Even if you didn’t attend San Diego Comic-Con this year, BBC has got you Doctor Who fans covered. They’ve officially released the FULL panel recorded in Hall H with the new Doctor, two of her new companions, the showrunner, and an executive producer.
As filmed at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, here’s the full Hall H panel with the cast and crew of the new season of Doctor Who, including a short film with Jodie Whittaker‘s journey from Cardiff to the West Coast of the USA.
Jodie Whittaker recalls the adorable moment she told David Tennant she was playing the Doctor
When stepping into the world of Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker had a few people she could ask for advice, with the newly-crowned Thirteenth Doctor having already worked with plenty of ex-Who stars in ITV series Broadchurch.
And now Whittaker has revealed exactly what happened when she called former Tenth Doctor David Tennant for some advice a few days before she was announced to the world, with the Scottish actor reacting in disbelief to her casting.
“Obviously the news was a secret,” Whittaker said during Doctor Who’s San Diego Comic-Con panel.
“But obviously I know David and [new Who showrunner Chris Chibnall] is really good friends with him. He said ‘Look, the person who’s getting announced tomorrow is a little bit nervous, so can they give you a ring?’
“They, not she, THEY can ask you a few questions. ‘So in the next 10 minutes, can you just keep an eye on your phone?’
“And my name popped up and he went WHAAAAAATTT?!?!?! And he was like ‘Why are you calling me…?’’
Apparently, Whittaker responded with some inaudible stutters of excitement (for which, we REALLY recommend you watch the video below), before asking “about a million questions” about playing the Doctor.
“All I remember him saying – and I actually was lucky to speak to Matt [Smith] and Peter [Capaldi], and all I remember of it all was ‘This is the most amazing thing that can happen to you. And there’s only a few of us who know how it feels.’
“And I thought ‘Oh wow….Ok. Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool,” she concluded.
And on the other side of the line, Tennant couldn’t help but be charmed by Whittaker’s excited reaction.
“A couple of days before it was announced I get this phone call from her and she’s in sort of a tunnel of excitement and panic,” he said in August 2017.
“I can’t think of someone better to join the gang and be poised to take it to a whole new level. It’s great.”
Clearly, the future of the series is in good (and very excited) hands.
Doctor Who returns to BBC1 this autumn
Derek Jacobi to return as the Master for more Doctor Who audio series
Veteran actor Derek Jacobi will reprise his role as evil Time Lord the Master in a new series of Doctor Who audio stories.
Jacobi – who played the Master in David Tennant-era episode Utopia – will return for three more series of Doctor Who audio dramas from producers Big Finish.
The first of the upcoming series, The War Master: The Master of Callous promises an adventure set during the mysterious Time War, where the titular villain will control a group of Ood (those tentacle-faced slaves).
“As we travel further with the Master through the Time War, there are epic implications as well as very personal stories,” said Nicholas Briggs, script editor of the series (and voice of the Daleks on the main BBC show).
“There’s a distinctly dark and mystical feel to some of the episodes, but ultimately we discover that the Master laid some truly dastardly plans before it all started, and that his warped ambition knows no bounds,” he continued.
Following this story, due to be released in December 2018, fans will be treated to The War Master: Rage of the Time Lords in 2019. Finally, The War Master: Anti-Genesis – co-written by Briggs – will complete the saga in December 2019.
Jacobi first returned to the role of the Master in a series of audio dramas last year, and it seems his relationship with Doctor Who will continue long into 2019.
In the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine, showrunner Chris Chibnall describes the meticulous preparations to reveal Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor in the original trailer. Despite all the secret plotting, the plan nearly came off the tracks when their cover was in danger of being blown by a wedding and a Velothon…
In the exclusive article, Chris recalls his anxiety:
In my mind I’m thinking: are we really doing this? A secret shoot, with only nine people involved? Will this work? Can we reveal the new Doctor this way? Are the BBC really going to put it out during the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final? Is it crazy? Will people even watch or notice? (Turns out, the answer to all those questions is yes).
