Belinda and the Doctor standing next to the TARDIS and looking open-mouthed with excitement. Belinda is holding the Doctor’s arm.
Things might be about to get very timey-wimey, as it seems Doctor’s Who’s Eurovision-inspired episode is in danger of not getting a BBC One transmission – because of the real-life Eurovision Song Contest.
The sixth episode of the show’s upcoming 15th season, which comes from writer Juno Dawson, is titled The Interstellar Song Contest, and will see Rylan Clark guest starring as one of the hosts of the space-bound version of Eurovision.
Rylan Clark and Julie Dray as Sabine in Doctor Who
It’s set to be released on BBC iPlayer at 8am on the same day as this year’s Eurovision grand final, but Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has revealed there is currently a question mark over whether it will get a BBC One transmission like the season’s other episodes.
Speaking during a Q&A for the new run, Davies said:
“The most exciting week of all is the Eurovision week, because that afternoon is the FA Cup Final live on BBC One. At 8 o’clock at night is Eurovision live across Europe.
“We’re in the middle. If the football has lots of goals and things, going into extra time and penalties, we get crushed in the middle.”
He continued:
“It’s like we cannot move – the football can’t move, Eurovision can’t move. So we genuinely don’t know if we’ll be transmitted that day. It’ll be on the iPlayer, but you’ll have to sit there that day.
“I’ll have to sit through a f**king football match to find out whether Doctor Who’s going out that night.
“They said to us, ‘Do you want to move it?’ and I said, ‘That’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever heard. Let’s find out if we’re transmitting. Let’s feel alive.’ So that Saturday is going to be fun.”
Season 15’s scheduling is slightly different than the previous run – episodes will now stream on iPlayer from 8am UK time, rather than midnight.
The TARDIS is getting ready to take viewers on another thrilling journey through time and space, with some new additions as the show announces the writers who have stepped on board for the upcoming series.
Writers
Juno Dawson is a #1 Sunday Times best-selling novelist, screenwriter and journalist, whose books include the global bestsellers, This Book is Gay and Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. Her debut short film was The Birth of Venus and she created the first official Doctor Who scripted podcast, Doctor Who: Redacted.
Juno says:
“I started watching Doctor Who with my grandma when I was ten-years-old in the 1990s. From writing fan-fiction for an audience of one, to scripting the best TV show of all time is truly a dream come true. I can’t wait for fans and newcomers to see the new season.”
Inua Ellams is a writer and curator, whose published books of poetry include Candy Coated Unicorns & Converse All Stars and The Actual. His first play, The 14th Tale, was awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival, and other plays include Barber Shop Chronicles, which played at the National Theatre, Three Sisters and The Half-God of Rainfall.
Inua says:
“For as long as I can remember television, I’ve been a Doctor Who fan. I started watching when I was 10 in Nigeria. The show invited me to dream, to live beyond my reality. Getting to write for the show felt like touching God; it was blasphemously humbling and exciting, and I can’t wait to share my story with the world.”
Pete McTighe is a writer and Executive Producer on the forthcoming spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea. He has created, written or Exec’d dramas including The Pact (BBC), The Rising (Sky), A Discovery Of Witches (HBO), and Wentworth (Fox).
Pete says:
“The TARDIS is my home away from home, so it’s been a joy to step back inside, with Russell at the console and the incredible team at Bad Wolf hanging on for dear life. I love this show with all my heart, and am really proud of what we’ve been able to achieve with my next episode.”
Sharma Angel-Walfall originally hails from Manchester and won the inaugural Channel 4 New Writing Award that set her off on her screenwriting journey. She has been in a number of writers’ rooms, including Rapman’s Supacell (Netflix), Sally Wainwright’s The Ballad of Renegade Nell (Disney+), A Town Called Malice (Sky) and Noughts & Crosses (BBC). She was a writing consultant on Paul Abbott’s Wolfe (Sky) and wrote an episode of Sharon Hogan’s Dreamland for Sky (starring Lilly Allen and Freema Agyeman).
Sharma says:
“I am buzzing to be a part of such an iconic show! I am a massive Russell T Davies fan, so it is a dream come true to be able to work alongside him, especially on a show that I love. It’s a real privilege to be a part of the Doctor Who family. I have loved every minute!”
