This is exactly when Doctor Who series 12 will be on
Doctor Who's series 11 left us, as ever, on tenterhooks for its return.
Now it has been revealed that the series will return with a two-part episode entitled Spyfall. The first part will air at 6.55pm on New Year’s Day and the second on Sunday 5thJanuary.
The two-part episode is significant as, fans may recall, the last series operated in all single-story episodes.
Doctor Who series 12: Who's in the cast?
The latest news is that Anjli Mohindra will be joining the series as a guest star looking ‘worlds away from her usual appearance’, hinting at an alien incarnation for the actor. Mohindra formerly starred in the CBBC Doctor Who spin-off show, The Sarah Jane Adventures as Rani Chandra, but it has been confirmed she will appear in the series as a new character.
On returning to the Whoniverse she said, “As a huge fan of the last series, it’s a bit of a dream come true getting to work opposite Jodie, Mandip, Tosin and of course after all these years, to work with Bradley again! There’s something undeniably special about Jodie’s Doctor, and to be bringing some terror to the joint was rather fun indeed.”
It sounds like Mohindra’s alien character might just be a baddie…
Also confirmed to be joining the series is Laura Fraser who viewers will recognise from BBC’s The Missing and US show Better Call Saul.
Little has been revealed so far about Fraser’s role but we do know that her character is set to be ‘intense.’
“I love this episode and couldn’t resist playing such an intense character. I watched Doctor Who every week as a child, so it was a massive thrill to be asked to take part in such an iconic show,” said Laura Fraser.
We already know Jodie Whittaker will return for series 12 as the Thirteenth Doctor, having taken over from Peter Capaldi for series 11. It has also been confirmed that Mandip Gill will be reprising her role as Yasmin Khan. Bradley Walsh will return as Graham O'Brien and Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair.
It has already been confirmed that TV legends Stephen Fry and Sir Lenny Henry CBE will be appearing in the new series, alongside others.
It’s fair to say that Stephen Fry was more than a little excited to be part of such an iconic show.
“Short of being picked for a British space exploration programme and I readily concede that I’m past the age where I’d be considered (if I was ever the right age for such a posting) – then being in an episode of Doctor Who will certainly do as a very sweet second-place excitement,” he said.
Sir Lenny Henry CBE is also appearing in the latest series.
So far, we have only seen glimpses of the new series via the trailers, but we do witness a car-chase in a vineyard where Sir Henry leans, in character, out of a window holding a gun. Is he a foe shooting at the Doctor? Or is he a friend defending her and the gang?
Either way, like Fry, Henry was thrilled to be involved with the show.
“It was absolutely brilliant to be welcomed into the fantastical world of Doctor Who. The nearest I have been to the TARDIS was when I played the Caribbean Doctor in the Lenny Henry Show, so as a life-long (hiding behind the sofa type) Doctor Who fan this is a very special moment for me,” he said.
Robert Glenister appeared as a character called Salateen in a four-part episode of Doctor Who in 1984.
All we know so far is that he is set to return for series 12 as a new character and that, “emotions will be charged as he meets the Doctor and her friends.”
Of the series Robert Glenister said, “I first appeared in Doctor Who in The Caves of Androzani at the tender age of 24 in 1984. Thirty five years later I got to be in it again at the not so tender age of nearly 60. How time flies!”
It has also been revealed that Goran Višnjić will appear in the series.
Viewers may recognise him as Luka Kovač, a very different type of doctor from the ER television series.
"I’ve always been a huge fan of Doctor Who, so when the offer to play one of my favorite people in history came, it made me so happy to be part of the show and it turned into this awesome, dream job!" he said.
Matt Strevens, Executive Producer said: “One of the great joys of Doctor Who are the legendary actors who want to come and join in the Doctor’s adventures. We were thrilled to welcome Goran and Robert, whose worked we’ve loved and admired for years. They create two iconic characters who are going to delight and entertain.”
Doctor Who series 12: What will it be about?
From the trailers, we get sneak peaks to some of the locations, such as a vineyard, outer space and shots of the Eiffel tower in what we are informed is Paris in the year 1943. We can also see that the Cyberman (there have been rumbles of their return for some time) will be returning along with the rhino-like Judoon, a giant robotic-looking, scorpion-like creature and hoards of bat-like beings.
Bats have appeared in Doctor Who before, in the 1984 four-part episode The Caves of Androzani which, in 2009, was voted by fans as the best Doctor Who story in history. This was the episode Robert Glenister appeared in so, with one of the original actors from the episode confirmed to return, could the same creatures be back?
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Bradley Walsh (who plays Graham O'Brien), warned that some of the monsters in the latest series will be “absolutely terrifying.”
“I’ve got to say, be prepared for the monsters,” he said. “Because there are some monsters that will absolutely make your hair curl.
“There’s a couple of monsters that they’ve come up with that are absolutely terrifying – and I mean terrifying,” Walsh added.
Despite the show famously holding details close to its chest, there are plenty of rumours around what else may be to come.
There have been unconfirmed sightings of Daleks on Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge, videos of which appeared on social media. Cardiff (a neighbouring city of Bristol) is a prime filming location for Doctor Who so there are strong suspicions that one of the Doctor’s most fearsome foes will be back for series 12.
A post shared by ☃️ DOCTOR WHO NEWS/FAN PAGE ☃️ (@raggedywho_) on Oct 23, 2019 at 9:31am PDT
What fans have been promised is "an explosive return to screens" and an "action-packed series of thrilling adventures" when the show returns for series 12.
Doctor Who series 12: When is it on TV?
We now know that series 12 will return with a two-part episode named Spyfall on New Year's day, 1st January 2020. This was publicly confirmed in a new 'release date trailer' released on 2nd December on the official YouTube channel. We now know this will be 6.55pm on New Year’s Day and the second on Sunday 5th January.
Earlier in the year on 10th November, fans were treated to a mysterious clip on Doctor Who’s Instagram and Twitter pages which urged viewers to "watch this space" with "coming soon" written beneath the Doctor Who title.
The video is captioned, "Make space... 23.11.19 #DoctorWho" which cites a date later this month. True Whovians will note this the 56th anniversary of the first ever Doctor Who episode, which aired on 23rd November 1963.
Since these posts, the official trailer has been released which launched, as expected, on 23rd November followed by another trailer and further announcements.
Doctor who series 12: Who are the writers and directors?
The BBC also just announced that four new directors and three new writers have joined the Doctor Who family to work on the 12th series.
Directors Nida Manzoor, Jamie Magnus Stone and Lee Haven Jones join Emma Sullivan, who has directed Call the Midwife and Silent Witness, on the team.
Writers of the new series include Nina Metivier, who wrote The A List, Maxine Alderton of Emmerdale and The Worst Witch and Charlene James who wrote A Discovery of Witches.
Three writers from series 11 will also make a return to the show for series 12. Vinay Patel who was behind the episode, Demons of The Punjab, Ed Hime who wrote It Takes You Away and Pete McTighe of Kerblam!
Discussing the writing and directing team, Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall said, ‘Along with our returning faces, we’re excited to welcome new members to the Doctor Who family. The Doctor Who team is crammed with British television’s brightest writers and directors: we’ve adored working with them and can’t wait to show you the explosive stuff they’ve created!’
Watch this space to catch up with the latest Doctor Who info and details of the new series.
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