Series 10

The Tenth Series of revived Doctor Who was confirmed shortly after the ninth series of the show started in 2015 by head writer Steven Moffat. It contains 12 regular episodes, broadcast from April 15th 2017 and is accompanied by two Christmas Specials. Peter Capaldi stars as the Twelfth Doctor alongside Pearl Mackie playing new companion Bill Potts. In January 2016 it was confirmed it would be Steven Moffat's final series as showrunner. The following year, in January 2017, it was Peter Capaldi revealed Series 10 would be his last in the role.

Critical reception to the series was positive, with Pearl Mackie's performance being warmly received. The viewing figures for the series slipped to a respectable 5.45 million average.

Main Cast

• Peter Capaldi - The Twelfth Doctor (14/14)
• Pearl Mackie - Bill (13/14)

Recurring and Returning Cast

• Matt Lucas - Nardole (14/14)
• Michelle Gomez - Missy (6/14)
• John Simm - The Master (2/14)
• Stephanie Hyam - Heather (2/14)
• Ronke Adekoluejo - Penny (2/14)
• Jennifer Hennessy - Moira (2/14)

Guest Cast

• Nicholas Briggs - Voice of the Cybermen and the Daleks (Episode 1,11,12)
• Ralph Little (Episode 2)
• David Suchet (Episode 4)

Crew

• Executive Producers: Steven Moffat, Brian Mitchin
• Directors: Lawrence Gough, Bill Anderson, Ed Bazalgette, Wayne Yip, Daniel Nettheim, Rachel Tatalay
• Writers: Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Sarah Dollard, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Mike Bartlett, Jamie Mathieson, Rona Muron, Peter Harness, Toby Whithouse
• Soundtrack: Murray Gold

Episode List (2016-2017)

Episode No.	Episode Title	Director	Writer	Broadcast Date
Regular Episodes (2017)
10.01 (131)	'The Pilot'	Lawrence Gough	Steven Moffat	April 15 2017
	'This is the gateway to everything that ever was or ever can be.' Meet Bill Potts. She works at St Luke's University, serving chips to students, and nothing ever, ever happens. Then, one day, she finds there's another world beneath the one she knows. A familiar face in a pool of water, and a love that is over before it can begin, will change her life forever - because this is the day Bill meets the Doctor.
10.02 (132)	'Smile'	Lawrence Gough	Frank Cottrell-Boyce	April 22 2017
	'Smile, you're in the belly of the beast!' In the far future, at the edge of the galaxy, there is a gleaming, perfect city. This brand-new human settlement is said to hold the secret of human happiness - but the only smiles the Doctor and Bill can find are on a pile of grinning skulls. Something is alive in the walls, and the Emojibots are watching from the shadows, as the Doctor and Bill try to unravel a terrifying mystery...
10.03 (133)	'Thin Ice'	Bill Anderson	Sarah Dollard	April 29 2017
	'Every decision I make here and now could change the whole future.' In Regency England, beneath the Frozen Tames, something is stirring. The Doctor and Bill arrive at the last of the great frost fairs and find themselves investigating a string of impossible disappearances - people have been vanishing on the ice! Bill is about to discover that the past is more like her world than she expected, and that not all monsters come from outer space.
10.04 (134)	'Knock, Knock'	Bill Anderson	Mike Bartlett	6 May 2017
	'You signed the contract, its time to pay.'  Bill is moving in with some friends and they've found the perfect house! So what if it's strangely cheap to rent, and the landlord is a little creepy? The wind blows, the floorboards creak and the Doctor thinks something is very wrong. What lurks in the strange tower at the heart of the building - and why can't they find any way to enter it...?
10.05 (135)	'Oxygen'	Charles Palmer	Jamie Mathieson	13 May 2017
	'Correct, my name is now Velma.' The Doctor, Bill and Nardole answer a distress call in deep space, and find themselves trapped on board space station Chasm Forge. All but four of the crew have been murdered - and the dead are still walking! In a future where oxygen is sold by the breath, and space suits are valued more highly than their occupants, the Tardis crew battle for survival against the darkest evil of all.
10.06 (136)	'Extremis'	Daniel Netthiem	Steven Moffat	20 May 2017
	In the Haereticum (the Vatican's secret library of blasphemy) there is an ancient book known only as The Veritas. Throughout history, anyone who has ever read it has immediately taken their own life. Now a new translation is online, and the danger is spreading. The Vatican appeals to the Doctor. Will he read The Veritas? And can even the Doctor survive the ultimate truth?
10.07 (137)	'The Pyramid at the End of the World'	Daniel Netthiem	Peter Harness and Steven Moffat	27 May 2017
	'Tell you what old man, you better get my planet back.' A 5,000-year-old pyramid stands at the centre of a war zone, where the Chinese, Russian and American armies are about to clash. There are many problems with that, but the one that intrigues the Doctor is this: there wasn't a pyramid there yesterday. The Doctor, Bill and Nardole face and alien invasion unlike any other - before conquest can begin, these aliens need the consent of the human race.
10.08 (138)	'The Lie of the Land'	Wayne Yip	Toby Whithouse	3 June 2017
	'Even I think that's weird, and I've been attacked by a puddle.' The world is gripped by a mass delusion and only Bill Potts can see the truth. When even the Doctor is fighting on the wrong side, it's up to Bill to convince the Time Lord that humanity is in deadly danger. And if she can't do that, she may just have to kill her best friend.
10.09 (149)	'Empress of Mars'	Wayne Yip	Mark Gatiss	10 June 2017
	'Sleep no more my warriors, sleep no more.' The Doctor, Bill and Nardole arrive on Mars and find themselves in an impossible conflict between Ice Warriors and...Victorian soldiers? As the Martian hive awakes around them, the Doctor faces a unique dilemma - this time the humans, not the Ice Warriors are the invaders. When Earth is invading Mars, whose side is he on?
10.10 (140)	'The Eaters of Light'	Charles Palmer	Rona Munro	17 June 2017
	'There are only two things I need to know, where is my firend and what destroyed the Roman Army?' A long time ago, the Roman legion of the ninth vanished into the mists of Scotland. Bill has a theory about what happened, and the Doctor has a time machine. But when they arrive in ancient Aberdeenshire, what they find is a far greater threat than any army. In a cairn, on a hillside, is a doorway leading to the end of the world.
10.11 (141)	'World Enough and Time' (Part One)	Rachel Tatalay	Steven Moffat	24 June 2017
	'We must evolve to survive.' Friendship drives the Doctor into the rashest decision of his life. Trapped on a giant spaceship, caught in the event horizon of a black hole, he witnesses the death of someone he is pledged to protect. Is there any way he can redeem his mistake? Are events already out of control? For once, time is the Time Lord's enemy...
10.12 (142)	'The Doctor Falls' (Part Two)	Rachel Tatalay	Steven Moffat	1 July 2017
	'Where there's tears there's hope.' The Mondasian Cybermen are on the rise. It's time for the Doctor's final battle...
Special Episode (Christmas 2017)
10.X (143)	'Twice Upon a Time'	Rachel Tatalay	Steven Moffat	25th December 2017
	'Awh, Brilliant.' Two Doctors stranded in a forbidding snowscape, refusing to face regeneration. And a British army captain seemingly destined to die in the First World War, but taken from the trenches to play his part in the Doctor’s story. This is the magical last chapter in the Twelfth Doctor’s epic adventure. It’s the end of an era. But the Doctor’s journey is only just beginning. The last episode to feature the 12th Doctor, Bill Potts, Narolde and Clara Oswald. The final episode written and overseen by show runner Steven Moffat.

