A compilation article of everything we know about Doctor Who Series 8 so far. This will be continually updated as more info emerges over the coming months until broadcast.

Note: This post may contain some spoilers. Spoilerphobes read at your own risk!

LAST UPDATED: 3 October 2014.

Airdate

Filming began 6 January 2014.

Format

12 episodes (+1 Christmas special)



Other notes: Capaldi’s debut series is one continuous run and not split.

Main Cast

Peter Capaldi – The Doctor

– The Doctor Jenna Coleman – Clara Oswald

Recurring Cast

Samuel Anderson – Danny Pink

– Danny Pink Ellis George – Courtney Woods

– Courtney Woods Neve McIntosh – Madame Vastra

– Madame Vastra Catrin Stewart – Jenny Flint

– Jenny Flint Dan Starkey – Strax

– Strax Paul Hickey – Inspector Gregson

– Inspector Gregson Michelle Gomez – Missy

– Missy Chris Addison – Seb

– Seb Jemma Redgrave – Kate Stewart

– Kate Stewart Ingrid Oliver – Osgood

Guest Cast

Tony Way – Alfie

– Alfie Michael Smiley – Colonel Blue

– Colonel Blue Zawe Ashton – Journey Blue

– Journey Blue Tom Riley – Robin Hood

– Robin Hood Ben Miller – Sheriff of Nottingham



– Sheriff of Nottingham Roger Ashton-Griffiths – Master Quail

– Master Quail Trevor Cooper – Friar Tuck

– Friar Tuck Ian Hallard – Alan-a-dale

– Alan-a-dale Robert Goodman – Reg

– Reg Jonathan Bailey – Psi



– Psi Pippa Bennett-Warner – Saibra



– Saibra Keeley Hawes – Ms Delphox

– Ms Delphox Hermione Norris – Lundvik



– Lundvik Frank Skinner – Perkins



– Perkins Louisa Rose Allen aka Foxes – Singer



– Singer David Bamber – Captain Quell

– Captain Quell John Sessions – Gus

– Gus Christopher Fairbank – Fenton

– Fenton Joivan Wade – Rigsy

– Rigsy Sanjeev Bhaskar

Monsters & Villains

Other notes: The Master is also rumoured as the major series villain.

Writers

Steven Moffat (4 episodes, 3 co-writes + 1 Christmas special)



(4 episodes, 3 co-writes + 1 Christmas special) Phil Ford (1 co-write)



(1 co-write) Mark Gatiss (1 episode)

(1 episode) Steve Thompson (1 co-write)



(1 co-write) Gareth Roberts (1 co-write)



(1 co-write) Peter Harness (1 episode)



(1 episode) Jamie Mathieson (2 episodes)



(2 episodes) Frank Cottrell Boyce (1 episode)

Other notes: Neil Gaiman and Chris Chibnall both stated that they’d been approached to write a story, but said it was dependent on their time and commitments to their other projects. Neil Cross also said he was asked to write a story. Tom MacRae has written another script although he is unsure if it will be in Series 8. Jack Lothian‘s CV originally claimed he was writing an episode, but a later update removed it.

Directors

Other notes: Peter Jackson has said that discussions over him directing an episode were “getting serious”.

Trailers

Teaser 1:

Teaser 2:

Teaser 3:

Teaser 4:

Launch Trailer:

2014 Episodes

For episodes one to six: show

801. Deep Breath Written by Steven Moffat. Directed by Ben Wheatley. The feature-length opener takes place predominantly in Victorian London and features the return of the Paternoster Gang. The Doctor will face a T-Rex, Droids and a half-faced villain. Moffat said: “We can push that Doctor a bit further if you’ve got a familiar world around him.” Moffat also said Capaldi is going to be an older, trickier and fiercer Doctor. “I think the fun story will be – and we have the opportunity here – is this is what regeneration can do to you. He can be very, very different.” Moffat later added: “Now it’s time for the old beast to snarl at you for a bit!” Guest starring: Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra), Catrin Stewart (Jenny Flint), Dan Starkey (Strax), Nigel Betts (Mr Anderson), Paul Hickey (Inspector Gregson), Tony Way (Alfie), Maggie Service (Elsie), Sean Ashburn (Restaurant Droid), Peter Ferdinando (Half-Face), Michelle Gomez (Missy), Ellis George (Courtney), Matt Smith (The Eleventh Doctor – cameo), . 802. Into the Dalek