Somewhere on a train, Jodie Whittaker is making her way towards us, having told people she’s off to make a low budget Scandinavian film this weekend.
Recce done, we hole up in a hotel. Some of us are checked in under fake names, I can’t work out whether that’s for security, or because we’re all enjoying the cloak and dagger. When I go to check in, I forget my fake name. I’m not very good at this.
The hotel is quiet. Great. As we walk across reception we notice lots of champagne glasses. The staff explain: preparations for the massive wedding reception that’s going to be happening tonight. Right. Uh-oh.
To get to the car tomorrow, Jodie will have to walk through this big reception, where the hungover wedding guests will be checking out in the morning. How do we get the new Doctor from her room to the car park, in the costume she’s wearing for the shoot, without anyone spotting? We’re just going to have to style it out.
Sunday morning. Jo Pearce (Social and Digital genius) has gone out early, done a dry run driving from the hotel to the location checking the route. And she comes back alarmed: there’s a Velothon on the route! Some of the roads are closed! Her brilliantly planned shortest possible route from hotel to location won’t work. What’s more, the car will be passing hundreds of cyclists. What if we have to stop at traffic lights? What if somebody looks in and sees the new Doctor? Hopefully Velothon cyclists will have other things to think about. We manage to smuggle the new Doctor into the back of Jo’s car. Hood up in the back, like she’s cosplaying The Matrix, sandwiched between two others.
The week rolls towards the Wimbledon final. Calls are made. Who needs to know the identity of the new Doctor before the rest of the world? Most importantly, Peter Capaldi. We set a time, I call him…
The full story revealing more details about the secrecy that went on, how the shoot happened and who else received those all-important calls is in the new issue of DWM.
Other highlights of issue 528 include:
A visit to the archive of Doctor Who writer and script editor Douglas Adams
Peter Purves answers questions from the TARDIS tin
The untold story of Sky Ray ice lollies and Doctor Who, with images of rare 1960s memorabilia
Behind the scenes on IDW’s distinctive range of American Doctor Who comics
Graphic designer Lee Binding reveals what went into the packaging for the Season 12 Blu-ray box set
The Time Team tackles three of Doctor Who’s most controversial episodes
The Fact of Fiction explores the 2017 story Empress of Mars
Seventh Doctor cosplay with Jamie Lenman
Part Five of The Clockwise War, a new comic strip adventure featuring the Doctor and Bill
Previews, audio reviews, news, The Blogs of Doom, prize-winning competitions and much more!
Doctor Who Magazine 528 is on sale Thursday 26 July, price £5.99.
The Women Who Lived, Amazing Tales for Future Time Lords
Written by Christel Dee, former presenter of YouTube series Doctor Who: The Fan Show, and author Simon Guerrier, the book will feature more than 75 inspiring tales of remarkable women of the Whoniverse, both real and imagined.
From historical figures such as Agatha Christie and Queen Victoria to fan favourites like Bill Potts and River Song, each of these women has made a unique contribution to the world of Doctor Who. Whether they’re facing down Daleks or thwarting a Nestene invasion, they don’t hang around waiting to be rescued – they roll their sleeves up and get stuck in. Scientists and soldiers, queens and canteen workers, women from outlandish science-fiction and those steeped in real history, they don’t let anything hold them back.
Albert DePetrillo, BBC Books Publishing Director, says:
“We thought long and hard about which book would start our publishing programme for Jodie Whittaker’s first series of Doctor Who – and Christel and Simon’s book is the perfect choice. It’s bold and fresh in its approach, it makes a strong statement, it’s beautifully written, and stunning in its design. It represents everything we love about Doctor Who, and we couldn’t be happier to be publishing The Women Who Lived on the BBC Books list.”
Christel Dee says:
“With Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor arriving this autumn, we thought this would be the perfect time to reflect upon the wealth of incredible female characters from Doctor Who’s 55 year history – because there are so many! We hope the stories in this book will inspire a whole new generation of fans and existing fans too.”
