{"id":6057,"date":"2021-10-21T14:31:55","date_gmt":"2021-10-21T12:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1395321"},"modified":"2021-10-21T14:54:22","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T12:54:22","slug":"doctor-who-might-have-just-solved-its-series-13-swarm-mystery-once-and-for-all","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-might-have-just-solved-its-series-13-swarm-mystery-once-and-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who might have just solved its series 13 \u201cSwarm\u201d mystery once and for all"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Huw Fullerton\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 21 October 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

For months, Doctor Who<\/a> fans have been pondering the mystery of \u201cswarm<\/a>,\u201d the one-word clue dropped by series showrunner Chris Chibnall when asked when we should expect from the upcoming series 13.<\/p>\n

Was it an alliance of monsters, possibly using an acronym<\/a>? Was it some sort of alien disease? Or was it a classic monster returning in triumph<\/a>? For a long time, we\u2019ve just not known \u2013 not that that\u2019s stopped us dropping a few wilder theories of our own.<\/p>\n

But now, it seems the mystery is (partially) solved thanks to new episode details for Doctor Who: Flux\u2019s first episode The Halloween Apocalypse. Alongside a new synopsis and an airtime (set your alarms for 6:25pm!), a cast list reveals that Swarm is a character \u2013 and specifically, a character played by recently-announced series 13 casting Sam Spruell.<\/p>\n

\""Sam\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Sam Spruell (Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Sadly, that leaves a few of our favourite theories lying in the dust \u2013 but there are still a few mysteries left unsolved. Who, exactly, is Swarm? And have we already seen him crop up in the trailers?<\/p>\n

\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

Some fans are already speculating that the unnamed spiky monster on the right of this picture could be Spruell in make-up, though the prosthetics are so extensive it\u2019s difficult to tell at this stage. Notably, his female counterpart doesn\u2019t seem to appear on the cast list for the episode (unless her name is \u201cDiane Curtis\u201d, which would be amazing), but given that many monsters and characters are set to appear across multiple episodes this series, it doesn\u2019t completely rule him out.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, it could be that Spruell\u2019s Swarm is another character we\u2019ve had confirmed for episode one. Previously, new pictures revealed that familiar alien soldiers the Sontarans were returning with a redesign for the series premiere \u2013 who\u2019s to say that Spruell couldn\u2019t be playing one of them?<\/p>\n

\""Sontaran\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Sontaran redesign in Doctor Who: Flux<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Swarm sounds a little strange as a Sontaran name, but the series has some precedent with S-names for this species (General Staal, Commander Skorr, Strax) so it\u2019s not completely out of the question. And who\u2019s to say it couldn\u2019t be Spruell buried under that Sontaran makeup? The only downside is that he\u2019s probably a little too tall for the role.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s entirely possible that neither of these theories is right, and Spruell is playing a character (possibly even a human) who has yet to appear in any teaser footage. Still, given that Chibnall chose his name as a series 13 clue, it seems likely he\u2019ll play a crucial role in Flux so we\u2019ll be keeping our eyes peeled for him when The Halloween Apocalypse comes to our screens.<\/p>\n

Looks like there\u2019s one mini-Swarm mystery still to solve after all.<\/p>

Doctor Who returns to BBC One on Sunday 31s October at 6.25pm. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi<\/a> hub or our full TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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