BBC One has confirmed the airtime for Peter Capaldi’s return in Doctor Who series nine opener ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’.

The episode will air at 7.40pm on Saturday, September 19. At around 50 minutes in length, the episode will finish at 8.30pm.

This means that ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ kicks off only 10 minutes earlier than last year’s curtain-raiser ‘Deep Breath’, which was the latest time slot for a new series launch since Doctor Who returned in 2005.

‘Rose’ aired at 7pm on March 26, 2005, while ‘New Earth’ was shown at 7.15pm on April 15 the following year and ‘Smith & Jones’ opened the third series at 7pm on March 31, 2007.

Series four’s ‘Partners in Crime’ aired 6.20pm on April 5, 2008 – with Matt Smith’s debut ‘The Eleventh Hour’ occupying the same slot on April 3, 2010.

Series six marked the show’s earliest start to date, with ‘The Impossible Astronaut’ transmitting at 6pm on April 23, 2011.

‘Asylum of the Daleks’ kicked off series seven at the later time of 7.20pm on September 1, 2012.

‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ has been written by showrunner Steven Moffat, and is directed by Hettie Macdonald and produced by Peter Bennet.

As well as Capaldi and Jenna Coleman as Clara, the guest cast features Michelle Gomez returning as Missy, alongside Jemma Redgrave, Kelly Hunter, Clare Higgins and Jaye Griffiths.

News Source: Digital Spy