Simon Guerrier says:
“We hope this offers a fresh perspective on the history of Doctor Who, a chance to celebrate the richness of past episodes as well as looking forward to the series’ exciting future. I thought I knew Doctor Who backwards, but we discovered loads of new things in our research for the book.”
About the authors
Christel Dee is a cosplayer, convention enthusiast and long-time Whovian. She previously hosted Doctor Who: The Fan Show and is now part of Doctor Who’s digital marketing team. She writes regular cosplay features for Doctor Who Magazine and is a member of their Time Team panel. In 2017, she contributed cosplay tips to Doctor Who: Paper Dolls for BBC Books.
Simon Guerrier has written countless Doctor Who comics, audio plays, documentaries and books such as Whoniversal Records, and has co-authored Whographica and The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who. He is currently working with his brother Thomas on Victorian Queens of Ancient Egypt, a documentary to be broadcast on Radio 3.
Doctor Who: The Women Who Lived: Amazing Tales for Future Time Lords will publish on 27th September in hardback, priced £16.99. You can pre-order it here .
If just watching Doctor Who on TV doesn’t quite immerse you enough in the world of the Doctor, then we have good news – because the BBC has announced that some new Who-themed interactive ‘escape room’ games are coming to the UK.
The live puzzles will first be available for fans to try out from December 2018 in the Bristol Escape Hunt venue, and then will expand to other locations in Birmingham, Leeds, Oxford and Reading in early 2019.
At the moment, there are no details as to how the rooms will work, what they’ll look like or how they’ll be connected to Doctor Who – presumably, a Tardis or two will be involved – but fans looking to have a go can already register their interest for tickets at the Escape Hunt website.
“It has been a long-term ambition of the team to be able to bring about Doctor Who-themed escape rooms,” said Mat Wray, BBC Studios’ Live Entertainment Director, in a release.
“Our main role here at BBC Studios is to continually extend the fans enjoyment of our brands, and so to be announcing six new live entertainment games across the country to fans is something really exciting.”
“Following the success of our original Escape Hunt games, we are thrilled to be partnering with BBC Studios to create Doctor Who – The Live Escape Game,” added Escape Hunt CEO Richard Harpham.
“Going on an Escape Hunt is all about stepping into and experiencing new worlds so strength in the science fiction genre is absolutely key to our content strategy. Doctor Who represents the very best in British action adventure and has a loyal and dedicated fan base that spans all generations.
“We look forward to bringing the show to life for all of them in its first ever live escape game experience at Escape Hunt venues across the UK.”
And if this news has awakened a hunger for EVEN MORE Doctor Who live experiences, keep your eyes peeled – BBC Studios are apparently working on “a raft of Doctor Who attractions, activities and experiences,” which we’ll presumably find out about in the coming months and years.
The Doctor Who games come hot on the heels of a similar Sherlock-themed immersive experience.
Clearly, actually just watching a TV show is very old hat.
Doctor Who returns to BBC1 this autumn
Jodie Whittaker reveals the origins of her Doctor Who costume
Jodie Whittaker has revealed that a striking image she found online was the inspiration for the design of her Doctor Who costume.
Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con at the weekend, Whittaker explained that a Google search looking for evocative images led her to a black-and-white photo of a woman “walking in purpose, deep in thought” in short trousers, boots, braces, and a t-shirt – a description that chimes strongly with the Thirteenth Doctor’s eventual outfit.
“The costume kind of felt that it could come from anywhere, and it should feel like that,” she said. “I didn’t want something that felt too neat and tailored.
“This picture was black-and-white, so I don’t know what era that picture is from. It felt like such a wonderful expression, in one image, of timelessness, purpose and inclusiveness. All in one simple look.
“It didn’t feel you needed to be a certain shape, or age, or gender, to wear it. And that’s mainly where it came from.”
On Friday night, Whittaker made a surprise appearance at the Her Universe Fashion Show at Comic-Con, and exhibited the outfit in all its glory, much to the delight of the Whovians in attendance.
