It’s just 10 days until Easter Sunday and we finally get to see Jodie Whittaker’s penultimate adventure at the helm of the TARDIS. The Thirteenth Doctor is setting sail on the Chinese seas to face classic 1970s monsters the Sea Devils, who have had quite the revamp since their last appearance.
While the Doctor Who production team have not been shy in sharing promotional photos of these villains, they have now just released their first set of behind-the-scenes shots in which we can see the Sea Devils getting ready for their close-ups.
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To give fans a better look at the monsters and their updated design, the new images show the Sea Devil head in detail, being detached and worked on by on-set costume designer Ray Holman.
And despite some updates, the new Sea Devil head was made with the older version very much still in mind. In a recent interview with SFX, it was revealed that a vintage mould from the 1980s was found and used to ensure that the proportions of the Sea Devil were still the same.
“You have to go through the process of thinking, ‘Do we change it so much that it becomes something different?’,” said Holman when talking about the pressures of bringing such a loved and classic design into the 21st century.
“And if it’s something modern and different, which has animatronics and all sorts of other things, will it have the same flavour as the originals?”
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One of the key changes being made is that the new Sea Devils are a bit shorter than their predecessors, to match Jodie Whittaker’s height. Although, thanks to the BBC’s new backstage pictures, it’s clear that they will still stand tall as they battle the Doctor on her pirate adventure.
And, while it’s not clear who wears the Sea Devil head in the images above, we know that their leader will be played by Craige Els, who wore prosthetics in season 13 as John Bishop’s Lupari protector Karvanista.
The other change, of course, is giving these dastardly fiends a more piratical aesthetic in preparation for their voyage – and from this latest release, it’s clear that the new and improved Sea Devils will be able to swashbuckle with the best of them.
Read more: Mandip Gill injured her hand fighting Sea Devils in Doctor Who’s Easter special
Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 17th April. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
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