Doctor Who will return for a new season this autumn.
This news summary will be updated regularly as more details are revealed, with the latest updates at the top of each section. Rumours and unconfirmed reports will be marked with a *.
Episode 6: ‘The Woman Who Lived’
Written by Catherine Tregenna.
Directed by Ed Bazalgette (Filming block 3).
Guest cast*: Maisie Williams, David Schofield as Odin, Rufus Hound as Sam Swift, Tom Stourton, Ariyon Bakare as Leandro, Daniel Fearn as Baxter, Simon Lipkin, Ian Conningham as Chuckles, Murray McArthur as Hasten, Barnaby Kay, John Voce as Mr Fanshawe, Struan Rodger as Clayton, Karen Seacombe as Meg.
Official synopsis: “England, 1651. The deadly Highwayman ‘The Nightmare’ and his sidekick stalk the dark streets of London. But when they find loot that’s not of this world, they come face to face with The Doctor. Who is the Nightmare in league with? And can the Doctor avoid the hangman’s noose and protect Earth from a devilish betrayal?”
Brian Minchin: “A beautiful episode centred on the Doctor and Maisie Williams’ character. There’s a Highwayman menacing London, an alien lurking in the woods, and comedian Rufus Hound stealing every scene.”
Steven Moffat: “England, 1651. The highwayman known as The Nightmare is plaguing the land. But the Nightmare is not all he seems, and his fire-breathing accomplice who lurks in the shadows is clearly more than human… The Doctor, on the trail of an alien artefact, is brought face to the face with the consequences of his own actions. For once he encounters someone who won’t let him turn his back on the things he has done. But will the Nightmare be his friend or foe? It may well take till the end of the universe to be sure…”
Steven Moffat: “…a group of Highwaymen dealing with a Norse god.”
Peter Capaldi: “…what’s great about Maisie is that she metamorphosises and she’s so different, the way she acts with different aspects of her character is very exciting and very compelling.”
Jenna Coleman: “[Maisie Williams] is utterly brilliant, as you would expect, and it’s a very surprising and intriguing storyline with her connection to us and her connection to the Doctor.”
Peter Capaldi: “Maisie [Williams] is fantastic. All I’ll say about her character is she shifts in cosmic ways.”
Brian Minchin: “We’re doing more two-parters – and not just conventional two parters. We’re doing linked stories where you might not be sure how they’re going to be connected until you see them. We’re pushing the storytelling that way, to give us more scale of adventure.”
Steven Moffat: “They’re not all two-parters – sometimes they’re just linked episodes. That 45-and-out rhythm has served us incredibly well for ten years, but there is a slight sense sometimes, about 35 minutes into the episode, you expect the hero music.”
Steven Moffat: “We’ve got some other stuff lined up from other writers – some new, some old, some middle-aged … I’m pretty excited. We’ve got some very, very good stuff coming.”
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