Doctor Who fans have gathered in Sheffield to celebrate the premiere of the first episode of the new series, which is taking place in the city.

Jodie Whittaker, the new Doctor, walked the red carpet before the screening, as did Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole, who play her companions.

The premiere comes two weeks before the show launches on BBC One.

It’s happening in Sheffield because the first episode – titled The Woman Who Fell to Earth – is set in the city.

“It’s exciting because we’ve worked so hard on it for the last couple of years, so to get to celebrate and share with the fans and potentially with new fans… we know what’s coming and we can’t wait to share it,” said Whittaker.

“And also being in Sheffield – to conclude this epic journey here is great.”

Whittaker, 36, said she wanted to bring “an energy and childlike enthusiasm and joy and hope” to the long-running show’s first female Doctor.

Despite much discussion about her gender, she described the Time Lord as “one of the [most] genderless roles I’ve ever played” while admitting it would “sometimes be relevant” in the worlds or historical periods her character visits.

Whittaker was introduced as the first female Doctor when her predecessor Peter Capaldi regenerated at the end of the Christmas Day special.

The episode ended with her hurtling towards the ground after falling out of the Tardis.

Fans lined the red carpet laid for the premiere, held at the Light Cinema in Sheffield city centre.

“I’ve been a fan since I was 10, which is about 34 years, and I’ve never been this excited,” said Ruth Mellor from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

“I’m very, very excited for Jodie. When it got announced I was jumping around my living room. And up north as well!”

“There’s definitely something about the new series that I haven’t felt for a few years,” said Amy Spencer. Dressed in a rainbow shirt matching Whittaker’s, the 19-year-old travelled from Brighton and was one of the first in the queue.

“It’s the most excited I’ve been for Doctor Who since the 50th anniversary. I’m excited for the new vibe of it and all the new characters and a new gateway for new fans to come in.”

Tracy Duff, from Grimsby and also in a rainbow shirt, said she hoped the new series would be “a bit more family friendly”, adding: “It’s got a bit too complicated lately.”

Yet she admitted she had reservations about a female Doctor. “I wasn’t keen,” she said. “But you’ve got to give everything a chance and I’m coming round to the idea now.”

Laura Blakemore, 26, from Cardiff, said the actress would bring “something unique” to the role. “I have wanted a female Doctor for a very long time,” she said.

“I’ve seen [Whittaker] in Broadchurch and a few other things so I knew she was the perfect choice for the role. I think she’s going to be brilliant.”

Laura’s sister Penny lives in Sheffield and saw the filming take place for the first episode.

“I was just complaining that I couldn’t leave my flat once because there was a Tardis in front of it,” she says.

“But it was really amusing when I was walking around town and kept bumping into the filming. It’s nice that it’s in my home. I can’t wait to see it on TV.”

Hundreds of fans won tickets in a ballot to be on the red carpet before the screening.

The first episode’s debut was followed by a question and answer session with Whittaker and new showrunner Chris Chibnall.

Chibnall has written a string of Doctor Who episodes and worked as head writer on its spin-off Torchwood. His biggest hit to date is ITV drama Broadchurch.

He has taken over from Steven Moffat on the flagship BBC sci-fi show and has described Whittaker’s Doctor as “fizzing, funny [and] smart.”

Chibnall has revealed that each of the 10 episodes will be a stand-alone story and that no previous monsters will appear in the new series – not even Daleks.

He is hoping to make its new Sunday night slot a weekly appointment for families in an age when young viewers are used to snacking and bingeing on any number of glossy edge-of-the-seat adventure shows.

“This is Doctor Who in an era of Netflix – you’ve got to keep up,” he told Radio Times. “You’ve got to keep up with Black Mirror, you’ve got to keep up with all the DC shows in the US.

“So it’s just making sure it’s fit for purpose. I think you tell great stories with great actors. And you tell stories that feel resonant to people’s lives.”

The first episode of Doctor Who is on BBC One on 7 October.

The opening episode will premiere at a special screening in Sheffield next week, with the BBC having offered fans the chance to win tickets to the red carpet event.

Sharon D Clarke, Johnny Dixon and Samuel Oatley are the guest stars for the opening episode, set in Sheffield. The second episode, The Ghost Monument, will feature Shaun Dooley, Susan Lynch and Art Malik as guests.

The new trailer hints at the monsters that will feature across the 10 episodes – with no sign of famous adversaries such as the Daleks or Cybermen. Chibnall has promised all-new monsters for Whittaker’s debut season.

