Broadcast Date: Autumn 2014
Filming Begins: January 2014
Cast:
Peter Capaldi as the Doctor
Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald
Guest Appearances:
Neve McIntosh as Madam Vastra
Dan Starkey as Strax
Catrin Stewart as Jenny
Producer: Steven Moffat
Directors:
Ben Wheatley (Episodes 1 & 2)
Paul Murphy (Episodes 3 & 6)
Douglas Mackinnon (2 episodes)
Writers:
Steven Moffat
Neil Cross
Mark Gatiss
Jack Lothian (unconfirmed, states he is writing for series 8 on his online CV at his agency Curtis Brown)
Frank Coterill Boyce (unconfirmed, stated he was working on a script at the Manchester Literature Festival)
Gareth Roberts
Episode by Episode
Episode One (Written by Steven Moffat, Directed by Ben Wheatley)
Episode Two (Written by Phil Ford, Directed by Ben Wheatley)
Episode Three (Directed by Paul Murphy)
Episode Five (Directed by Paul Murphy)
Details:
Peter Capaldi will chose his own costume but will be “dashing”
Peter’s previous appearances in Fires of Pompeii and Torchwood: Children of Earth will be addressed and taken from an idea by Russell T. Davies
Anmando Iannucci and Neil Gaiman have expressed interest in writing for the series and Toby Whithouse has stated his desire to write for the series if time permits
Alex Kingston has hinted she will return to the show but not at which juncture
Strax, Vastra and Jenny will have their own sonic devices designed by a Blue Peter competition winner
The series will be “at least” 13 episodes long but it’s not known if this includes the Christmas special
Quotes:
“There’s always a point in production, usually half-way, maybe two thirds, through a series when you realise you’re juggling at least one aspect of each show at once: maybe a press launch for one, another in the edit and I might not have written the last one. You wake up in the night thinking about 13 emergencies, each of them equally calamitous. As a lifestyle choice, it’s questionable. One of the hardest things for me to do is work out when I’ll have time to write. A whole week can disappear when I haven’t had a moment to sit down. I was amazed recently when I got a script ready in time for the tone meeting.” - Steven Moffat
“Peter’s already a bit of a national treasure, as most people have realised, the moment you think of him in the part, you find it hard to think of anyone else. Every time I was at a TV do and Peter was there, he’d come over to talk about Doctor Who and he was the first to congratulate Matt. I started thinking – what if that genius actor might actually say “yes”?” - Steven Moffat
“Peter only had to do one audition. We knew pretty much there and then. I didn’t think there was much chance he wasn’t going to be brilliant even before we saw him, because of who he is. You just want to check exactly how it will be with that face and that voice. Peter’s very excited. He’s thrilled. We basically picked him because he’s brilliant and he wanted the part. He’s known for being a huge Doctor Who fan. He’s a genius-level actor and it was the right timing.” - Steven Moffat
“We’ve got used to two brilliant iterations of the younger, more popular Doctor and they have both been superlative, but now it’s time for the old beast to snarl at you for a bit! Sometimes you see that a bit in Matt Smith’s Doctor - he will remind the people around him, ‘I’m not really like this’ - but I think Peter’s Doctor will make that even clearer.” - Steven Moffat
“In the Christmas Day episode, fans saw her cooking dinner for her family and having to pretend The Doctor was her boyfriend. She is single and looking for a fella, but the new Doctor wouldn’t fit the bill as he is being played by someone older than Matt Smith. So we’ve had to draft in a hunky new man to come on board.” - “Insider” talking to The Star
Rumours:
- The series will open with a Dalek story by Steven Moffat, tying into the overall arc for Series 8 - the quest for Gallifrey, which the Daleks obviously will attempt to stop at all costs. The story will at least in part be set on Skaro.
- The Master will return. With Gallifrey saved, so was The Master. While we have more exact details as to his return it ties into spoilers printed previously for The Time of the Doctor. The Master will exist in our universe again and whether he is a help or a hinderance to the Doctor’s quest for Gallifrey will be a matter of debate but become clear by the end of the series. Damien Molony, currently starring in Ripper Street, has been linked to the role, yet John Simm has previously stated his desire to potentially return to the role as well.
- A new male love interest will be added to the TARDIS crew… But he’s not all he appears to be. Damien Molony has also been linked to this role and he may play a fellow teacher at Coal Hill School.
- Mark Gatiss will likely get his first crack at a two parter. The Ice Warriors or Draconians may feature.
- The Zygons will return.
- Tom MacRae, Chris Chibnell and Jack Lothian will all write for the series, there is still the possibility Peter Jackson may direct.
- The Eighth Doctor will get a special 90 minute episode featuring McGann and Sheridan Smith. This in not a new proposal nor a reaction to the overwhelmingly positive response to The Night of the Doctor, the special had been on the cards for almost a year and was originally intended to form part of a series of specials to mark the 50th anniversary of the show.
- There may be a post-regeneration minisode in the vain of David Tennant’s Children in Need short, explaining away the post-regeneration scenes for a fresh start with Series 8.
As ever all rumours come from a variety of sources and may be true, true in part or completely false, they should not be repeated as fact nor taken as anything other than the rumours they are until there is confirmation from official sources.
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