School children aged 9 to 11 years will be encouraged to collaborate on a three-minute script.
The winners will travel to the BBC’s studios in Cardiff where they’ll see their script brought to life by the Doctor Who team and cast, including Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor.
Doctor Who Confidential will also take viewers behind the scenes to show how the script is developed – from the first script meeting, a cast read-through and on-set filming to the final edit.
Saul Nassé, Controller of BBC Learning, said: “The Script To Screen competition is a fantastic way for children to learn new writing skills, whether or not they are winners. We are delighted that the stellar cast and crew of Doctor Who are on board for this journey of learning through time and space.”
Scripts need to feature the Eleventh Doctor and can also include one of four Doctor Who monsters/aliens (Ood, Judoon, Cyberman or Weeping Angel), along with a new human character.
Tailored learning resources will be available on the BBC Learning website to help guide teachers and pupils through the process. Showrunner Steven Moffat will also offer his advice and tips.
Moffat commented: “Doctor Who made me want to write. It made me fall in love in television, script-writing and storytelling, and led me by the hand to the best job in the world. It also made me want to defend the Earth from aliens but that hasn’t come up so often. I know the power this show has to set young imaginations alight, because I’ve lived it, so I’m incredibly excited to be involved in this project. Plus it’s never too early to start looking for your replacement.”
The winning script will be chosen by Steven Moffat, Saul Nassé and Doctor Who’s executive producers Piers Wenger and Beth Willis.
The competition will open on Saturday 23rd April and the closing date for entries will be Monday 13th June.