We’ve pored over the two trailers for Season 9 to pick out all the references and potential callbacks to classic Doctor Who that we can find…

Tharils?

It’s almost certainly a new alien, but it looks similar to – and could potentially be a relative of – the Tharils from ‘Warriors’ Gate’ (1981).

The Tharils were a race of time-sensitive, leonine creatures who could ride the time winds. If a race of parallel lion creatures were simiarly able to travel in time, it would explain how Maisie Williams can be in a Viking village and appear in a different context, looking like an Eighteenth Century Highway(wo)man. We’re assuming that she didn’t just travel in the TARDIS (a) because the Doctor is very surprised to see her, and (b) because she seems very established in the new context, like she has been there a while.

Zygons

Their return may have been announced months ago, but it’s still terrifying to see that toothy grin back on our screens.

Last seen in 2013’s ‘The Day of the Doctor’, the shape-shifting aliens had only appeared once in the show before, in 1975’s ‘Terror of the Zygons’ – although they did get a brief namecheck in 2012’s ‘The Power of Three’ when a Zygon ship tuned out to be hidden beneath the Savoy Hotel.

Of course, the most intriguing aspect of their return is how it links in with the reappearance of Osgood.

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