There's more change afoot for Doctor Who – the new series of the BBC sci-fi saga won't feature any two-part stories, Digital Spy can exclusively reveal.

The decision's been made by new showrunner Chris Chibnall as a way of making the 10-part run – starring Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor – as accessible to audiences as possible.

"It's 10 standalone episodes, there's no two-parters or anything like that," Chibnall told us during an interview at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

"What we want is for people to feel like we've got the range and variety of Doctor Who this year. So if you've never seen it before, you're gonna fall in love with it, and if you have seen it, you're gonna get those things that you love about the show across the 10 episodes."

BBC

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Following reports that the new Doctor Who would be crafted in a writers' room set-up, Chibnall confirmed that the writing of the 10 episodes was "a big group endeavour" with "a lot of new writers to the show" working "in a very collaborative way", in a blend between "the British way of working and the American way".

But while the new series will bring plenty of changes – new writers, a new cast, a new composer and more – Chibnall insisted that he's simply bringing us "a new era, not a clean slate".

Those comments were echoed by new Doctor Who regulars Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill, playing the Doctor's friends Ryan and Yaz. "It's picking up where it left off and just making minor adjustments to it, to make it more enjoyable for the audience," said Cole. "Like, now we're shooting on anamorphic lenses, so that gives it a whole new cinematic feel."

BBC / BBC Studios

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"But it also will always relate to the old fans from before," insisted Gill. "They're not left out. There's still a way in [for them]. It's just we're going on a different journey, in a different direction."

"That formula's still there," echoed Cole. "It's still Doctor Who, just with a little sauce on it!"

"It's a continuation," Chibnall picked up. "It's like in the same way that [Jon Pertwee's 1970 debut] 'Spearhead from Space' is a continuation of [Patrick Troughton's 1969 swansong] 'The War Games' – it's something different, but exactly the same.

"It's really important that there's no barrier to entry for new audiences. But if you're a Doctor Who fan, all the things you love about Doctor Who are in there, I think."

Doctor Who will return to BBC One this autumn. Stay tuned to Digital Spy for more news direct from Comic-Con International in San Diego.

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