Russell T Davies, Showrunner says:
“Doctor Who takes its talent from a glittering galaxy of names, and these extraordinary writers span the skies. We’ve got old hands, new stars, voices from theatre, radio and literature, the whole works! It’s the most wild and exciting season of Doctor Who yet, and I can’t wait to unleash their brilliant work.”
The series is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television, and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK where available.
Russell T Davies is showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers are Joel Collins, Phil Collinson, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter.
The TARDIS visits BBC Sounds in new spin-off podcast Doctor Who: Redacted
Doctor Who enters a new dimension as new spin-off podcast, Doctor Who: Redacted lands on BBC Sounds.
Doctor Who: Redacted writer Juno Dawson with stars Jodie Whittaker and Charlie Craggs (BBC)
The 10-part series will begin alongside the television Easter special on April 17, giving fans a brand new podcast of action-packed adventures ‘left’ of the much loved science-fiction series. Listeners will be introduced to characters, Cleo Proctor (Charlie Craggs), Abby McPhail (Lois Chimimba) and Shawna Thompson (Holly Quin-Ankrah) – alongside some familiar faces including the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Rani Chandra, Kate Stewart, Petronella Osgood and Madame Vastra.
Doctor Who: Redacted follows Cleo, Abby and Shawna – three broke university drop-outs from different cities across the UK who remain connected via their paranormal conspiracy podcast, ‘The Blue Box Files’. The trio speculate over Abby’s favourite conspiracy theory – intent on finding out the truth behind the mysterious ‘Blue Box’ that keeps cropping up across history. What if this random police public call box was actually an alien ship?
They don’t know who the Doctor is, or if aliens are real, but soon find themselves caught in a supernatural conspiracy as they learn that everyone who’s ever met the Doctor is disappearing and being forgotten. Essentially, they’re being redacted from reality. The Blue Box Files is so unsuccessful that our heroes are the last ones to be affected by the redaction, making Cleo, Abby and Shawna the world’s only hope. Now it’s a race against time to uncover the truth.
Set in the Doctor Who universe, the series entangles past and current storylines, cameos from the Doctor’s friends and allies, as well as appearances from monsters and aliens, identifiable to fans and non-fans alike.
When Cleo’s brother Jordan, (played by comedian Jacob Hawley), gets redacted, they spend the rest of the series trying to find him. In the meantime Cleo is dealing with a mother who kicked her out for being trans when she was 16, whilst trying to find out what happened to her Dad – who mysteriously ‘disappeared’ when she was a kid. As the series unfolds we find Abby – the resident believer and Shawna – the sceptic, grapple with their own tribulations on the edge of a will-they, won’t-they romance, despite Abby’s controlling boyfriend.
Doctor Who: Redacted is scripted by bestselling author Juno Dawson, alongside a host of new and experienced writing talent, with a strong emphasis on diversity and regionality. The audio drama primarily explores the relationships between ordinary people unknowingly immersed in the Doctor Who universe.
Juno Dawson, lead writer says:
“Doctor Who was my first love, and it’s an absolute thrill to add to the ever-expanding mythology in podcast form for the first time ever. What a total privilege to write for something so beloved, and put my own little flag on the landscape.”
The acclaimed cast for Doctor Who: Redacted includes Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), Charlie Craggs, Jacob Hawley, Lois Chimimba (Doctor Who, Vigil), Holly Quin-Ankrah (Coronation Street, Grange Hill), Ken Cheng, Jemma Redgrave (Doctor Who), Ingrid Oliver (Doctor Who), Doon Mackichan (Good Omens, Smack The Pony) and more.
Doctor Who: Redacted is available first on BBC Sounds weekly from April 17th. Episode 1 will be available following Doctor Who’s Legend of the Sea Devils on Easter Sunday.
Cast and Creatives
Cleo Proctor – Charlie Craggs
Abby McPhail – Lois Chimimba
Shawna Thompson – Holly Quin-Ankrah
The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker
Madame Vastra – Doon Mackichan
Jordan Proctor – Jacob Hawley
Monica Proctor – Sarah Thom
The Floater – Alasdair Beckett-King
Rani Chandra – Anjili Mohindra
Kate Stewart – Jemma Redgrave
Petronella Osgood – Ingrid Oliver
Extended Cast: Ambika Mod, Kieran Hodgson, Natasha Hodgson, Siena Kelly, Clare Perkins, Ken Cheng, Juno Dawson,Pip Gladwin, Karim Kronfli.