Written by Phil Ford & Steven Moffat. Directed by Ben Wheatley. As the title suggests the story will see the Doctor and Clara miniaturised as they venture inside a Dalek. Ford teased the story would be going “behind enemy lines.” He later gave a further one word clue of “Lasagne.” Samuel Anderson first appearance as recurring character Danny Pink, a teacher at Coal Hill School. Anderson said: “I can’t wait to show people how my character becomes involved with such a fantastic duo!” Guest starring: Samuel Anderson (Danny Pink), Michelle Gomez (Missy), Michael Smiley (Colonel Blue), Zawe Ashton (Journey Blue), Laura dos Santos (Gretchen), Ben Crompton (Ross), Ellis George (Courtney). 803. Robot of Sherwood Written by Mark Gatiss. Directed by Paul Murphy. Robin Hood themed episode with Tom Riley playing the character and Ben Miller as the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham. Also features robot knights. Guest starring: Tom Riley (Robin Hood), Ben Miller (The Sheriff), Trevor Cooper (Friar Tuck), Ian Hallard (Alan-a-Dale), David Benson (Herald), Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Master Quail), Sabrina Barlett (Quail’s Ward). 804. Listen Written by Steven Moffat. Directed by Douglas Mackinnon. What scares the Doctor? Ghosts of the past and future crowd into the lives of the Doctor and Clara; a terrified caretaker in a children’s home, the last man standing in the universe, and a little boy who doesn’t want to join the army… “What’s that in the mirror, and the corner of your eye? What’s the footstep following, but never passing by?” Moffat added it’s “the story of a date and the Doctor having what appears to be a mild nervous breakdown.” Guest starring: Samuel Anderson (Danny Pink), Remi Gooding (Rupert), Robert Goodman (Reg) 805. Time Heist

Written by Steve Thompson & Steven Moffat. Directed by Douglas Mackinnon. A Doctor Who take on the heist genre. The Doctor is tasked with breaking into the Bank of Karabraxos, the deadliest in the cosmos. He is helped by a beautiful shape-shifter and cyber-augmented gamer. But nothing can prepare them for the Teller: a creature that can detect guilt. The Doctor and Clara also come face to face with the mysterious Ms Delphox (Keeley Hawes) when they arrive on the strange and puzzling planet. Delphox is a powerful out-of-this-world character with a dark secret and she happens to run the most secure bank in the universe. Features a minotaur-like monster. Guest starring: Keeley Hawes (Ms Delphox), Jonathan Bailey (Psi), Pippa Bennett-Warner (Saibra). 806. The Caretaker

Written by Gareth Roberts and Steven Moffat. Directed by Paul Murphy. A Coal Hill School centric episode with the 12th Doctor posing as the school’s caretaker. Clara has it all under control, so long as everybody in her life never actually meets, but then Coal Hill welcomes a new relief caretaker with a Scottish accent, while the Skovox Blitzer is ready to destroy humanity. Moffat said: “What effect would slipping away with the Doctor have on your life?” Ellis George guest stars as a Coal Hill student and will join the Doctor for an adventure in the TARDIS. Guest starring: Samuel Anderson (Danny Pink), Ellis George (Courtney), Nigel Betts (Mr Armitage), Edward Harrison (Adrian), Andy Gillies (CSO Matthew), Jimmy Vee (Scovox).

807. Kill the Moon



Written by Peter Harness. Directed by Paul Wilmshurst.