San Diego Comic-Con marked the beginning of Who season, giving us our first trailer for the new series – and stoking excitement that will be heating up as we approach the “Autumn 2018” airdate.
Doctor Who series 11 will premiere on the BBC in Autumn 2018
Has Doctor Who just revealed a surprise new guest star?
Doctor Who seems to have added another actor to its roster of guest stars for series 11, with Shaun Dooley appearing as a mysterious new character in the latest trailer for Jodie Whittaker’s debut season.
Dooley, who is probably best known for his roles in series like Misfits, Gunpowder, Cuffs and The Game also played a large role in new Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall’s old series Broadchurch, appearing as the father of a missing girl in series two.
His surprise appearance in the trailer (see main image) – playing a character who, based on his clothes is a bit of a gunslinger, possibly on another world or in the future – adds another to the tally of cast members that Chibnall has hired from his previous TV shows, which include Whittaker herself (also Broadchurch) and Bradley Walsh (Law and Order: UK). Clearly, a good man to keep in touch with.
Dooley seemed to confirm his casting when he posted the new trailer on Twitter, putting him alongside already-revealed guest stars from the series including Alan Cumming, Lee Mack and Sharon D Clarke.
For now, we’d be surprised if we learned much more about Dooley’s character, or indeed any of the other guest stars in the series, but hey – given all the information that’s been released in the last week or so, we’d say we have plenty to chew on before the series debuts this autumn.
Jodie Whittaker with the new Doctor’s sonic screwdriver (BBC, HF)
It only seems like yesterday that Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor picked up his new version of Doctor Who’s iconic sonic screwdriver, but with the series about to get a serious facelift the Time Lord’s trusty gadget will be changing all over again.
And now for the first time fans have been given a look at exactly how Jodie Whittaker’s version of the new screwdriver will look, thanks the gizmo being unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con during the Doctor Who panel.
Looking far more traditionally sci-fi and alien than recent versions of the sonic screwdriver, the new incarnation of the gadget has a curved handle that’s slightly separate from the main screwdriver, containing stripped lights to match the LED light on the end. It’s coloured silver with dark cracks through it, and fits neatly in Whittaker’s hand.
Jodie Whittaker in a Doctor Who series 11 poster (BBC, HF)
In another interesting change, the light on the new screwdriver is an orange-y colour – different from the lighter blues and greens of more recent versions of the gadget, though other colours have appeared in the series’ run – while the LED itself appears more organic and crystalline, perhaps hinting at the source of the screwdriver’s power.
“It’s a privilege to have been asked to redesign the iconic sonic screwdriver for the Thirteenth Doctor and a new generation of audiences,” designer Arwel Jones said in a release.
“I can’t wait for people to see how the Doctor acquires it!”
Both the style of the screwdriver and Whittaker’s actions in the new trailer – where she’s seen trying to weld something in the series’ first episode – suggest that the new version of the tool might be hand-crafted by the Doctor herself, a departure from previous incarnations who were usually gifted them by the TARDIS.
The toy version of Whittaker’s sonic screwdriver (BBC, HF)
Then again, this difference could have been born out of necessity. Based on the fact that Whittaker is still wearing the suit of Peter Capaldi’s Doctor in the pictures, we’re betting they’re from the first episode of the new series when the Doctor has just regenerated and the Tardis is still missing.
Without being able to just take one from her ship, perhaps the new Doctor HAS to make one by hand – or maybe she just prefers a DIY approach to her intergalactic gadgetry.
Whatever the truth, we’re sure fans will be excited to see the latest version of the sound-based sonic probe, which first appeared in 1968 and has been a popular and ever-changing part of the series ever since (even for that year where Peter Capaldi had sonic sunglasses instead).
Happily, even when Doctor Who changes it still stays the same – and that’s making us pretty excited for these new episodes.
Finally, it’s here – our official introduction to Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor and her series eleven pals. Following the teaser on Sunday, the full trailer has now been released. And here it is…
… And here is the teaser trailer from last Sunday too!