Monsters and Villains

• The Daleks (Episode 1)
• 'The Heather Creature' (Episode 1)
• Emojibots (Episode 2)
• Ice Serpent (Episode 3)
• Lord Sucliff (Epiosde 3)
• Dryads (Episode 4)
• The Landlord (Episode 4)
• Space Suits/The Corporation (Episode 5)
• The Monks (Episode 6,7,8)
• Ice Warriors (Episode 9)
• Cybermen (Episodes 11,12)
• Missy (Episodes 6,8,9,10,11,12)
• The Master (Episodes 11,12)

Production

Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One on the delay of series 10, “I have decided to schedule Steven’s big finale series in spring 2017 to bring the nation together for what will be a huge event on the channel. 2016 is spoilt with national moments including the Euros and Olympics and I want to hold something big back for 2017 – I promise it will be worth the wait!”

According to production designer Michael Pickwoad, pre production is schedualed to begin in May 2016. Peter Capaldi on the stories: “I love seeing the Doctor being really confronted with the most cosmic of challenges. I love him really battling it out to save the universe from some awful threat which is cosmic. And I think we’ve got quite a lot of that coming up, so I’m looking forward to taking the Doctor to the forefront of the cosmic battlefield.I think it’s a very action-packed season. It’s a lot of space exploration, and a lot of excitement and drama.”

Peter Capaldi on the tone of season 10: “We began to reflect the modern world [in Season 9], I think possibly we’ll see more of that in the new season… I think that’s quite interesting when the show reflects the changing state of planet Earth as it is in 2016.” Steven Moffat on Series 10 episodes:“We’re planning one right now which is very much an Ancient World episode, but I won’t tell you which part of the Ancient World.”

Steven Moffat in DWM 500: Series 10 is back to mostly one part episodes, Bill's introduction will be in episode one. She is from modern day Bristol.

Michelle Gomez revealed in May 2016 she would be returning as popular villainess Missy. Production and the return of Nardole was revealed on Doctor Who's twitter page in June 2016: "Following his hilarious appearance in The Husbands Of River Song, Matt Lucas returns to Doctor Who from the opening episode of series 10, which starts filming next week in Cardiff (Monday 20 June)."

