Series 13 Begins Filming, Losing 3 Episodes Due to COVID-19
Showrunner Chris Chibnall told the Mirror he was “thrilled” to be able to make the show at all: “In this strangest of years, the Doctor Who production team have worked wonders to get the show back into production.
“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 eleven.
“But rest assured, the ambition, humour, fun and scares you expect from Doctor Who will all still be firmly in place. For everyone around the world, this is a challenging period — but the Doctor never shirks from a challenge.”
Executive producer Matt Strevens said he was delighted to be back at work. “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.”
The report adds:
The 13 series has started its 10-month shoot and is expected to air late next year.
And:
It is not yet clear if the eighth episode of series 13 will be held back as a special.
This reduction means fans will see the lowest amount of Doctor Who episodes in a series since the show returned in 2005. During the RTD and early Moffat era the show aired 14 episodes a year. The latter Moffat era saw a slight reduction to 12 episodes. The Chibnall era then lowered this to 11, on top of lengthier gaps between each series.
UPDATE: Press release added:
The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way back as filming for series 13 of Doctor Who is now underway. With Jodie Whittaker once again reprising her role as the Doctor, fans can look forward to seeing her on her adventures once again as she fights the good fight across space and time.
With safety protocols in place, the Doctor Who team are now filming under strict industry and government guidelines to ensure the safety of all cast and crew. With the added time and protocols required, the team will be completing a total of eight episodes rather than the usual eleven.
Talking about the new series, Showrunner Chris Chibnall said “In this strangest of years, the Doctor Who production team have worked wonders to get the show back into production. We’re thrilled to be back making the show. 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 eleven. But rest assured, the ambition, humour, fun and scares you expect from Doctor Who will all still be firmly in place. For everyone around the world, this is a challenging period — but the Doctor never shirks from a challenge!”
Matt Strevens, Executive Producer BBC Studios, added: “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.”
Piers Wenger, Controller BBC Drama, said: “We are thrilled that filming series 13 of Doctor Who is now underway. The team have gone to great lengths to safely bring the TARDIS back to BBC One. We are all looking forward to seeing what adventures are in store for the Doctor but whilst we await her return, we can all look forward to the festive special.”
The Thirteenth Doctor was last seen in the dramatic series 12 finale where the fate of the Doctor was seemingly left hanging in the balance after she was locked away in an eternal prison. In the upcoming festive special, titled ‘Revolution of the Daleks’, the Doctor’s best friends Yaz (played by Mandip Gill), Ryan (played by Tosin Cole) and Graham (played by Bradley Walsh) have to pick up their lives without her. However they soon discover a disturbing plan forming involving one of the Doctor’s biggest and most feared enemies – the Daleks. How do you fight the Daleks without the Doctor? With the Doctor’s fate unknown, just what will series 13 bring?
Revolution of the Daleks will air on BBC One over the festive period. Doctor Who is a BBC Studios production.
