Series 13 shorter run confirmed
source : RadioTimes
Season 13 will be Jodie Whittaker’s third outing as The Doctor and not even her expertise in the realm of time and space has avoided the damage inflicted on the TV industry by the pandemic.
Chibnall (pictured, right) explained to The Mirror that the new health and safety protocols meant that each episode of Doctor Who was taking significantly longer to film than previously.
“In this strangest of years, the Doctor Who production team have worked wonders to get the show back into production,” he said. “Given the complexity of making Doctor Who, and with new and rigorous Covid working protocols, it’s going to take us a little longer to film each episode, meaning we expect to end up with eight episodes, rather than the usual 11.”
Doctor Who executive producer Matt Strevens (pictured, left) said: “We are so thrilled to have unlocked the TARDIS, dusted down the sonic and be able to start filming again for the next series of Doctor Who. The amazing production team, crew and cast have worked wonders to get us shooting again in these challenging times. It’s going to be as fun filled and action packed as ever – with plenty of surprises.”
Under Chibnall’s predecessors Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies Doctor Who typically ran for 12 episodes per year, plus a Christmas special.
This year the festive special Revolution of the Daleks, filmed back in 2019, is expected to air on New Year’s Day 2021, while season 13 is likely to air in autumn 2021.
In it, the Doctor is seen locked away in a high-security alien prison while on Earth, Yaz, Ryan and Graham have to work out how to fight the Daleks without the help of the Doctor.
Fortunately the special was completed before the first UK lockdown and according to the “voice” of the Daleks, actor Nicholas Briggs, it will be just the tonic for Doctor Who fans after this most abnormal of years.
He told RadioTimes.com: “I think it was great that they got ahead and did this festive special – and it’s turned out to be extremely fortuitous actually, a lot more than they had probably intended. So I think it will be a great gift to Doctor Who fans and a lovely, lovely bit of Doctor Who at Christmastime, or round about whenever it’s going to be.”