The Sightseers director told io9: “Oh yeah, Doctor Who is pretty dark, I think. Generally it’s dark, it’s always been dark. Even in the more modern ones. If you look at the Tom Baker stuff, it’s especially dark. When he leaves Leela — who’s a very beloved assistant — he just laughs after it. There’s none of the [breaking down and crying]. He just laughs, and “on to the next one,” you know. It’s a bonkers show. It’s a monster.”

Hinting at the tone of Series 8, he teased: “To have a unity that runs eight years [of the new series]… it’s pretty crazy. They’ve done everything, they’ve tried all sorts of stuff. It seems to me the episodes that we’re doing now seem more like classic Who. We’re going back to that style. But you’ll have to wait and see.”

Episode 1 is writen by Steven Moffat and Episode 2 is written by returning writer Phil Ford (‘The Waters of Mars’).

Wheatley also discussed how he got the job on Doctor Who: “It was something I sought out. I got my agent to kind of badger them about doing, because I was a fan as a kid. But also because my kid was a fan of the show and I wanted to make something that he could see, for a change. That was it. And it’s been very geeky indeed. Going into the TARDIS, I held the Sonic Screwdriver the other day, and that was a particular thrill. All sorts of stuff. Also stuff I can’t talk about, that’s been very, very exciting for me. “

> Order Series 8 on DVD on Amazon.

> Order Series 8 on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Series 8 is currently filming in Cardiff and is expected to begin airing in August.

> Find out all the latest info on Series 8 in our news summary.

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