Will there be a complete surprise in The Timeless Children?

The end of series 12 is fast approaching. The Timeless Children has a lot of speculation to live up to and already supposed leaks and overreaction are stoking the fires. Engagement levels from fans are high, though what percentage of the audience are fans in the deepest sense versus just enjoying the show since its return? I’ve posted some speculation here and here, but I’d like to helicopter out a bit. I think Chris Chibnall may have one big surprise in store for us. We’re all looking in one direction; what aren’t we seeing?!

Surprise, surprise

We know a lot of things will be touched on or explained, including:

The Ruth / Fugitive / Jo Martin Doctor
How Brendan plays into it all
The Time Lords’ deep secret
Gallifrey and just why the Master had to destroy the Time Lords once the secret was known
Everything changes (whatever that means).

We also expect various action threads along the lines of:

Ashad the Lone Cyberman and his troops invade Gallifrey and (I assume) get defeated (or maybe ascend)
Some of humanity survive
The Master acts as a guide to the Doctor (but is it all true?)

We half-expect (or wont be surprised by):

Another surprise incarnation of the Doctor (or Master?)
Captain Jack (we’ve been told no)
River Song… (now I’m just listing names)
Death of a companion
Ko Sharmus is Rassilon
A companion leaves the TARDIS
The Master is destroyed (but won’t be)
Series 6B happened or Jo Martiasn’s Doctor is pre-Hartnell
Brendan’s world is in the Matrix / the Cyberium as the Doctor had it in her system
The Time Lords stole time travel
The Doctor is the Timeless Child (but it’s called Children, is the Master one, or is it all the Time Lords)
We end up in Coal Hill / Shoreditch / 1963 (save these for the sixtieth)
A variant of the spoiler about the Doctor’s origins / origin of regeneration (I won’t spell it out here – it’s in lots of places)
Some fans will be amazed
Some will be quite impressed but think it could have been even better
Some will be disappointed
Some will think Chris Chibnall has killed Doctor Who (and probably always will)

Expect the unexpected

It’s a long list. I actually think we’ll get an extra surprise starting a new thread for series 13, one unconnected with everything we are currently worrying about. I’d like it to be something involving Ada Lovelace / Tesla / Mary Shelley. Big fans might want Romana, Ace, even Susan (I would). Now let’s think. Most of the audience isn’t as fixated by the show’s deep history as we are. It has to be accessible to the audience at large. Yes, some Easter Egg only those superfans will spot, but something simpler has to happen. Mad ideas include:

The Doctor is the Master
Yaz is the Master or the Doctor
The Valeyard
Daleks appear and are related to the Time Lords / Doctor (is the Doctor a Thal?) (I think not, this is all about Cybermen), or at least a reference to the Dalek story filmed in Bristol
Susan appears (regenerated) and the story ends with the line Hello Grandfather [yes I’m obsessed with the idea of Susan appearing]. It’s very fannish, but easy to explain
Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor appears in the TARDIS and tells us it’s all been a dream. We then repeat the last 12 series with only the best bits!
Osgood and her Zygon army appears [now I’ve lost the plot!]

I’ll stop now and find some other way to fill the next 25+ hours!