The BBC have released a trailer ahead of the return of Doctor Who later this month.

Doctor Who Flux is a six-part story that debuts in the UK and in the USA on Sunday 31st October, with a debut in Australia the following day. 

It stars Jodie Whittaker in her final full series as The Doctor, although she will appear in three specials next year leading up to the regeneration of the thirteenth Doctor. 

The images show the return of several classic monsters.

The six-part series is described by showrunner Chris Chibnall as six chapters of the same novel, the first time a series of Doctor Who has comprised a single story.  The decision to make the series a single story was taken due to restrictions imposed by filming under COVID secure conditions.

Each episode has been written by Chibnall himself except for episode four which was written by Chibnall and Maxine Alderton, who wrote last seasons' story The Haunting of Villa Diodati. 

The directing credits are shared by two directors. Jamie Magnus Stone has looked after episodes 1, 2, and 4. Stone directed the previous series opener, Spyfall as well as Praxeus; Ascension of the Cybermen and The Timeless Children.

The three remaining episodes have been directed by Doctor Who newcomer Azhur Saleem, who was recommended to the production team by composer Segun Akinola. 

Alongside Whittaker is Mandip Gill returning as Yasmin Khan. They are joined by John Bishop, who plays Dan Lewis, the newest companion to step into and be amazed by the wonders of the TARDIS. 

Returning to the series are the Sontarans, first created by Robert Holmes for the 1973 story The Time Warrior. Chibnall promises the Sontarans will pose a real threat to The Doctor with one episode focusing on the warriors. The look of the aliens has been updated by series designer Ray Holman who told Doctor Who Magazine he went back to the original design to get inspiration for their 2021 makeover. 

Doctor Who: Flux can be seen on BBC One on Sunday 31st October at a time to be confirmed.  

Jodie Whittaker has already filmed the final three episodes of her tenure as The Doctor which will be screened next year. Her final episode will be part of a special season making the 100th Anniversary of the BBC. 

The 2023 season, making Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary, will be written by returning showrunner, Russell T Davies.

The BBC has announced that Doctor Who will return to screens in the UK and in the USA on Sunday 31st October. 

The thirteenth series, since the return of the show in 2005, will debut on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the states. 

The six episodes will all be grouped under the title Doctor Who: Flux and star Jodie Whittaker in her final series as the Doctor. 

The latest Special Edition of Doctor Who Magazine reveals the role that directors have played in bringing the series to the screen.

Looking at the series from 1963 to the present day, the Magazine Includes tributes to some of the greatest behind-the-scenes names, shot-by-shot highlights of outstanding episodes and exclusive interviews with directors from almost every decade of the show’s history.

This is the ultimate guide to some of Doctor Who’s most influential figures.

Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition 58: Directing Doctor Who is on sale from panini.co.uk and WH Smith from Thursday 5 August priced £6.99 (UK). Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £5.99.

Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall will be leaving Doctor Who following a trio of specials ending in an epic blockbuster to air in autumn 2022 as part of the BBC’s Centenary celebrations.

The current showrunner and Thirteenth Doctor have been in charge of the TARDIS since filming for the Thirteenth Doctor began in 2017 but both have confirmed they will be leaving the series at the end of 2022

A six-part Event Serial has been announced for this autumn, and two Specials were already planned for 2022. To help mark the 100th Anniversary of the BBC, BBC One has now asked for an additional final feature-length adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor before the Doctor regenerates once more.

After taking the helm of the show, Chris Chibnall made the groundbreaking decision to cast Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor. He also brought in Tosin Cole (Ryan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Bradley Walsh (Graham), and cast the acclaimed Sacha Dhawan as the latest incarnation of The Master, plus Jo Martin as the mysterious Fugitive Doctor, adding new characters, layers and twists to the mythology of the show.

Chris Chibnall said

Jodie Whittaker added

Current Director of BBC Drama Piers Wenger added

With over a year of adventures to come, the Thirteenth Doctor still has plenty in store for fans.

Fifty years ago today a new character entered the world of Doctor Who when, in Terror of the Autons, we met the Doctor's nemesis, The Master.

Created by producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks, the character was devised as a foil to the Third Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee. Given an academic name. The Master, to counterpoint the name of The Doctor, the character was to be the Moriarty to Pertwee’s Holmes, a character very much the equal to the Doctor in terms of intelligence and background. 

The character outline was sketched out in an internal BBC document sent to the writers of Season 8 of the series, a document which also introduced the characters of Jo Grant and Captain Mike Yates, played by Richard Franklin and Katy Manning. 

Only one actor was considered for the role of the Master, Roger Delgado, an actor known for playing sinister villains and a personal friend of Jon Pertwee.

The Master would appear in every story of season 8, becoming just as much a fixture of the series as The Doctor and Jo, somewhat to the chagrin of Jon Pertwee. 

He was used less in season nine but still appeared in two of the five stories. In season ten he was used just once and it was decided to write the character out at the end of season 11 in a big final story.

That final story never happened as on the 18th June 1973 Roger Delgado was killed in a car accident in Turkey. The death stunned the production team and helped Pertwee to his decision to leave the series at the end of the eleventh series. 

The actor may have died but the character he created was so strong it would return to the series in many incarnations. A mutilated Master at the end of his regelation cycle was seen in the 1976 story The Deadly Assassin. 

