Series 5 (Doctor Who)



Series 5 of Doctor Who, also known as Season 31 for clarity over Season 5, will begin airing in the Spring of 2010. For the first time since 2008 a full 13-episode season will be broadcast; filming began in July 2009. The season is the first to feature Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and will also introduce Karen Gillan as companion Amy Pond, along with substantial changes to the programme's production team.

According to the official BBC cinema trailer issued on 20th February, the season is scheduled to start at Easter 2010 (i.e. 3 April assuming the series remains on Saturdays).

Overview
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, would succeed Russell T Davies as head writer and producer of the series. Davies officially retired from involvement with the series after the 2009 specials and at present has no plans to retain any direct connection to the series now Moffat's tenure has begun. 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. Both statements have now been confirmed to be false now that Steven Moffat confirmed in Issue 418 of Doctor Who Magazine that this season will be referred to as Season 31. In his column in Issue 417, Moffat addressed the issue in a humourous fashion, suggesting the season be called "Series Fnarg" - "It's a whole new number," he wrote.

Co-executive producer Julie Gardner also departed at the end of 2009, and was 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 29th October 2008, David Tennant announced that he would not return for the 5th series. On 3rd 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. Smith succeeded Tennant in the last scene of The End of Time and Smith's Doctor was last seen crashing towards the Earth.



Primary Cast

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

Secondary Cast

 * Rory - Arthur Davrill

Confirmed Guest Stars

 * Madame Vernet - Chrissie Cotterill
 * Mrs Angelo - Annette Crosbie
 * Vincent Van Gogh - Tony Curran
 * Dorium - Simon Fisher-Becker
 * Hawthorne - Terrence Hardiman
 * River Song - Alex Kingston
 * TBA - Helen McCrory
 * Winston Churchill - Ian McNeice
 * TBA - Bill Nighy
 * Liz Ten - Sophie Okonedo
 * Dr Bracewell - Bill Paterson
 * Nasreen Chaudry - Meera Syal
 * Aunt Sharon - Susan Vidler
 * TBA - Nina Wadia
 * TBA - Melanie Walters

Aliens and Enemies

 * Daleks
 * Weeping Angels
 * Vampire like Humanoids in Tudor dress
 * "Smilers"

Steven Moffat indicated in the January 2010 edition of the Doctor Who Magazine that there would be no "classic monsters" returning, though it has since been confirmed that the Daleks will appear and although the BBC has yet to confirm, some media have suggested the Silurians may appear. 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

Unconfirmed

 * Silurians
 * Red People (as seen in New Earth and the Zagizalgul bar)
 * Star Whale
 * Sontarans
 * A silent menace that follows the Doctor and Amy through their travels.

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 Season 31 in DWM 417:
 * Steven Moffat
 * Mark Gatiss
 * Toby Whithouse
 * Simon Nye
 * Chris Chibnall (2 episodes)
 * Richard Curtis
 * Gareth Roberts

Filming

 * The BBC has confirmed that at least one episode will be filmed in Croatia.
 * A number of websites have reported a rumor that the BBC is considering splitting Season 31 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 Season 31, 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 Issue 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).

Other Production Notes

 * Richard Curtis has stated that Series 5 (Series 1) will be broadcast in February but it has since been revealed that the series will be broadcast in April 2010.
 * Murray Gold confirmed in an interview that he would be staying on for Series 5, and that he would be composing a new theme.
 * On 17th February 2010, Matt Smith appeared on Blue Peter to choose the winner of a contest that asked viewers to design a TARDIS control console. The winning design is expected to be featured in some way in one of the final Series 5 episodes which is to be filmed in the spring of 2010.

Episodes

 * Episode 1: The Eleventh Hour - Writer Steven Moffat and Directed by Adam Smith


 * Episode 2: The Beast Below - Writer Steven Moffat and Directed by Andrew Gunn


 * Episode 3: Victory of the Daleks - Writer Mark Gatiss and Directed by Andrew Gunn


 * Episode 4: TBA (Part 1 of 2) - Writer Steven Moffat and Directed by Adam Smith


 * Episode 5: TBA (Part 2 of 2) - Writer Steven Moffat and Directed by Adam Smith


 * Episode 6: Vampires in Venice - Writer Toby Whithouse and Directed by Jonny Campbell


 * Episode 7: TBA - Writer Simon Nye


 * Episode 8: TBA (Part 1 of 2) - Writer Chris Chibnall and Directed by Ashley Way


 * Episode 9: TBA (Part 2 of 2) - Writer Chris Chibnall and Directed by Ashley Way


 * Episode 10: Vincent and the Doctor - Writer Richard Curtis and Directed by Jonny Campbell


 * Episode 11: TBA - Writer Gareth Roberts


 * Episode 12: TBA (Part 1 of 2) - Writer Steven Moffat and Directed by Euros Lyn


 * Episode 13: TBA (Part 2 of 2) - Writer Steven Moffat and Directed by Euros Lyn

Broadcast Dates
No precise release date has been given thus far. The latest trailer, released on 20th February 2010 gives the broadcast date for the series as Easter 2010, so this puts the series in early April, most likely 3 April as that is Easter Saturday. Prior to this, numerous other dates as early as mid-March had been cited without attribution by sources such as the Internet Movie Database.

A second showing of the most recent trailer has confirmed the start-date as Saturday 3rd April.

Series Changes

 * On 6th October 2009, the BBC unveiled a new series logo which will be launched with Season 31.DSCF0614.jpg
 * 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.
 * The most recent promotional picture shows a different special effect for the Time Vortex, similar to swirling water.

Rumours

 * In an interview with the Perthshire Advertiser, actress Neve McIntosh stated that she is playing Silurian twins in episodes eight and nine, which are rumored to be titled "The Ground Beneath Their Feet" and "Cold Blood".
 * Neil Gaiman would be writing an episode of Series 5. Although this turned out not to be the case, Gaiman subsequently announced that he would be writing an episode of Series 6.
 * 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 Season 31. In particular he wrote "Piers Wenger and I are hard at work on Season 31. 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 is unlikely that this means the Time Lords as they were brought back in DW: The End of Time and dealt with. In his book REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter, Russell T. Davies indicated that he checked with Moffat before writing his script to see if Moffat had plans to return the Time Lords. Moffat's response "take them" would suggest the Time Lords are not returning in the near future.
 * The official BBC trailer for Series 5 includes footage of a Dalek, plus an episode entitled Victory of the Daleks has now been announced.
 * Despite the above, 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.
 * "Liz Ten" will be Queen Elizabeth the 10th of a far future United Kingdom.
 * The Weeping Angels will feature in episodes four and five, which are rumored to be called "Time Of The Angels" and "Flesh And Stone".
 * Episode 12 of the series is rumoured to be titled "The Pandorica Opens" and is rumoured to feature the Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarans and various old and new enemies.

Novels

 * Apollo 23
 * Night of the Humans
 * The Forgotten Army
 * Adorable Illusion
 * Nuclear Time
 * The King's Dragon