He said he hoped the new series would draw in new fans. “It doesn’t need an encyclopaedic knowledge of Doctor Who to get into it. The wonderful thing about this is every time there’s new cast members, the show is regenerated in a literal sense with the character. New energy is brought into it.

“If you’re a fan of the show already, it’s got everything you expect. It’s got fantastic new worlds. It’s also got worlds that we’re familiar with, but are maybe seen from different points of view. It honours everything that has gone before.”

Whittaker has said: “It’s a great time for a new generation of children and families to start the habit of gathering around the television together to watch this funny, scary, extraordinary show.”

Details of the remaining episodes are scant, but one storyline is thought to centre around Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement in the US, and Alan Cumming has revealed he will be playing King James I at some point in the series. Malorie Blackman, Ed Hime, Joy Wilkinson, Vinay Patel and Pete McTighe have previously been announced as writers for the series.

A vocal minority of Doctor Who fans have remained opposed to the casting of a woman in the lead role. Recently, Whittaker was filmed for Stylist magazine reacting with humour to people criticising her casting.

Whittaker revealed she was being paid the same as her predecessor Peter Capaldi, following close scrutiny of the BBC’s gender pay gap. “I was never going to accept less, I am equal to everyone else and have never thought of myself as anything other than that,” she told Stylist.

“I don’t enjoy being thought of as less … for doing the same job, no woman does. But in this particular job I didn’t need to demand it because it was already in place.”

The series will premiere in the US on BBC America at the same time as the first UK showing. The exact time slot is yet to be confirmed.

Whittaker said: “You can expect emotion, you can expect action and adventure. You can expect a lot of humour, a lot of warmth and some great characters. More than anything, it’s hopefully incredibly entertaining and I think this series has something for absolutely everyone. I think you’re in for a rollicking ride.”

Two photos from the first episode of Doctor Who Series 11, The Woman Who Fell to Earth were officially released on the @bbcdoctorwho Twitter account. They are both production stills from filming.

The first photo was taken at filming at the HTC Plant in Sheffield on November 21. From left to right, the photo shows Sharon D Clarke as Graham’s wife Grace, Mandip Gill as PC Yasmin (Yaz) Khan, Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, Bradley Walsh as Graham O’Brien and Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair. They all seem to be peering through a hole melted through a metal fence.

The second photo is of the thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, with her sonic screwdriver. She is dressed in the twelfth Doctor’s shirt and vest.

The Woman Who Fell to Earth will premiere on television Sunday, October 7.

Details have emerged about the first two episodes of the new series which premieres Sunday, October 7:

Episode One – The Woman Who Fell To Earth

Action-adventure for all the family, starring Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill.

“We don’t get aliens in Sheffield.” In a South Yorkshire city, Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham O’Brien are about to have their lives changed forever, as a mysterious woman, unable to remember her own name, falls from the night sky. Can they believe a word she says? And can she help solve the strange events taking place across the city?

Guest starring Sharon D Clarke, Johnny Dixon and Samuel Oatley. Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Jamie Childs.

Episode Two – The Ghost Monument

Action-adventure for all the family, starring Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill.

Still reeling from their first encounter, can the Doctor and her new friends stay alive long enough, in a hostile alien environment , to solve the mystery of Desolation? And just who are Angstrom and Epzo?

Guest starring Shaun Dooley, Susan Lynch and Art Malik. Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Mark Tonderai.

The series showrunner, Chris Chibnall, said:

“Finally – Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor is about to crash land on to the nation’s screens. It’s thrilling to think there will be children encountering Jodie’s Doctor in the next few weeks who’ve never seen the show before. She’ll be forever their Doctor: you never forget your first.

Alongside Jodie, we have a delightful ensemble of new characters for the audience to fall in love with, led by the incomparable Bradley Walsh.

So break out the popcorn and hunker down for Sunday night adventures in space and time, with the Thirteenth Doctor and her new best friends. The journey’s about to begin.”

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Jodie Whittaker – The Doctor

Why should viewers tune in this series?

If you’ve never seen the show before this is a great season to start with. It doesn’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of Doctor Who to get into it.

The show has a very rich history of about 55 years. The wonderful thing about this is every time there’s new cast members, and new Doctors or new companions, the show is regenerated in a literal sense with the character. New energy is brought into it.

We wanted to make a series that was very inclusive because for people like me, we’re all very new Whovians as well. We’re introduced into this world as new fans will be on this season.

What do fans have to look forward to this series?

If you’re a fan of the show already, it’s got everything you expect. It’s got new monsters, it’s got fantastic new worlds. It’s also got worlds that we’re familiar with, but are maybe seen from different points of view. It honours everything that has gone before, but it then has a different burst of energy with all the new cast members. Doctor Who is for everyone and anyone.

