We can confirm that the Cybermen will be menacing the universe once again when Doctor Who returns for a run of eight epic episodes in spring, 2013.The iconic enemies will feature in an adventure directed by Stephen Woolfenden and written by the acclaimed Neil Gaiman whose previous episode was the Hugo Award-winning, The Doctor’s Wife.

Starring Matt Smith as the Doctor and Jenna-Louise Coleman as the new companion, the episode co-stars Warwick Davis (Life’s Too Short and Harry Potter), Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders and Hotel Babylon) and Jason Watkins (Being Human and Lark Rise to Candleford) as a band of misfits on a mysterious planet…

Steven Moffat, Lead Writer and Executive Producer, told us, ‘Cybermen were always the monsters that scared me the most! Not just because they were an awesome military force, but because sometimes they could be sleek and silver and right behind you without you even knowing. ’ He added, ‘And with one of the all-time classic monsters returning, and a script from one of our finest novelists, it's no surprise we have attracted such stellar names as Tamzin, Jason and Warwick.’

You can check out Cyber-galleries and enjoy clips from Cyberman stories in their very own Cyber-section or revisit Neil Gaiman’s previous Doctor Who adventure by watching interviews with the writer and clips from The Doctor’s Wife.

The Cybermen last appeared in 2011’s Closing Time but debuted in 1966 opposite William Hartnell’s Doctor in the classic The Tenth Planet. Over the years they have proven constant in their attempts to terrorise the Time Lord, invade our planet and destroy humanity… Secrecy surrounds all future adventures but we can’t wait to find out more about the Cybermen’s latest deadly gambit!

Doctor Who returns on December 25th for the Christmas Special and is back for a run of eight episodes in spring, 2013.