Luther creator Neil Cross has discussed “the challenge” of writing two episodes for the new series of Doctor Who.

Cross has written the second episode of Series 7 Part 2, ‘The Rings of Akhaten’, and the fourth episode, rumoured to be titled ‘Phantoms of the Hex’, which he describes as “the kind of Doctor Who episode that would have terrified me when I was 9 years old.”

The New Zealand-based writer revealed: “When [Steven Moffat] asked me, I went ‘absolutely’, then put down the phone and said, ‘Holy shit’. The challenge was to do something that has never been done before in 50 years of the show. Doctor Who is a show made by people who love Doctor Who. To be asked back to write more is as much a recognition of my love of Doctor Who as my ability.”

Cross continued: “[Jenna-Louise Coleman] has everything that’s needed to be an A1 classic Doctor Who companion… It looks like it’s going to be, if not the best yet, certainly among the best Doctor Who seasons yet.”

Series 7 Part 2 begins on Saturday 30 March on BBC One and BBC America with ‘The Bells of St John’, written by Steven Moffat.

Steven Moffat has previously said of ‘The Rings of Akhaten’: “You’ll laugh and cry and airpunch. Glorious. The brief, for Neil, was this: You know how the Doctor always promises amazing, awesome wonders to his companions, then gets them stuck down a tunnel being attacked by mutant slugs? Let’s deliver some awesome and amazing.”

> Find out all the latest cast news and story details in our Series 7 news summary.

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Watch the Series 7 Part 2 trailer…