Country of origin United Kingdom | Original network BBC One | |
Starring Peter Capaldi
Pearl Mackie
Matt Lucas | ||
The tenth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who is set to premiere on 15 April 2017 and consist of twelve episodes, after it began filming in June 2016. The series is being led by head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, alongside executive producer Brian Minchin. It will be the third and final series overseen by the two, and Moffat's sixth and final series as head writer and executive producer overall. This series will be the tenth to air following the programme's revival in 2005, and will be the thirty-sixth season overall.
Contents
In July 2015, the annual review for BBC Worldwide revealed that it had invested in a tenth series of the programme. Steven Moffat has written four episodes for the series. Other returning writers who have worked on this series include Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Sarah Dollard, Jamie Mathieson, Peter Harness, Toby Whithouse and Mark Gatiss, as well as two new writers for the revived era of the programme, Mike Bartlett and Rona Munro, the latter of whom wrote Survival, the final serial of the original classic series. Directors of the series will include three who have previously worked on the show, and three brand new ones.
Preceded by a Christmas special in December 2016, "The Return of Doctor Mysterio", the series will be the third and final series starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor, the most recent incarnation of the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time and space in his TARDIS, which appears to be a British police box on the outside. In January 2017, Peter Capaldi announced he would be stepping down from the role after the tenth series. The series will introduce Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts, the Doctor's newest travelling companion, and will also feature Matt Lucas as Nardole, who appeared in the two previous Christmas specials.
Casting
Peter Capaldi reprises his role as the Twelfth Doctor in his third and final series; he will leave after the 2017 Christmas special, while Pearl Mackie will portray the newest companion Bill, after the departure of Jenna Coleman. To avoid leaks while casting the new companion, the production team used the word "Mean Town", an anagram of "Ten Woman"; this is a reference to the fact that Bill is the companion of the tenth series, and was revealed by the casting director Andy Pryor to Radio Times. Mackie is set to make her first appearance in the first episode of the tenth series. Matt Lucas will return in his role as Nardole, as seen in the 2015 and 2016 Christmas specials "The Husbands of River Song" and "The Return of Doctor Mysterio", in a regular role starting from the first episode of the series, but will not appear in every episode.
In June 2016, it was announced that Stephanie Hyam would be joining the tenth series. In July 2016, actors Mina Anwar, Ralf Little, and Kaizer Akhtar have been added to the cast and will be portraying Goodthing, Steadfast, and Praiseworthy respectively in the second episode. On 16 August 2016, it was announced that David Suchet, famous for his role in Agatha Christie's Poirot, will appear as a character known as "The Landlord" in the fourth episode, "The Haunted Hub". Tate Pitchie-Cooper will portray a younger version of The Landlord. Fady Elsayed, who stars in the Doctor Who spin-off Class, will guest star in an episode of Doctor Who. In October 2016, it was announced that Justin Chatwin was set to appear as a superhero in the 2016 Christmas special "The Return of Doctor Mysterio". Justin Salinger is set to portray "Tasker" in the fifth episode.
On 14 October 2016, Michelle Gomez confirmed that she would reprise her role of Missy in the series. On 30 January 2017, Capaldi confirmed that the tenth series would be his last.
Writing and development
In July 2015, the annual review for BBC Worldwide revealed that it had invested in a tenth series of the programme. It was announced in January 2016 that Series 10 would be Steven Moffat's final series as showrunner, after which he will be replaced in the role by Chris Chibnall in 2018.
In May 2016, Steven Moffat stated in the 500th issue of Doctor Who Magazine that he would be writing the first and last three episodes of the series. Furthermore, he stated that the series would consist mostly of single-part stories so that the new companion, Bill Potts, could have more stories to explore her character, though two-parters would still be present in the series. Moffat will also be writing the 2017 Christmas special, after the tenth series has concluded.
Lawrence Gough directed the first two episodes of the tenth series, while Frank Cottrell-Boyce penned the series' second episode, after having previously written "In the Forest of the Night" for the eighth series. Sarah Dollard, who wrote "Face the Raven" for the ninth series also returns for an episode, as does playwright Mike Bartlett for an episode in the same production block as Dollard's. Matt Lucas revealed on Twitter that Jamie Mathieson was set to write the fifth episode for the series, after having written "Mummy on the Orient Express" and "Flatline" and having co-written "The Girl Who Died". Daniel Nettheim directs two episodes for the series, which are both co-written by Steven Moffat and Peter Harness, after having previously directed the two-parter "The Zygon Invasion" / "The Zygon Inversion" for the ninth series.
In June 2016, Mark Gatiss confirmed he would be writing an episode for the series; this was eventually revealed to be the tenth episode, a change to Moffat's previous announcement that he would be writing for that particular episode. In 2015, Gatiss had discussed that he might write a sequel for the ninth series episode "Sleep No More"; however, this won't be the basis for Gatiss' episode for the tenth series. Instead, the episode will see the return of the Ice Warriors, a race known for their appearances in the eras of the Second Doctor and Third Doctor, and in the 2013 episode "Cold War," also written by Gatiss.
Moffat revealed in October 2016 that a writer who had previously written for the original classic series would be returning to write an episode. The next month, it was revealed that the writer was Rona Munro, who previous wrote Survival, which was the final serial of both Season 26 and the original classic series. Munro is the writer for the tenth episode of the tenth series, titled "The Eaters of Light". Toby Whithouse will write the eighth episode.
In March 2017, it was revealed that the original Mondasian Cybermen would be returning for the final two episodes of the series.
Filming
The read-through for the first production block took place on 14 June 2016. Filming for the first block of the tenth series began on 20 June 2016. Filming for the second episode took place in Valencia, Spain. Shooting for the first block concluded on 28 July 2016. The read-through for the second block took place on 18 July 2016, and filming began on 1 August 2016, starting with the third episode. Production on the 2016 Christmas special began on 5 September 2016 and wrapped on 30 September 2016. Filming for the fifth block began on 23 November 2016, paused in December for a break over the holidays, before resuming on 3 January 2017. The sixth block began filming shortly after. On 6 March 2017 the BBC confirmed that the work on the final two episodes of the series has began, with Rachel Talalay returning to direct her third series finale in a row.
Filming for the entire series is set to conclude at the end of March 2017.
Filming for the spin-off series Class ran from April to September 2016, beginning before the filming for the tenth series of Doctor Who started. Peter Capaldi took part in the filming of Class, and appeared in the opening episode of the spin-off series.
Production blocks are arranged as follows:
Promotion
A preview scene was filmed in April 2016 as part of a promotional clip shown on 23 April 2016. It introduced the Doctor and his new companion, Bill, being faced with Daleks. However, Moffat has stated that this scene may not be introduced into the series itself. Capaldi, Mackie, Lucas and Moffat promoted the series at New York Comic Con in October 2016.
The first trailer for the series was premiered at the end of the 2016 Christmas special, "The Return of Doctor Mysterio". A second teaser trailer was released on 25 February 2017.
DVD and Blu-ray releases
The first six episodes of the tenth series are set to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on 29 May 2017 in Region 2, and on 6 June 2017 in Region 1. The second half of six episodes is set to be released on 1 August 2017 on DVD in Region 1.