What journey do the characters go on this series?

This season is ten stand­alone episodes so you have contained storylines within every episode. So you have a huge series character arc for many of the characters. But if you come in at episode five, you’ll get a stand-alone story which feels like a film, and which stands up amongst all the television that’s available to anyone now.

What themes do you think are important this series?

Friendship and loyalty and survival. All things that are very human, interlaced with things that are very far from human and familiar. It’s a very inclusive world.

When I watch TV and film I want to feel engrossed and excited, particularly in this world and genre. Doctor Who in itself is its own genre. I suppose you want it to feel like a roller coaster ride!

Chris Chibnall – Showrunner

Do viewers need to have seen Doctor Who before to enjoy this series?

Not at all. This series is the perfect stepping on point.

With the new Doctor you’ve got a new beginning, a new opportunity for people to join the show as viewers, for people who might have drifted away or haven’t seen the show for a few years, or 10 years or 20 years; it’s a great time to remind people of how amazing Doctor Who is and to have a restart. But also, it’s a great time for a new generation of children and families to start the habit of gathering around the television together to watch this funny, scary, extraordinary show!

It’s not a reboot it’s just that great, unique thing which is built into Doctor Who: a fresh start happens every few years. This is no different to when Tom Baker changed to Peter Davison, or when the show went from black and white to colour, with Patrick Troughton handing over to Jon Pertwee. The show has a history of renewal, while also staying faithful to what it is.

It’s the amazing thing about Doctor Who is this fresh start every few years which brings a whole new jolt of energy to the show. And hopefully encourages the next generation of audiences to try the show, while also reminding existing audiences why they love it.

Casting a new actor also brings in new opportunities to think about where the show is, think about where the world is, think about where you might want the stories to go. I hope we’ve got a fresh set of stories that are engaged with, and resonate with, the world we live in now.

What can viewers expect this series?

You can expect emotion, you can expect action and adventure and monsters and far ­off planets and huge alien vistas. You can expect a lot of humour, a lot of warmth and some great characters.

Four great new friends for you to meet as they go through past, present and future and meet some incredible people from history and go and battle on alien planets and fight threats closer to home.

It’s really a whole array of different stories. Ten individual stories that show off the range of the Thirteenth Doctor and her friends but also of the show as a whole. I hope you can expect everything you’ve ever loved about Doctor Who.

More than anything, it’s hopefully incredibly entertaining and I think this series has something for absolutely everyone. If you’ve seen Doctor Who before I hope we’re going to be giving you all the stuff you love. If you’ve never seen it before, this is the place to start and I think you’re in for a rollicking ride.

Bradley Walsh is Graham O’Brien

Have you enjoyed being part of this year’s ensemble cast?

I love being part of an ensemble. I love it. Jodie leads from the front and she’s fun and she’s upbeat and she keeps it all together – it’s great.

Working with Jodie, Mandip and Tosin and the different directors that are coming in, and this fantastic crew – that’s the thing I’m enjoying most about being on Doctor Who.

How do you think audiences will react to the Thirteenth Doctor?

I think they’re going to be excited by Jodie and I’ll tell you for why… Not only is she an exceptional actress, the energy she brings, because she’s still so young, the energy she brings is extraordinary. To keep up with her is hard work!

Describe the show in a sentence.

This new dawn for Doctor Who will be ground­ breaking and exciting and fantastic and unpredictable and beautiful and timeless.

I’m telling you now, this is going to be so brilliant. Jodie is fantastic! She works so hard and is so enthusiastic. She leads from the front and she’ll trailblaze for a lot of other shows. The new series of Doctor Who in a sentence is forward thinking, innovative, bold and brave.

The new series of Doctor Who, starring Jodie Whittaker, launches on Sunday 7th October. Release date varies by country – check local listings.

Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has said it would “daft” not to acknowledge new Doctor Jodie Whittaker’s gender in the upcoming 11th series.

When Whittaker was unveiled as the new star of Doctor Who last summer it was a revelation, with fans and commentators around the world intrigued by the prospect of a female incarnation of the Doctor and the new take on the series’ mythology it could bring.

According to new series showrunner Chibnall, while the Doctor’s gender doesn’t completely define her it’s definitely not ignored entirely – especially when the Tardis team travel to periods of history with less enlightened gender politics…

“I think it’d be daft not to acknowledge it,” Chibnall told RadioTimes.com and other press on a recent visit to the Doctor Who set in Cardiff.

