The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (issue 515) is out now, and in it has seemingly come some confirmation that the show is taking a slightly extended break before its next series.
It had been rumoured for some time that there was going to be an 18 month gap between the start of series 10 and the first episode of series 11 of Doctor Who, to give incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall the space he needed to get things in place.
Doctor Who Magazine reiterates that Steven Moffat hadn’t expected to stay on for series 10, but did so when it became clear that Chris Chibnall’s Broadchurch commitments meant he couldn’t take over the show until 2017 at the earliest. But it’s the telling phrase, when it notes that Moffat agreed to stay to ensure we didn’t get a three year gap between series of Doctor Who: “the alternative might have been to have had no Doctor Who at all between Christmas 2015 and the autumn of 2018”.
The last series of the show started in the spring, and series 9 before that kicked off in September of 2015. It does all suggest that, for the time being at least, Doctor Who is on an 18 month cycle.
Official confirmation hasn’t been forthcoming, but given that Doctor Who series 11 isn’t due to start filming until later this year, it seems likely we’re looking at an autumn start for the next run.