Three writers, a six-day shoot – what could it be?
Fans of Doctor Who have already got plenty to be excited about across the rest of this year. Not only are there three 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate on the way, but there’s also a festive special starring Ncuti Gatwa’s new Fifteenth Doctor to look forward to.
However, it seems that’s not all – showrunner Russell T Davies has now teased that a new project was also shot in the second half of September, after he started questioning whether he and the team had “done enough” to celebrate the anniversary.
Writing in his Letter from the Showrunner in this month’s edition of Doctor Who Magazine, Davies said: “As the summer began, I was thinking about the 60th and wondered, have we done enough?
“So I had an idea on July 5, sent a formal proposal to the team on July 20, then three scriptwriters got to work, and now, just two months later, in the second half of September, we’re about to embark on a 6-day studio shoot of brand new material that will make you FIZZ! I promise!”
Exactly what form this brand-new material will take is still under wraps – could it be a skit for Children in Need, or some form of web special? Or, given the inclusion of three writers, could it be three separate, short projects? It seems we will have to wait to find out.
In the letter, Davies also teased three important dates for fans to look out for throughout November, although stressed none of these is a transmission date for one of the three specials – Wednesday 1st November, Friday 17th November and Thursday 23rd November.
Perhaps whatever this additional project is will drop on one of those dates?
Read more:
- Doctor Who’s Arthur Darvill on Amy and Rory’s “perfect ending”
- Doctor Who @ 60: A Musical Celebration pays tribute to Michael Gambon
Looking past this year, it seems that Davies is planning for the long-term when it comes to his Doctor Who future, teasing that he has already filled up the third season of his new era with stories, and joking that he’s going to write an episode with no dialogue for his fourth new season.
This certainly matches up with comments he previously made on the Table Manners podcast with Jessie and Lennie Ware, where he said that he would be spending “years” working on his new era of Doctor Who.
The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine is available now. Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Episodes of the classic series can be streamed on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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