Writers
Lead Writer (Episodes 1, 2, 3 & 10): Juno Dawson, Episode 4: Catherine Brinkworth, Episode 5: Sasha Sienna, Episode 6: Ken Cheng, Episode 7: Àjoké Ibironke & Juno Dawson, Episode 8: Doris V. Sutherland, Episode 9: David K. Barnes
Production
Producer and Director: Ella Watts, Executive Producer: James Robinson, Sound Designer: David Thomas, Additional Sound Design: Arlie Adlington, Original Composition: David Devereux, Sound Engineer: Paul Clark, Studio Assistant: Jacob Tombling, Production Co-Ordinators: Sarah Sharpe and Sarah Nicholls, Script Editor: Tasha Dhanraj, Production Company: BBC Studios, Recording Studio: Sonica Studios Clapham
Commissioning Executive: Louise Kattenhorn.
Doctor Who: Redacted is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
Cast Q&As
Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor)
What was it like being a part of Redacted?
It was absolutely brilliant, I loved meeting Charlie (Craggs) and Juno (Dawson), their energy is ace, the writing is brilliant. It was wonderful to be a part of and great for me to revisit the character, having not really done anything apart from ADR since October. I think for Doctor Who fans they’ll really love the adventure, it’s ace!
Can anyone listen to the podcast even if they’ve not watched Doctor Who before?
Yeah definitely, I think that’s the joy of Doctor Who, with each world that we visit whether in a podcast, an escape room, the TV show, audio book or anything like that – it’s got enough for everyone in it. It’s got enough for Whovians but it’s also got enough for people visiting it for the first time. It never loses that wonderful Doctor Who identity which makes it unique, but it also never excludes.
Was it hard to portray the Doctor without the visuals or other characters around you?
Absolutely not! No it was fine, I don’t know if it will ever leave me, like I immediately start speaking at a hundred miles an hour. I think she (Juno) wrote me really brilliantly, I’m used to Chris’ voice being across everything I’ve done as the Doctor, so it was really interesting to have someone else’s version of my Doctor and it felt completely natural.
Charlie Craggs (Cleo)
How does it feel being a part of Doctor Who: Redacted?
There are no words to express how huge it is, and how grateful I am, being a trans actress playing the lead role in something so special, but more so how significant the fact that my character is trans, and the lead role, too. This is a huge step for the trans community, and I’m so honoured to be part of this moment.
Were you already a ‘Who’ fan or has the podcast converted you?
I’d (shamefully) never watched Doctor Who before, which I think makes it even more hilarious that I’m the main character in this. On one of the first days our incredible director Ella gave me the homework of watching the first episode on BBC iPlayer and I’m obsessed ITS SO CAMP, naturally by ‘it’ I mean Billie Piper, but I honestly think I give her a run for her money. It was an honour to work with Doctor Who icons like Jodie (Whittaker) and Juno (Dawson), I may not have watched Doctor Who before this, but I know what a big deal it was to be cast in this – especially as the main character, I understand how sacred the series is to the fans – now I leave as a fan myself!
Was it hard to portray Cleo without the visuals or other characters around you?
It wasn’t just hard to play Cleo because of the lack of visuals, but because it’s my first ever acting gig. I was thrown in the deep end, really having to pretend I’m fighting these monsters and saving the world. I’m probably going to go for an easier role next time!
Jacob Hawley (Jordan)
How did it feel being a part of the Doctor Who universe?
It was massively exciting to join the Doctor Who Universe. Doctor Who fans are almost as infamous as the doctor themself so I’m really buzzed to be a part of a new series for them to enjoy.
What can listeners expect from Doctor Who: Redacted? (No spoilers please!)
Redacted touches upon topics that I don’t think people would normally expect in a Doctor Who script. And it’s an amazing script. On top of that there’s a lot of new talent featured in the series, it all feels very fresh.
How does the podcast relate to the TV series?
The podcast manages to capture all the best bits of the TV series, the humour, the suspense, the Britishness. It’s got everything you’d have loved watching The Doctor on your telly with a lot of new stuff to surprise you too.
