Series 5 (Doctor Who)



Series 5, also known as Season 31 for clarity over Season 5, and quoted by Steven Moffat, Series 5, will begin in Spring 2010. Following the 2009 Specials, there will be a full 13-episode season to be broadcast; filming began in July 2009.

In the spring of 2008, it was announced that Steven Moffat, who has written Hugo Award-winning or nominated scripts for the revived series in each of its first four seasons and whose association with Doctor Who dates back to his writing of the Comic Relief parody The Curse of Fatal Death in the early 1990s, will succeed Russell T Davies as head writer and producer of the series. Davies has announced he will officially retire from involvement with the series after the 2009 specials are completed and at present has no plans to retain any direct connection to the series once Moffat's tenure begins. However, Davies has announced that he plans to remain involved with production of Torchwood for the foreseeable future, and hopes to see further crossovers with Doctor Who, indicating he may not completely sever his ties with the parent show.

According to Issue 410 of Doctor Who Magazine, the BBC intends to begin the numbering of seasons over again to reflect the change of production team; thus, as far as the BBC is concerned, the 2010 season will not be known as Series 5, but rather, once again, Series 1. What this may mean for marketing and availability of the 2005 to 2008 seasons (particularly the previous "Series 1" starring Christopher Eccleston) remains to be seen. A December 2009 announcement by the BBC regarding the show filming in Croatia also refers to the upcoming season as Series 1.

Also departing at the end of 2009 is co-executive producer Julie Gardner. She will be replaced by Piers Wenger. Beth Willis replaces Phil Collinson as the third executive producer.

During his acceptance speech for the award for Best Drama Performance at the National Television Awards on 29 October 2008, David Tennant announced that he would not return for the 5th series. On 3 January 2009, during a special episode of Doctor Who Confidential entitled "The Eleventh Doctor", the BBC announced that Matt Smith would be playing the Eleventh Doctor.



Primary Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan

Secondary Cast

 * Rory - Arthur Davrill

Confirmed Guest Stars

 * River Song - Alex Kingston
 * Vincent Van Gogh - Tony Curran
 * TBA - Caitlin Blackwood
 * TBA - Meera Syal
 * TBA - Ian McNeice
 * TBA - Sophie Okonedo
 * TBA - Bill Paterson
 * TBA - Helen McCrory

Aliens and Enemies

 * Daleks
 * Weeping Angels
 * Vampire like Humanoids in Tudor dress
 * Armed reptilians

Steven Moffat announced in the January 2010 addition of the Doctor Who Magazine that there would be no "classic monsters" returning, apparently not counting the Daleks (which are, in fact, returning, as can be seen in the trailer), perhaps because they had already returned. However, he did list several new species of monsters that are set to debut in the new series:
 * The Timoreen
 * The Skraskish
 * The Ha'rik
 * The Face Tendril

Writers
Aside from Steven Moffat, who is writing six episodes of the season (Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, 12 and 13): all other writers have been confirmed for Series 5 in DWM 417:
 * Steven Moffat
 * Mark Gatiss
 * Toby Whithouse
 * Simon Nye
 * Chris Chibnall
 * Richard Curtis
 * Gareth Roberts

Filming

 * The BBC has confirmed that at least one episode will be filmed in Croatia.
 * It was confirmed in DWM that this series will be known as series 1 from a production standpoint; it is unknown what it will be publicly known as, though it will likely be series 5 in order to avoid confusion with the fairly recent series 1. In DWM 417, Moffat apparently declares that it cannot at all be known as series 5, either 1 (first series for Smith) or series/season 31 (overall), much to the annoyance of fans.
 * A number of websites have reported a rumor that the BBC is considering splitting Series 5 into two halves, the first half to air in the spring of 2010, and the second half to air later in the year.
 * According to the online resume of one of the show's crewpeople, part of one episode has been filmed in Croatia.
 * Soon after production began on Series 5, images of the new cast on location began to appear in the British media, revealing the Eleventh Doctor's costume, and apparent exterior changes to the TARDIS (most notably the reinstatement of a St. John Ambulance logo which once adorned the TARDIS during the First Doctor era. The media also revealed in July 2009 that Alex Kingston will again portray River Song. It was later said that she will appear in two episodes. It was announced in DWM #417 that she'll appear in episodes four and five
 * As of January 2009, five out of the series' seven filming blocks have been completed.
 * Adam Smith will direct one of the episodes block, Ashley Way will direct Chris Chibnall's two episodes (8 & 9) and Jonny Campbell will direct one episode (episode 10).

Episodes

 * Episode 1: Title TBA - Writer Steven Moffat
 * Episode 2: Title TBA - Writer Steven Moffat
 * Episode 3: Title TBA - Writer Mark Gatiss
 * Episode 4: Title TBA - Writer Steven Moffat
 * Episode 5: Title TBA - Writer Steven Moffat
 * Episode 6: Vampires in Venice - Writer Toby Whithouse
 * Episode 7: Title TBA - Writer Simon Nye
 * Episode 8: Title TBA - Writer Chris Chibnall
 * Episode 9: Title TBA - Writer Chris Chibnall
 * Episode 10: Vincent and the Doctor - Writer Richard Curtis
 * Episode 11: Title TBA - Writer Gareth Roberts
 * Episode 12: Title TBA - Writer Steven Moffat
 * Episode 13: Title TBA - Writer Steven Moffat

Series Changes

 * On 6th October 2009, the BBC unveiled a new series logo which will be launched with Series 5.
 * British tabloid media have reported rumours that Moffat plans a "radical redesign" of the TARDIS interior, both to mark the new era and also because of the show's switch to high-definition production.

Confirmed Rumours

 * Richard Curtis has confirmed that Series 5 (Series 1) will be broadcast in February 2010.
 * In DWM Issue 397, Steven Moffat wrote the "Production Notes" feature. This consisted mainly of an anecdote about how he became the head writer but he also touched upon his plans for Series 5. In particular he wrote "Piers Wenger and I are hard at work on Series 5. I can tell you nothing of our plans (except, obviously, THEY'RE BACK!)". Some have interpreted "they" to refer to the Time Lords, who had been "killed off" as a race during the Davies era. However, others have interpreted this as simply referring to the Daleks, who have become notorious for returning at least once a series since the revival. In a radio interview on 15th December 2009, Steven Moffat confirmed the return of the Weeping Angel; whether these are the species in question that are back is unknown.
 * It could well mean Time Lords as they were brought back in The End of Time. Yet killed off near the end so it may just be reffering to the Daleks return.
 * The speculation as to whether "They're back" refers to the Time Lords may intensify with the announcement in September 2009 of a Blue Peter contest in which entrants are being asked to design "a TARDIS console" to be used within the series, which could be interpreted as referring to a TARDIS other than the Doctor's. At the time of the contest's launch in early October, however, the contest description suggested that the console should look like "something the Doctor put together" suggesting a different storyline possibility.
 * Murray Gold confirmed in an interview that he would be staying on for Series 5, and that he would be composing a new theme. He also revealed that Gareth Roberts and Mark Gatiss would be writing for Series 5.

Novels

 * Apollo 13
 * Night of the Humans
 * The Forgotten Army
 * Adorable Illusion
 * Nuclear Time
 * The King's Dragon