“We’re not going to go through going, ‘She’s still a man!’ There are times when you can have fun with it. [But] it’s not a central preoccupation of the series.

“If we were to go into history, for example,” he added, “you might find that things play out differently.”

Rumour has that this series of Doctor Who will have the team travel to at least three different historical periods, including the civil rights struggle of 1950s America, so it could be that Whittaker’s Doctor will find herself clashing with a few outdated attitudes.

Though even outside of that, Whittaker says the Doctor’s gender change isn’t completely glossed over.

“In regards to the Doctor regenerating into a new body, it’s acknowledged because it’s always acknowledged,” she explained.

“That’s not necessarily anything to do with the gender that the Doctor has landed in before. But the change of body has always been something to be commented on.”

And who knows? Maybe this time she’ll even like the colour of her kidneys…

Doctor Who series 11 will air on BBC1 from Sunday 7th October

We know more about the on-set antics of Bradley Walsh filming Doctor Who than we do of his character, Graham O’Brien.

At San Diego Comic Con press conference, Bradley Walsh described Graham as a “regular bloke from London who’s ended up living in the north of England and gets taken away on this journey. It’s like Jodie is Captain Kirk and we’re the rest of the guys on the bridge. I’m like, Lieutenant Uhura.”

Walsh expounded on the Star Trek metaphor in an interview with the Radio Times where he described when he was in the initial stages of being recruited for the role:

“A week later – who’s the Doctor? ‘Dunno, we haven’t chosen them yet.’ And that went on and on and on. And I said ‘How can I gauge what I’m going to do with the part?’And they said ‘You’re gonna be like an older companion. And it’s gonna be a bit like the bridge on the Enterprise. It’s gonna be an ensemble piece. It’s gonna be like…’ And I went ‘I’m in!’ as soon as they said that, because I’m a massive Trekkie. I went ‘I’m in, I’m in, that’s it, OK done it’.”

Walsh’s character Graham was also described as taking on a “parental” role in the main cast ensemble by a Radio Times source.

A Doctor Who fan blog described an emotional and sobering scene for Graham filmed for The Woman Who Fell to Earth. The scene, as described, is a significant spoiler and might be an impetus for Graham to have paternal feelings for Ryan and Yasmin.

It would seem that Graham O’Brien is quite a bit more sedate than Bradley Walsh, according to Jodie Whittaker in an interview with Digital Spy:

“You’ve got these three youthful – I’m counting myself in that! – energised characters… and Graham is certainly the most cautious of the characters. He’d love a chair in every scene. And probably a sandwich!”

Bradley Walsh, on the other hand, is known for his antics on set and on Instagram.

“Well, he’s just a massive dickhead!”, joked Jodie Whittaker to NME, as she burst out laughing.

“He’s absolutely hilarious, but there’s so many moments where Brad would say something and he’s reduced the three of us to tears. Mandip and Tosin are also hilarious and it worked so well because we clicked into each other’s humour. The best thing is that all of us have a sense of humour, so we can take the piss out of each other. We are very lucky to be in those job and you never can be too serious if you’ve got Bradders around – he’s an absolute tit.”

“It helps because you knew what you were going to get – he’s a TV show host so you see his personality but you just hope that it isn’t all souped up for TV and in real life he’s a grumpy old git.”

“Thankfully he’s not, he’s like a child. He’s the youngest and most immature person I’ve ever been around, yet he was still the grown up among us four.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be98BwEBZ3j/?utm_source=ig_embed

Walsh told the Radio Times that he learned Jodie Whittaker would play the role of the Doctor the same time as everyone else in the world:

“I found out with the rest of the world. I got a phone call in the morning – ‘make sure you’re watching the tennis’. I sat watching the tennis. And I’d watched Broadchurch, with Jodie in it, and I think Jodie’s brilliant. And I went ‘Oh my god it’s a girl! It’s female! Fantastic, I love it!’

“And now, the lightbulb… it went ‘Now I get it!’ They were going ‘Oh we’re gonna change it, it’s gonna be this, it’s gonna be different… it’s gonna be seen as groundbreaking. I went ‘I get it, I totally get it.’”

It’s not known if Bradley Walsh will be back to film Doctor Who Series 12 but his enthusiasm for the show is encouraging.

The taping of The Chase was worked into Walsh’s busy schedule with difficulty and he will also host a new series of Cash Trapped sometime next year. Cash Trapped is auditioning contestants until November.

Bradley Walsh’s first appearance as Graham O’Brien is on October 7 for the television premiere of Doctor Who: The Woman Who Fell to Earth.