In a Zoom interview with Total TV Guide magazine in November, Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall said something very interesting about writing and filming the new run of eight episodes.
“[It] has been challenging in ways you don’t expect. But part of that is knowing we want to get the show back on air, and making sure the people who have worked on it for decades still have a job. I also feel a responsibility to every eight-year-old in the country, that there will be a series of Doctor Who in 2021.”
This is indeed a very challenging goal. Entertainment Weekly asked the showrunner if he has an idea of when Doctor Who Series 13 will premiere.
“Yeah, I’ve got an idea,” he told EW with a laugh. “But Charlotte Moore (BBC Chief Content Officer) would send ‘the boys’ round if I told you any hints. As soon as [we] finish it, I promise we’ll put it on telly straight away.”
Following six months of research and development, the plan is to film eight episodes under the slower COVID-19 protocols in the same amount of time it usually takes to film eleven (approximately nine months).
With filming having begun in early November of 2020, it’s possible post-production work could be completed on the first filmed block of Doctor Who Series 13 by mid to late autumn of 2021.
There is one more filming photo that took place from the same night. pic.twitter.com/Tvq9jJNcTa
— Thomas Hynes (@ThomasH90175738) December 7, 2020
Chibnall spoke of his confidence in the production team to Total TV Guide.
“The history of the show is the history of production teams overcoming the odds. Our team has got the biggest challenge in the lifetime of Doctor Who, but at the moment, they’re equal to it.”