In 1981 new producer John Nathan Turner decided to bring back the character as a regular with a look based on the original Delgado character. Played by Anthony Ainley, The Master would appear regularly until the cancellation of the series in 1989, appearing with the fifth, sixth and seventh Doctors. It was perhaps fitting that the last story of the classic series featured the Doctor and Ace in a battle with The Master. In the story Survival.

The TV movie in 1996 saw the arrival of the eighth Doctor and The Master was there to welcome him, this time in the body of American actor Eric Roberts. 

When Doctor Who returned in 2005 there was much talk about reprising characters from the original series and The Master was high upon most fans wish lists. They had to wait until the series 3 before show-runner Russell T Davies obliged, and the story Utopia saw the character reappear in no less a body as that of veteran actor Derek Jacobi. At the end of the episode John Simm took over the role and a mad hyperactive Master took on the mad hyperactive Tenth Doctor. In 2010 the character helped bring about to the demise of the Tenth Doctor. 

The next showrunner Steven Moffat put his own spin on the character when he created Missy, played by Michelle Gomez, in 2014 to taunt the Twelfth Doctor as played by Peter Capaldi. Much speculation about the real identity of the character was ended at the end of Series 8 when she was revealed to be a female incarnation of The Master.

Although Gomez was the incumbent Master, John Simm hadn’t quite finished with the role as he returned at the end of series ten to take part in a memorable Master v Master battle with Missy and The Doctor

The strength of the character is such that just last year another incarnation arrived when Sacha Dhawan took on the role of The Master in the 2020 Chris Chibnall story Spyfall.

The character of The Master is the most enduring in Doctor Who apart from that of the Doctor himself. Today, 50 years on, we pay tribute to all the hugely talented actors who have made the character such an essential part of Doctor Who lore. And we pay tribute to the numerous writer and Directors who have helped create such a fascinating and enduring character. 
 

The Festive Special of Doctor Who, ‘Revolution of the Daleks’, will air in the UK on New Year’s Day.

In Australia it will air on ABC & ABC iview on January 2.

The Festive Special episode will see a host of exciting guest artists including previously announced John Barrowman MBE who will be reprising his role as Captain Jack Harkness alongside Chris Noth who will be back as the disgraced Jack Robertson. Chris Noth previously appeared in the series 11 episode ‘Arachnids in the UK’ and it’s safe to say the Doctor and all those involved were less than impressed by his questionable actions. However, viewers will have to wait and see just what brings him back this time…

Star of the stage and screen Dame Harriet Walter will also be making her Doctor Who debut for the Festive Special alongside television star Nathan Stewart-Jarrett who has recently appeared in The Trial of Christine Keeler.

Viewers last saw the Thirteenth Doctor at the end of series 12 where her fate was left hanging in the balance as she was locked away in a high-security alien prison with no hope of escape. In the upcoming Festive Special, Yaz, Ryan and Graham are far away on Earth and having to carry on with their lives without her. However, they soon discover a disturbing plan forming. A plan which involves a Dalek. How can you fight a Dalek without the Doctor? Even with Captain Jack’s help, the gang are set to face one of their biggest and most frightening challenges yet… 

Chris Chibnall, the Executive Producer, said:

‘Revolution of the Daleks’ will air on New Year’s Day on BBC One.

Doctor Who is a BBC Studios Production.

 

The BBC has revealed that Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman, will return in the Festive special of Doctor Who Revolution of the Daleks

Described as one of the most loved characters in the Doctor Who Universe Captain Jack was last seen in the series 12 episode, ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’, when he made a brief surprise appearance with a stark warning for Yaz, Ryan and Graham to pass on to the Doctor before disappearing.

In the upcoming special Captain Jack will be on hand to help the Doctor and his companions as they discover a disturbing plan forming involving one of the Doctor’s most feared and dangerous enemies, the Daleks. With the Thirteenth Doctor locked away in a space prison, will Captain Jack be able to help save planet Earth?

On returning for the Festive Special, John Barrowman MBE revealed:

Chris Chibnall, Executive Producer, said:

Matt Strevens, Executive Producer BBC Studios, added:

‘Revolution of the Daleks’ will air over the festive period on BBC One and BBC America with more details to be revealed soon. 

The BBC has announced that filming has begun on Series 13 of Doctor Who, the 39th season since Doctor Who began in November 1963

The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way back with Jodie Whittaker once again reprising her role as the Doctor, but next seasons run will be curtailed to just eight episodes due to current restrictions over COVID-19

With safety protocols in place, the Doctor Who team are now filming under strict industry and government guidelines to ensure the safety of all cast and crew. Due to the added time and protocols required, the team will be completing a total of eight episodes rather than the usual eleven.

Talking about the new series, Showrunner Chris Chibnall said

Matt Strevens, Executive Producer BBC Studios, added:

Piers Wenger, Controller BBC Drama, said: 

The Thirteenth Doctor was last seen in the dramatic series 12 finale where the fate of the Doctor was seemingly left hanging in the balance after she was locked away in an eternal prison. In the upcoming festive special, titled ‘Revolution of the Daleks’, the Doctor’s best friends Yaz (played by Mandip Gill), Ryan (played by Tosin Cole) and Graham (played by Bradley Walsh) have to pick up their lives without her. However they soon discover a disturbing plan forming involving one of the Doctor’s biggest and most feared enemies – the Daleks. How do you fight the Daleks without the Doctor?

With the Doctor’s fate unknown, just what will series 13 bring?

Revolution of the Daleks will air on BBC One over the festive period. Doctor Who is a BBC Studios production.