David Farnor | On 30, Sep 2018

Doctor Who’s 11th season finally has a confirmed air time, as Jodie Whittaker prepares to pilot the TARDIS into living rooms this October.

In a South Yorkshire city, Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham O’Brien are about to have their lives changed forever, as a mysterious woman, unable to remember her own name, falls from the night sky. Can they believe a word she says? And can she help solve the strange events taking place across the city? Season 11 kicks off with The Woman Who Fell to Earth, introducing us to Whittaker’s Doctor, as well as Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill as her future companions.

Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Jamie Childs, Episode 1 of the new season will debut on Sunday 7th October. While that marks a new day for the season’s premiere, the timeslot hasn’t changed: The Woman Who Fell to Earth will be broadcast at 6.45pm on BBC One and last for the extended time of an hour. Here’s your first look at the opening episode:

 

 

Doctor Who Season 11 trailer teases new worlds, friends and explosions

20th September 2018

“I’m the Doctor, when people need help, I never refuse.”

Epic planets and explosions abound in the new trailer for Doctor Who Season 11 – and at the hear to fit all is the shining presence of Jodie Whittaker.

Grinning, running and gasping her way through the montage of intergalactic shenanigans, the latest video teasing her debut ride in the TARDIS has her doing all the things you’d expect from your new favourite Time Lord.

The new Doctor will premiere on Sunday 7th October on BBC One – marking a new timeslot for the Beeb’s long-running sci-fi, not to mention a new Showrunner, and a whole host of new monsters and companions. The season will kick off with an episode by showrunner Chris Chibnall, titled The Woman Who Fell to Earth. Here’s the new trailer:

 

Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who lands on Sunday 7th October

5th September 2018

Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who finally has a UK air date, with the Time Lord and her TARDIS set to touch down on Sunday 7th October.

The last time viewers saw the Doctor, she was falling from her TARDIS, but she’ll be landing on a different night to before, as the show makes its first ever shift away from a Saturday night slot. The change-up occurs in a year that marks a brand new era with a new Showrunner, a new Doctor, new friends and a whole host of new monsters.

Chris Chibnall, Showrunner, says: “New Doctor, new home! Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor is about to burst into Sunday nights – and make the end of the weekend so much more exciting. Get everybody’s homework done, sort out your Monday clothes, then grab some special Sunday night popcorn, and settle down with all of the family for Sunday night adventures across space and time. (Also, move the sofa away from the wall so parents can hide behind it during the scary bits). The Thirteenth Doctor is falling from the sky and it’s going to be a blast.”

Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content, adds: “With Chris Chibnall at the helm and Jodie Whittaker’s arrival as the new Doctor we are heralding a brand new era for the show and so it feels only right to give it a new home on Sunday nights at the heart of BBC One’s Autumn schedule.”

Showrunner Chris Chibnall has written the first episode of the brand new series, which is titled The Woman Who Fell to Earth. It will air on BBC One on Sunday 7th October, at an unconfirmed timeslot, and will then be available on BBC iPlayer.

The release date was announced alongside a new video paying tribute to the most fearless women in space, featuring Whittaker alongside a host of familiar Doctor Who faces from over the years.

 

Doctor Who announces writers and directors for Jodie Whittaker’s debut season

21st August 2018

The BBC today announces the full list of writers and directors for the new series of Doctor Who, launching this autumn on BBC One.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall, says: “We have a team of writers who’ve been working quietly and secretly for a long time now, crafting characters, worlds and stories to excite and move you. A set of directors who stood those scripts up on their feet, bringing those ideas, visuals and emotions into existence with bravura and fun.

“Hailing from a range of backgrounds, tastes and styles, here’s what unites them: they are awesome people as well as brilliant at their job. (It matters!) They love Doctor Who. And they’ve all worked above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring audiences something special, later this year.”

Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman has written over 60 books for children and young adults including the Noughts and Crosses series of novels, and her book Pig-Heart Boy, which was adapted into a Bafta-winning, six-part TV serial.

Malorie says: “I’ve always loved Doctor Who. Getting the chance to write for this series has definitely been a dream come true.”

Ed Hime was nominated for a Craft Bafta for his first episode of Skins, and won the Prix Italia for his radio play The Incomplete Recorded Works of a Dead Body.

Ed says: “Writing for this series comes down to the adventure really, and telling emotionally engaging stories to bring everyone along with you.”

Playwright and screenwriter Vinay Patel’s television debut, Murdered By My Father, won the 2016 Royal Television Society Award for Best Single Drama and was nominated for three Baftas.

Vinay says: “I grew up watching shows like Star Trek and Quantum Leap on the edge of my dad’s bed, and I loved how they managed to capture the imagination of a kid like me as well as acting as a moral compass. I never imagined that I’d get to write for Doctor Who – I was pretty thrilled.”

Pete McTighe is the originating writer of Wentworth, the female prison drama that has sold to over 150 countries. He’s written over a hundred hours of TV drama and been nominated for five Writers Guild Awards.

Pete says: “My entire television career has quite literally been an elaborate plan to get to write Doctor Who – and no one is more shocked than me that it paid off. I’ve been having the time of my life working with Chris, and writing for Jodie and the new team, and can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been up to.”

Joy Wilkinson has been selected as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow and has had two screenplays featured on the Brit List. Her TV scripts include the critically-acclaimed BBC five-parter The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby, while her theatre work has won prizes including the Verity Bargate Award.

Joy says: “I loved the show and felt like it might be a good fit for me, but I knew it was really hard to get onto. So quite frankly I’m still pinching myself to be here!”

Sallie Aprahamian has been directing television for over two decades with critically acclaimed shows including: Extremely Dangerous, The Sins, Real Men, The Lakes, Teachers and This Life.

Sallie’s memories of Doctor Who go right back to the 1960s, when William Hartnell created the role. She says: “I watched the First Doctor from behind the sofa through my fingers, frightened and exhilarated. I was really delighted, as a fan and as a director, to be invited to work on the first female Doctor’s series. What a brilliant time to be on the show!”

Jamie Childs, who directed Jodie Whittaker’s reveal as the Thirteenth Doctor, returns for the opening episode of the new series.

Jamie says Doctor Who represents an important part of our television landscape. “We tend to avoid making many shows in Britain that really allow the audience to properly escape, and Doctor Who has been doing this for decades. So yes, sign me up – I’ve always wanted to be part of that! There really aren’t many shows made over here that allow the viewer to travel to another universe.”

Jennifer Perrott wrote, directed, produced and executive produced her award-winning 35mm short film The Ravens. Since finishing Doctor Who she has been directing Gentleman Jack, a forthcoming BBC One/HBO historical drama series created by Sally Wainwright.

Jennifer says: “Doctor Who is an iconic show and one I’d loved as a child, especially when Tom Baker was the Doctor. Space travel has become more a part of modern life and this has opened the door for more human stories to be told amidst the escapist fantasy of saving the world from alien invasion. The aliens are now as emotionally complex as the humans, and I was really excited by that.”

Mark Tonderai went to school in Zimbabwe and architecture school in Kingston, before landing a job at the BBC as a trainee presenter. Mark has directed the full season of The Five, Impulse, Lucifer, Gotham, Black Lightning, George RR Martin’s Nightflyers and Jennifer Lawrence thriller House at the End of the Street.

Mark says: “What was really crucial in my decision to direct the show was Chris Chibnall. I’m a huge fan of his and I like the way he sees the world. He has this ability to entertain and also deliver truths – questions, too – about who we are. And he does it all with a hint of a smile.”

The new sesason of Doctor Who will premiere on BBC One this autumn. You can see the trailer here.

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