Filming has already begun for one of the most anticipated TV shows – Doctor Who season 12. The British sci-fi TV show has garnered a cult following around the world since its inception in 1963. It is set around the adventures of a Time Lord, an alien called “The Doctor” from the planet Gallifrey. The Doctor, alongside his companions, uses a spaceship called the Tardis which allows him to travel through time in the universe, fighting enemies, saving civilizations and bringing aid to those in need. From the outside, the Tardis resembles a British police blue box (a common sight in Britain at the time the series was created), but inside is much larger.
As well as entertaining audiences for decades, Doctor Who is also believed to have influenced several generations of British television scholars. This really comes as no surprise, as many top filmmakers and artists grew up as fans of the show. The show ran from 1963 to 1989, before a hiatus, but returned in 2005 with more exciting packages. It has since been produced by BBC Wales in Cardiff.
As collected, Doctor Who season 12 had the cameras rolling in January 2019 and is expected to begin soon. Get all the details on the latest draft of the long-running TV show. Who will return for the twelfth series and what to expect from the series? Read on for all the deets.
Doctor Who Season 12 Cast Members
This will mark the second time the series will star a woman – Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. Other key characters (Doctor’s Companions) we’ll see on the show are Graham O’Brien, Ryan Sinclair, and Yasmin Khan, played by Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill, respectively.
Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor)
Whittaker made history on July 16, 2017 following the BBC’s announcement of his role as the Thirteenth Doctor. She is notably the first female incarnation of the Doctor. Jodie Whittaker took over from Peter Capaldi in the 2017 Christmas special episode “Twice Upon a Time.” At this time, Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor began a regeneration process that gave birth to the Thirteenth Doctor.
Whittaker’s debut in the eleventh series, which premiered in October 2018, garnered positive reviews, despite earlier reservations about her gender. Understandably, fans had stereotyped the role of the Doctor as being only for a man. So when it appeared that a woman was taking her back, her feelings were mixed. Nevertheless, some believe that it will be a good way to represent a role model for young girls. Despite the raised eyebrows over his role in the British sci-fi television programme, Whittaker is already working with the team to bring the iconic role for the twelfth series to life. For its fair value,
Bradley Walsh (Graham O’Brien)
The English actor is known for many things, but his role as Graham O’Brien in Doctor Who stands out among others. He joined the cast in October 2017 after the BBC announced that he had been chosen to accompany the title character in the show’s eleventh series.
Earlier in 2008, Walsh made a guest appearance in two Doctor Who spin-off episodes The Adventures of Sarah Jane. He starred in the second story of the second series – The Day of the Clown, playing the role of a sinister entity who fed out fear in people. In addition to his accomplishments, Bradley Walsh is also an accomplished comedian, singer, television presenter, and professional football player. The multi-talented artist of British origin has successfully established himself in his various careers.
Tosin ColeRyan Sinclair
On October 22, 2017, Tosin Cole was announced as the new addition to the cast of the Doctor Who series. He joined the show in time for the eleventh series, playing Ryan Sinclair, a companion to The Doctor.
Born on July 23, 1992, the young British actor has appeared in a string of TV shows and films other than Doctor Who. Some of them include The Cut, EastEnders: E20, Hollyoaks, and Unlocked among many others.
Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan)
The first time she played a television role was in 2012 in the British soap opera Hollyoaks, followed by other series like Doctors and many more. It was in October 2017 that the BBC announced that she would be joining the cast of Doctor Who as a sidekick named Yasmin Khan.
Mandip Gill takes on her role as Doctor Companion to the 2018 series, a woman debuted in the iconic role of The Doctor. She will reprise her role in the next installment which is expected to be ready by 2020.
News – Release date and updates
In 2015, Steven Moffat, Scottish television writer and executive producer of the British television series Doctor Who, confirmed that this long-running show will grace screens for the next five years, which brings us to 2020. A few years later, that promise is almost held, as plans are underway for a new series of the show to screen.
Doctor Who season 12 is the second of its kind to be helmed by Chris Chibnall as lead writer and executive producer. It is also the twelfth series to air since the show resumed in 2005, but is generally the thirty-eighth season of the long-running series since the 1960s.
Notably, Doctor Who season 12 is also breaking tradition by launching a New Year’s Eve special versus the usual annual Christmas Day special.
As mentioned above, the casting is simple, a reprisal of roles by previous stars is expected. Jodie Whittaker is already in post for her second participation as the thirteenth doctor. She describes the most recent incarnation of The Doctor. Her role as an alien time lord sees her constantly moving through time and space, using the TARDIS. As usual, the Doctor is accompanied by traveling companions – Graham O’Brien, Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan, played by Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill.
Doctor Who is a legend in the realm of TV shows. It has spawned numerous spin-offs, including in comics, movies, novels, and sound dramas. It also spawned various television series, including Torchwood which ran from 2006-2011, The Adventures of Sarah Jane (2007-2011), K-9 (2009-2010), and Classroom – a 2016 television series. parodies have also appeared in the British science fiction television program, which also references popular culture.
All things being equal, Doctor Who season 12 is The premiere of Doctor Who season 12 was in pre-production in November 2018, but on the 17th of the same month, the BBC announced that the series had already started and cameras on January 23, 2019. It was also revealed that the show will air in late 2019 on Starburst, but that may not be the case anymore as we’re looking at a New Year’s Eve special instead. Writer Ed Hime known for his work on British drama series Skins is set to write an episode for season 12 of Doctor Who.
With the eleventh series ending with a bang in 2018, Jodie expressed her excitement about returning for a new one. According to her, playing The Doctor was exciting and she’s in no rush to hand the role over to someone else. Moreover, fans who are skeptical about her gender are slowly coming back and they have been promised that the next project in the series is worth the wait.
So far, since the last aired episode hitting screens in December 2018, 850 episodes have aired on Doctor Who with 286 stories spread across 37 seasons. This includes a TV movie and numerous specials.
Awards and nominations
As far as we can remember, the Doctor Who series has racked up prestigious awards and nominations from different awarding bodies and the winning streak seems endless. Awards given to the show include the British Academy Television Awards, National Television Awards, Peabody Awards, Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards, among others, including the BAFTA Awards won by several of its cast members. The show also received several accolades as one of the best television shows of the century.
The Guinness World Records listed Doctor Who as the world’s oldest science fiction television show. Also on the records, the series is honored as the greatest TV fiction show ever made and the “most successful” science fiction series of all time. The latter is based on the show’s air ratings, DVD and book sales, and iTunes traffic.