Doktor is sure that it’s temporary and humanity’s struggle with their underwater neighbour has only begun.
RETURN TO THE DEAD PLANET
Season 2, Episode 2
Written by Dominika Hilszczańska
Directed by Wojciech Nowak
TX Date – 28 March 2021
This episode adapts Planet of the Daleks, however removing the ties to Frontier In Space and padding. The main themes of the story are Benek’s fright of The Daleks, whom he meets for the first time, Pola’s guilt over her behaviour from The Dead Planet, which she’s reminded of when she meets Thals again, and Dalek development, with many implications throughout that they are up to something big in the near future.
REVENGE OF THE MEDDLER
Season 2, Episode 3
Written by Agnieszka Błotnicka
Directed by Jakub Miszczak
TX Date – 4 April 2021
This episode sees our crew arriving in 1440 only to find out that Mnich, trapped in XVth century back in Scissored Time, is still around and this time schemes to prevent creation of The Prussian Union. The story uses it as an opportunity to talk about minority and civil rights, which the union had stood for. By the end of the story the meddling is foiled, but Mnich disappears without a trace.
THE WISHING WELL
Season 2, Episode 4
Written by Piotr Szymanek
Directed by Marta Karwowska
TX Date – 11 April 2021
This story, loosely inspired by Season 34’s The Well, sees our characters suddenly finding themselves on a prospering planet, where the life centers around the mysterious well that can grant any wish. As strange things start to happen and the well’s powers start failing, the Doktor decides to investigate, eventually discovering that powerful aliens known as Bodati (singular “Bodatus”) built the well to help all the life of the universe, but the well takes power from absorbing the part of the wisher’s identity and now it can’t handle the strong emotions it gathered. With the Doktor’s help Bodati shut down the well and learn how to use their abilities more responsibly. The episode ends with a plot twist, as after TARDIS crew departs, one of the secondary characters reveals herself to be Gallifreyan agent named Irena, and informs the Time Lords that she located the fugitive.
THE ENEMY DIVERSION
Season 2, Episode 5
Written by Grzegorz Łoszewski
Directed by Wojciech Nowak
TX Date – 18 April 2021
This episode takes place during the 1950 potato beetle plague. It quickly turns out that they’re not the only invader – they multiplied because of Krynoids, who try to quietly conquer the Earth while humanity’s distracted with The Cold War tensions. The TARDIS crew needs to deal with alien plants all by themselves, as the public and communist administration are too preoccupied with the bug and American planes that allegedly drop it to notice the real threat. The main subjects of this humorous story are manipulation and fearmongering.
CAVE OF THE SNAKE
Season 2, Episode 6
Written and Directed by Tomasz Szafrański
TX Date – 25 April 2021
Snakedance receives similar treatment to Kinda in order to fit the story into 45-minute runtime, and several minor plot points get dropped. Despite that, it’s probably the most faithful adaptation of the season – with one key change. Benek, who takes Nyssa’s role in the story, gets more and more insecure throughout it, until finally at the end of the story he declares that this is too much for him – he wants to come back home.
THE LAST WONDER
Season 2, Episode 7
Written by Grażyna Wilczyńska
Directed by Robert Wichrowski
TX Date – 2 May 2021
The story picks up where it left off – Benek wants to quit, as he already saw more that he could ever wish for and now he just wants to live out his remaining days in peace. It seems that seeing the future hurt his self-esteem – there was no trace of him in Pola’s future, so apparently he didn’t matter for the world in the long run. The Doktor offers Benek a farewell trip anywhere he wants to, and Benek asks for something worth remembering for life. This brings us to The Last Wonder from the title – The Doktor tells his companions the story of Piotr Tkaczyk, a failed physician suffering from cancer and depression. He makes sketch drawings that showcases regular devices connected by revolutionary technology, but he never shares them and dies soon after. The TARDIS lands over 100 years later in 31st century, where Earth is under attack by the race known as Aarchnaughts. Piotr’s relative, Sylwia, finds the anonymous drawings and realizes that such technology is what they need to defeat the invaders. The story sees TARDIS crew helping the humanity’s defense, while Sylwia and her boyfriend Anton try their best for the brilliant concept to be turned into reality. In the end, these efforts succeed and The Aarchnaughts are defeated. A subplot is also dedicated to the relationship between Pola and Benek, which was played rather ambiguously so far and now that Benek leaves, there’s a lot to be said. By the end of the story Benek understands what The Doktor tried to tell him and promises to make the most he can out of his life. Brought back to 1979, he parts his ways with Doktor and Pola on good terms, looking forward to his not quite foreseeable future.
LOST SOULS
Season 2, Episode 8
Written by Piotr Jasek
Directed by Jakub Miszczak
TX Date – 9 May 2021
This story is the adaptation of The Eternity Trap, but it’s relocated to Kłodzko, and the main antagonist, Erasm von Dunkeln, now poses as a Czech alchemist from XVIth century. Many references to history and legends of Silesia and Kłodzko are incorporated as well, but in the way that doesn’t detract from the main story.
ALL PRAISE TO THE GREAT ONE
Season 2, Episode 9
Written by Piotr Szymanek & Tomasz Szafrański
Directed by Michał Gazda
TX Date – 16 May 2021
This episode adapts Planet of the Spiders, emphasizing even more on the theme of regeneration and The Doktor facing his fears, including the fear of change, as he has never regenerated before. Still, he eventually does sacrifice his life just like in the original and then, in the presence of Pola and Colonel Lubicz-Sługocki, he undergoes his first change – as the yellow glow reforms every cell of his body, the new Doktor appears – Doktor II, Hanna Śleszyńska.
THE FALL OF MONDAS
Season 2, Episode 10
Written by Tomasz Szafrański
Directed by Michał Gazda
TX Date – 23 May 2021
This season finale takes a page from Season 50 book, serving not only as season’s conclusion, but also as the new Doktor’s first adventure. This was done because the creators worried that the audience, still very new to the concept of regeneration, won’t turn up for the next season if they don’t establish the new lead beforehand.
The story adapts the basic storyline of The Tenth Planet, however almost all its subplots and supporting characters get dropped, and the setiing is drastically different. Two characters from Season 1’s The Search, Altos and Sabita, show up on Earth to warn its inhabitants about the impending danger of The Cybermen, who look for the new home planet, as their native world Mondas is nearing its destruction in result of their experiments. In addition, Irena appears with a taskforce to arrest The Doktor, but her squad ends up wiped out by the invading Cybermen. The cocky Time Lady is forced to join Doktor, Pola, Altos, Sabita and JEDNOSTKA in their efforts to stop the invasion, which eventually prove fruitful and the Cybermen seemingly become trapped on collapsing Mondas, much to the regret of The Doktor who tried and failed to reach a peaceful resolution. In the end, Irena, impressed by The Doktor’s stance, decides to pretend that she failed to capture her, and The Doktor peacefully departs in her TARDIS with Pola to look for the further adventures. Hanna Śleszyńska leaves a strong impression in her first story, relatively quickly overcoming her post-regeneration dysphoria and coming off as a very energetic and extravagant person, at the same time showing even more self-confidence than her predecessor, often to the point of arrogance, and – quite paradoxically – way more kindness and openness, however lacking the actual empathy, as this Doktor clearly still doesn’t understand humans all that well. This new incarnation won over many of the viewers on the spot, while others, especially big Gajos fans, were left with mixed feelings
WIDWWA 