Doctor Who returns at 6.15pm on Saturday 30 March on BBC One with ‘The Bells of Saint John’.

Along for the ride in his brand new TARDIS is the Doctor’s latest companion, Clara Oswald…

“I think it is going to be very exciting to introduce Clara to the world and Steven [Moffat] has hit a real vein of form.”

With a new costume this series, the Doctor also has a new TARDIS to travel through space and time…

“Walking on to the new TARDIS was like the first day at school. I actually found it quite difficult as I had got so used to the rhythm of acting on the old one, where I used to slide about on the glass floor, but Michael Pickwoad has done a fabulous job. This one is more like a machine.”

Having lost his first companions, the Ponds, at the hands of the Weeping Angels in New York last year and after a period of mourning, the Doctor is joined by a new companion this series, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman…

“She’s done brilliantly well. She’s kind, charming, thoroughly prepared and very brave as an actress. And most importantly of all we get on, which is vital on a show like this. I’m so proud of what she has achieved in the last year.”

Filming for ‘The Bells of Saint John’ took place at Westminster Bridge, the Southbank and St Pauls…

“Amazing, I loved shooting in London. There is something so brilliant about having the locations there rather than just adding them in.”

‘The Rings of Akhaten’ takes the Doctor and Clara away from earth and on their first proper adventure…

“It was very ‘Whoey’. We had between 50 to 60 prosthetic aliens, which is something that only really this show can offer, making it a very unique experience as an actor.”

As well as introducing some new monsters, the new series brings back a couple of old monsters in the form of the Ice Warriors and Cybermen…

“I think it’s good to pay homage to the classic series, says Matt, especially for the fans. This series we have modernised some of the monsters for a whole new generation.”

How was the shooting experience for the third episode, ‘Cold War’, written by Mark Gatiss?

“They built a submarine and the five-year old in me was like “yeah it’s a submarine!”. I loved getting sprayed down at the beginning of the shoot and it wasn’t a chore as it does so much of the acting for you, making it really authentic. Mark Gatiss has delivered one of the best episodes of the series.”

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

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