Doctor Who: New Series 10
This coming Saturday, April 15th, sees the start of the tenth series of the Doctor Who re-boot that began in 2005. It promises to be a momentous season, as it’s the last season for both show-runner Steven Moffat, as well as Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi.
WARNING! There may be some spoilers in what follows!
So, what do we know? As of the posting of this article, here’s the main stuff. First, the episode titles. Not all have been released, but we have these:
| Episode No. | Title | Writer |
| 01 | The Pilot | Steven Moffat |
| 02 | Smile | Frank Cottrell Boyce |
| 03 | Thin Ice | Sarah Dollard |
| 04 | Knock Knock | Mike Bartlett |
| 05 | Oxygen | Jamie Mathieson |
| 06 | Extremis | Steven Moffat |
| 07 | The Pyramid at the End of the World | Peter Harness |
| 08 | The Lie of the Land | Toby Whithouse |
| 09 | The Empress of Mars | Mark Gatiss |
| 10 | The Eaters of Light | Rona Monro |
| 11 | TBA | Steven Moffat |
| 12 | TBA | Steven Moffat |
Notes
- A new companion, Bill Potts, will be joining the Doctor in episode 01.
- Episodes 06, 07, and 08 comprise a three-part story, the first since New Series 3 (“Utopia”, “The Sound of Drums”, and “Last of the Time Lords”).
- The Ice Warriors will return in Episode 09.
- The Master will be back. Yes, you
heardread that correctly. - Rona Monro, Episode 10’s writer, is the first Classic Series writer to write for the New Series. She was one of only two women to write for the Classic Series. Her story, “Survival,” was the last of the 1963-1989 run.
- Episodes 11 and 12 comprise a two-part story that will feature a variety of Cybermen, including the original Mondas Cybermen from 1966, and the Cybus Industries Cybermen from 2006.
- There will be a Christmas special, in which the Twelfth Doctor will regenerate. New show-runner Chris Chibnall will write the Thirteenth Doctor’s first scene.
The Who production team have done a good job controlling leaks, so there’s nothing here that hasn’t been announced officially in some venue (interviews, articles, etc.).
In the latest trailer, there’s a sequence at the end where the Doctor’s hand glows orange, as if the regeneration is starting. This might be just a tease, but, personally, I think it would be cool if the regeneration happened in Episode 12. No-one would be expecting it, and since the identity of the Thirteenth Doctor has not been announced, it would possibly be the biggest shock/surprise of the show’s history. Even topping “Earthshock”‘s double-whammy (surprise, the Cybermen! Surprise surprise, Adric dies!). As cool as that might be, I doubt they’ll do it. I expect there will be an official “New Doctor” announcement in the Summer, with a simulcast show to help drum up publicity and prepare people for the Christmas special.
To whet your appetite for Saturday, here are the Season 10 trailers:
Those are the highlights. Your thoughts?
