Episode 1 - Wednesday, 1st January 2020, 6.55 p.m. on BBC One
Each subsequent episode will air on Sundays on BBC One
Doctor Who is a show about time. It's also a show about space. But it's mainly a show about a thousands-of-years-old alien, known as the Doctor, travelling the universe in her ship called the TARDIS. The Doctor is a Time Lord, and as such has the ability to regenerate and change faces (i.e. hire new lead actors). The current incarnation is the 13th Doctor (or technically the 14th...or 14.5th...) played by Jodie Whittaker, the first time a woman has portrayed the character.
The Doctor is typically accompanied by a number of travelling companions, usually humans. In Series 11 we were introduced to three - Graham O'Brien, Yasmin Khan, and Ryan Sinclair. Together, they explore the universe, fight monsters, and create an endless series of stories that have spanned the 56 years of the show's existence.
Episode 1 - Spyfall (Part 1)
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Jamie Magnus Stone
Intelligence agents around the world are under attack from alien forces, so MI6 turn to the only people who can help: the Doctor and friends. As they travel the globe looking for answers, attacks come from all sides. Earth's security rests on the team's shoulders, but where will this planet-threatening conspiracy lead them?
Episode 2 - Spyfall (Part 2)
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Lee Haven Jones
In part two of this epic spy thriller, a terrifying plan to destroy humanity is about to reach fruition. Can the Doctor and her friends escape multiple traps and defeat a deadly alliance?
Episode 3 - Orphan 55
Written by Ed Hime
Directed by Lee Haven Jones
Having decided that everyone could do with a holiday, the Doctor takes Graham, Yasmin, Ryan to a luxury resort for a spot of rest and relaxation. However, they discover the place where they are having a break is hiding a number of deadly secrets. What are the ferocious monsters that are attacking Tranquillity Spa?
Episode 4 - Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror
Written by Nina Metivier
Directed by Nida Manzoor
It is 1903 and on the edge of Niagara Falls, something is wrong at Nikola Tesla's generator plant, where someone - or something - is sabotaging the maverick inventor's work. Has Tesla really received a message from Mars? And where does his great rival Thomas Edison fit into these events? The Doctor and her companions Yaz, Ryan and Graham must join forces with one of history's greatest minds to save both him and planet Earth
Episode 5 - Fugitive of the Judoon
Written by Vinay Patel
Directed by Nida Manzoor
Trigger-happy space police the Judoon are targeting 21st-century Gloucester, so the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham race back to Earth in order to prevent them doing too much damage to the cathedral city. But who are the Judoon looking for and what did they do to incur their wrath?
Episode 6 - Praxeus
Written by Pete McTighe
Directed by Jamie Magnus Stone
Across Peru, Madagascar and Hong Kong, the Doctor and friends face a deadly global threat.
What connects a missing astronaut in the Indian Ocean, birds behaving strangely in Peru and a US naval officer who washes up on a Madagascan beach? The Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham split up to investigate these mysterious events across 21st-century planet Earth, but as the mystery deepens and lives are put at risk, they face a deadly race against time to save humanity.
What connects a missing astronaut in the Indian Ocean, birds behaving strangely in Peru and a US naval officer who washes up on a Madagascan beach? The Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham split up to investigate these mysterious events across 21st-century planet Earth, but as the mystery deepens and lives are put at risk, they face a deadly race against time to save humanity.
Episode 7 - Can You Hear Me?
Written by Charlene James
Directed by Emma Sullivan
From ancient Syria, to present day Sheffield, and out into space, something is stalking the Doctor and her friends. As Graham, Yaz and Ryan return home to see friends and family, they find themselves haunted by very different experiences.
Episode 8 - The Haunting of Villa Diodati
Written by Maxine Alderton
Directed by Emma Sullivan
The Doctor and gang arrive at the Villa Diodati, Lake Geneva, in 1816 – on a night that inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The plan is to spend the evening soaking up the atmos in the presence of some literary greats – but the ghosts are all too real. And the Doctor is forced into a decision of earth-shattering proportions…
Episode 9 - Ascension of the Cybermen
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Jamie Magnus Stone
The aftermath of the Great CyberWar. The Doctor and friends arrive in the far future intent on protecting the last of the human race from the deadly Cybermen. But in the face of such a relentless enemy, has the Doctor put her best friends at risk? What terrors lie hiding in the depths of space? And what is Ko Sharmus?
Episode 10 - The Timeless Children
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Jamie Magnus Stone
The Cybermen are on the march. The last remaining humans are hunted down. Lies are exposed, truths are revealed, and for the Doctor nothing will ever be the same.
Having moved past the guilt and grumpiness of her recent incarnations, the 13th Doctor is a joyful optimist, seeing the good in both people and the universe at large. She is a Doctor that wears her hearts on her sleeve, and is much more willing to stick around and see out the emotional impact of her adventures than in her previous lives. She adores her self-proclaimed 'fam', and relies on them for emotional support, as well as a grounded, human perception that she might otherwise lack.
In Series 11, Graham dealt with the fallout of losing his wife and being dragged into outer space by a time-travelling alien. Graham is the level-head of the team, not always the first to rush in to danger, but always the one to think it through and get to its heart. He dotes on Ryan, his step-grandson, and tries to provide a father figure for him that has often been missing. Graham is the most likely of the team to buck heads with the Doctor, but still remains enthralled by the journey she has taken them on.
Yaz travelled with the Doctor in hopes of finding something more to life. A police officer back home in Sheffield, with a somewhat overbearing family, Yaz seeks adventure, while also in constant discovery of the many perils the universe holds. She is smart, brave, and deeply loyal and, so, clearly has a high admiration for the Doctor and what she represents.
Much like Yaz, Ryan too had reached a rut in his life, and after losing his grandmother, the Doctor presented an opportunity that he couldn't refuse. Somewhat brash and impulsive, Ryan is quick to act, sometimes without considering the consequences. With guidance from his granddad, Graham, as well as the Doctor, Ryan is learning to be the man his father never was.
Series 12 Trailer 1 -
Series 12 Trailer 2 -
Series 12 Trailer 3 -
Next Episode Trailer -
The Timeless Children
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