Outdoor filming began on 23rd June 2016 at Cardiff University which was doubling for the fictional St Lucas University in Bristol. Snowy scenes were filmed with Pearl Mackie and Peter Capaldi. Matt Lucas began filming on the 27th for his scenes as Nardole along with Capaldi and Mackie at Cardiff University. Other filming locations for Episode One include Cardiff Metropolitan University and Cardiff City Centre.

Episode Two began production in mid July and ended on location in Valencia. Ralph Little was revealed to be part of the cast over twitter. Episode Three started filming on location in Cardiff Bay at the start of August. Filming carried on parallel with Episode 4 which shot at Fields House in Newport on August 11 which doubled for Bill's student accomdation. 

Remaining scenes for Episode Three were tapped at Kings Weston House in Bristol during the last week of August. The Christmas special began filming in early September.

A short break in production occured in October to allow the cast and crew to promote the upcoming Christmas special at New York City Comic Con. At the press event for the series Steven Moffat admitted his love for superheroes, “I’ve always loved superheroes and this Christmas Doctor Who dives into that world. My favourite superhero is Clark Kent. Not Superman, Clark Kent.” 

Doctor Who Magazine (#506) confirmed that Classic series writer Rona Munro is returning to pen a Series 10 story. Munro, who previously wrote the 1989 Seventh Doctor adventure Survival, is back for Episode 9 of the 2017 run. The current title for which is “The Eaters of Light“. Also confirmed is the writer of Episode 5: Jamie Mathieson (Mummy on the Orient Express, Flatline and The Girl Who Died). Episodes 5 and 9 were filmed as part of Block 4 in October 2016.

Block Five, consisting of Episodes Six and Seven, began filming in late November. Helmed by Series 9 director Daniel Netthiem and rumoured to consist of stories written by Steven Moffat and Peter Harness. Episode 7 featured filming in Tenerife.

On January 30th Peter Capaldi revealed on BBC Radio 2 he would be leaving the role of the Doctor in the 2017 Christmas Special, coinciding with the departure of lead writer Steven Moffat. The airdate of Series 10, April 15th was also confirmed.

Block Six conists of Episodes 8 and 9. Filming continued in early February with work on Episode 8, written by Toby Whithouse, shooting in Cardiff Bay with the three leads. Bill's university was redressed to show the area under 'Memory Police' rule. BBC One Snapchat also released pictures of Episode 10 filming, revealing the return of the Ice Warriors.

On the 6th March the Doctor Who twitter page revealed that the Mondasian Cybermen from the original series would be returning to the in episodes 11 and 12, the series finale, along with a promotional picture (see above). It was also announced that Missy would also return. The finale began filming in early March. The series officially wrapped on Friday April 7th.

Production Blocks

Block	Episode	Director	Writer	Producer	Dates
1	Episode 1 Episode 2	Lawrence Gough	Steven Moffat Frank Cottrell-Boyce	Peter Bennett	June-July
2	Episode 3 Episode 4	Bill Anderson	Sarah Dollard Mike Bartlett	Niki Wilson	August-September
3	Christmas Special 2016	Ed Bazalgette	Steven Moffat	Peter Bennett	September-October
4	Episode 5 Episode 10	Charles Palmer	Jamie Mathieson	Niki Wilson	October-November
5	Episode 6 Episode 7	Daniel Nettheim	Steven Moffat Peter Harness	Peter Bennett	December-January
6	Episode 8 Episode 9	Wayne Yip	Toby Whithouse Mark Gatiss	Niki Wilson	January - February
7	Episode 11 Episode 12	Rachel Tatalay	Steven Moffat	Peter Benett	March -April
8	Christmas Special 2017	Rachel Tatalay	Steven Moffat	Niki Wilson	July

Viewing Figures

Episode No.	Broadcast Time (BBC)	Duration (min)	AI (/100)	7 Day BARB Figure (m)	28 Day BARB Figure (m)	Chart Place (week)
Christmas 2016	5.45pm	60	82	7.83	8.22	9
1	7.20pm	50	83	6.68	7.26	10
2	7.20pm	46	83	5.98	6.45	23
3	7.20pm	44	84	5.61	5.87	26
4	7.20pm	44	83	5.73	6.2	21
5	7.15pm	45	83	5.27	5.85	26
6	7.25pm	48	82	5.53	5.97	20
7	7.50pm	46	82	5.79	6.16	14
8	7.35pm	45	82	4.82	5.29	30
9	7.15pm	44	83	5.02	5.54	22
10	6.45pm	43	81	4.73	5.12	26
11	6.45pm	45	85	5.00	5.32	21
12	6.30pm	60	83	5.29	5.6	16
Christmas 2017	5:30pm	60	81	7.92	8.28	10th