This weekend sees the gripping finale to Doctor Who Series 10 airing across the world. The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine – out now – includes an exclusive look at the episode, The Doctor Falls.

DWM spoke to both writer Steven Moffat and its director Rachel Talalay about the return of the Cybermen and their battle with the Twelfth Doctor. Talalay said:

“I always worried, in Death in Heaven [Series 8, 2014], that we had this army of Cybermen, and then they take off into the air, and there’s never a battle so I was really thrilled, in The Doctor Falls, that we get to actually have them fight. They do battle. My approach was, you know, ‘Bring it on! Let’s blow up as many things as we can!’”

Rachel adds:

“I like, if I can, to do a few epic, moving shots where a lot of things are happening, rather than hundreds of action cuts, so we did one really big Steadicam shot with Peter, where he battled through the forest.

It was important to me – and to Peter – that we got that all as one, even though we cut it up in the edit. The adrenaline that happens as you run, and things grab you, and all these explosions go off around you – the excitement! – just adds so much. It gives a visceral sense to it, and Peter really felt that. It is like being on a battlefield. The first time he went through, tons of dirt rained down on him. He came out the other end, with dirt all over him, and you should have seen the grin on his face! He said, ‘Yup, this is action-hero stuff.’

But Steven’s script is, of course, incredibly, ridiculously clever, in a good way, and it does also have the calm before the storm. I love creating that tension as well.”

Writer and outgoing Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat also previewed The Doctor Falls, airing from July 1 across the world:

“An epic battle, even if you’ve got all the budget in the world – and, let’s be clear, we don’t – has to focus in on those tiny moments. Those tiny losses. Those tiny victories. Otherwise it’s just not a story. Embedding the intimate in the epic is what Doctor Who is really, really good at – or expressing the epic through the intimate. The tiny emotional consequences of this vast battle.

We all sort of know that the best bits in war movies are just before the battle and just after it. Those are the bits that stay with you forever; the final hours before the assault, and the consequences.”

This edition of Doctor Who Magazine also includes exclusive interviews with John Simm, Michelle Gomez and Steven Moffat. Issue 514 is available now.

Doctor Who star John Simm has been telling the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine – issue 514, out now – all about his return as The Master in the Series 10 finale.

Simm had previously told the publication of his desire to sport a ‘goatee’ beard for the role, just as his predecessors Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley did in 2007 but was refused by the then-showrunner, Russell T Davies.

The Master was last seen sporting a goatee in the 1980s, when Anthony Ainley played the part. Roger Delgado established the look opposite Third Doctor actor Jon Pertwee in the 1970s.

Whovians will have noticed in the most recent Series 10 episode, World Enough And Time, that the renegade Time Lord has gone back to his roots with facial hair. John said:

“Yeah, I just grew it, and turned up at the readthrough, and said, ‘You know, I fancy a bit of this,’ and Steven was like, ‘Well, okay. Right, yeah. That’d be good. Yeah, why not?’ Everybody seemed fine with it. I just thought, ‘Give a little nod.’ It was a nod to the Delgado and Ainley Masters. There’s a line in the final episode where he mentions ‘old-school’, and I made sure to give the beard a little stroke – a small nod to the old Masters.”

DWM also mentions that John’s Master no longer has the ‘drumming’ in his head, a condition first mentioned in the 2007 trilogy, Utopia (pictured above), The Sound of Drums and The Last of the Time Lords. Simm commented:

“Yeah, that’s gone. So he’s different. I had the opportunity to play it differently. Also because of the dynamic with Michelle, which was something that neither of us had envisaged in a million years – playing the same character at the same time. That was a new one on both of us. That had a big say in how I played him.”

This edition of Doctor Who Magazine is available now and also includes exclusive interviews with John Simm, Michelle Gomez and Steven Moffat, and a preview of the Series 10 finale, The Doctor Falls.

Doctor Who director extraordinaire Rachel Talalay (this year is her third finale) has been chatting to Doctor Who Magazine about this year’s finale, The Doctor Falls, and the forthcoming Christmas Special.

Doctor Who Magazine issue 514 is available from June 29 2017.

The episode will be Peter Capaldi’s final as The Twelfth Doctor. Rachel spoke about her delight at being asked to direct again:

“It took my breath away. It really, really took me by surprise. I didn’t know that Steven [Moffat, showrunner] was going to announce it when he did, and suddenly my Twitter was full of so much incredible positivity – and I was overwhelmed, because I don’t take these things for granted.

It’s definitely quite something to be asked to direct three in a row and be part of this epic ending.”

The conclusion of this epic ending is the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas Special, which sees Peter Capaldi bow out as the Time Lord. Talalay (pictured above), who is also directing, commented on the script:

“Oh, it’s so wonderful. I’m the biggest fan of it. It’s a tour de force. It’s a fanboy’s dream.

I mean, there’s a certain absolute fanboy-ness to it, which will make you squee – but also it’s a beautiful, joyous, heartbreaking script. Steven is a genius. So I don’t lose sight of how lucky I am. Even when I’m like, ‘How the hell are we going to get this done?’”

Doctor Who Magazine also reported on the read through for the episode which took place on June 8; Steven Moffat told the cast and crew in attendance:

“The one thing I have to say is, it’s Christmas Day, we’re gonna keep it funny, and we’re gonna keep it lively, as well as sad. If we cry, they” – by which he means the audience – “won’t. We want them to cry. So Doctor Who will laugh bravely into that good night.”

This edition of Doctor Who Magazine also includes exclusive interviews with John Simm, Michelle Gomez and Steven Moffat, and a preview of the Series 10 finale, The Doctor Falls. DWM Issue 514 is available from June 29, 2017.