Doctor Who boss discusses why season 13 is one single story

Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has discussed season 13's big format change.

The series will welcome back Jodie Whittaker as the famous Time Lord alongside companions Mandip Gill and John Bishop, while Game of Thrones actor Jacob Anderson has joined the cast as a recurring character called Vinder.

During a Comic-Con@Home panel over the weekend, it was also confirmed the new episodes will all work as chapters in the telling of one cohesive season-long story.

Chibnall explained that the decision was partly informed by the coronavirus pandemic.

jodie whittaker, mandip gill and john bishop in doctor who

BBC

"It's very much not a business as usual time," Chibnall said of shooting amidst the pandemic.

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"And I think the challenges of getting the show up and running... there were two ways we could go.

"You could go, 'We're just going to do lots and lots of tiny episodes in one room with no monsters'.

"Or we can throw down the gauntlet and say, 'We're gonna do the biggest story we've ever done, and we're going to go to all kinds of different places, and have all different characters and monsters, and it's all gonna be part of a bigger whole'."

BBC

He added: "I think it's definitely the most ambitious thing we've done... it's epic and ambitious and we do go to a lot of places."

Chibnall also revealed that Vinder won't be the only new character popping up for more than one episode.

"We have a number of amazing guests actors joining us across the series and quite a few of them recur across multiple episodes, which is very unusual for this show," he added.

The comments follow the debut of the first Doctor Who season 13 trailer.

Doctor Who airs on BBC One in the UK. In the US, the show airs on BBC America, with series 1-12 available on HBO Max. Series 13 is due to premiere later this year.

For more information on Doctor Who: Time Fracture, head this way – tickets are also available via retailers including LOVEtheatre, London Theatre Direct, Fever and Ticketmaster.

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