Part-filmed in Lanzarote. In the near future, the Doctor and Clara arrive on a decrepit shuttle making a suicide mission to the Moon. Crashing on the lunar surface, they find a mining base full of eviscerated corpses, spider-like creatures scuttling about in the dark, and a terrible dilemma. Described as an “intense and emotional script.” Moffat teased “The Doctor is returning to the scene of an old adventure – but there have been sinister changes since his last visit.

Guest starring: Hermione Norris (Lundvik), Ellis George (Courtney), Tony Osoba (Duke), Phil Nice (Henry) and Christopher Dane (McKean).



808. Mummy on the Orient Express

Written by Jamie Mathieson. Directed by Paul Wilmshurst.

The Doctor is on the most beautiful train in history, speeding among the stars of the future. But a deadly creature is stalking the passengers. Once you see the horrifying mummy, you only have 66 seconds to live. No exceptions, no reprieve. As the Doctor races against the clock, he is seen at his deadliest and most ruthless. Moffat said: “The Doctor is finally catching up on his phone calls.” He also says that the “sparkling script” will showcase all of Frank Skinner’s famous wit and charm.” Singer-songwriter Foxes will cameo and is contributing a special track for the episode.

Guest starring: Samuel Anderson (Danny), Frank Skinner (Perkins), Foxes (Singer), David Bamber (Captain Quell), Daisy Beaumont (Maisie), Christopher Villiers (Prof Moorhouse) and Janet Henfrey (Mrs Pitt), John Sessions (Gus).

809. Flatline

Written by Jamie Mathieson. Directed by Douglas Mackinnon.

Clara is now separated from the Doctor and discovers a threat from another dimension. But how do you hide when even the walls are no protection? With no Doctor around, Clara goes against a foe that exists beyond normal perception. People are going missing and strange graffiti is appearing. Worse is that the Doctor finds himself in a shrinking TARDIS! Moffat said “starts off with a very cute idea and becomes really quite frightening by the end.”

Guest starring: Christopher Fairbank (Fenton), Joivan Wade (Rigsy), Matt Bardock (Al), James Quinn (Bill), John Cummins (Roscoe), Raj Bajaj (George), Jessica Hayes.

810. In the Forest of the Night

Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Directed by Sheree Folkson.

The human race wakes up to the most surprising invasion yet: the trees have moved back in. Everywhere a forest has grown overnight and taken back the Earth. Features a cast of child actors. Moffat said it’s “boldly beautiful, lyrical and poetic. A fairytale, but not Moffat fairytale. Quite different with a clever main visual idea.”

Guest starring: Samuel Anderson (Danny), Harley Bird, Abigail Eames, Ashley Foster and Jaydon Harris-Wallace (Samson).

811/12. Dark Water / Death in Heaven



Written by Steven Moffat. Directed by Rachel Talalay.

A two-part finale. In the mysterious world of the Nethersphere, plans have been drawn. Old friends and old enemies manoeuvre around the Doctor, and an impossible choice is looming over him. Death is not an end, promises the organisation known as 3W. Features a Cybermen invasion of earth and the return of UNIT, Kate Stewart and Osgood. The Doctor also has to contend with the mysterious Missy, also known as the Gatekeeper of the Nethersphere.

“You betrayed me. You betrayed my trust, our friendship, and everything I’ve ever stood for. You let me down.”

Guest starring: Samuel Anderson (Danny), Michelle Gomez (Missy/Gatekeeper of the Nethersphere), Jemma Redgrave (Kate Stewart), Ingrid Oliver (Osgood), Chris Addison (Seb), Sanjeev Bhaskar.

2014 Christmas Special

Written by Steven Moffat. Directed by Paul Wilmshurst.

Little is known about the plot except it is Clara’s rumoured exit episode.

Guest starring: Nick Frost, Michael Troughton, Natalie Gumede, Faye Marsay and Nathan McMullen.

[For the Series 8 post archive, head to the next page…]