The following article is written from an Out of Universe perspective. |
Season 56 of Doctor Who, also known as Series 4 will premiere in May 2022 for a run of 13 episodes. It was a special season, which formed part of the 60th Anniversary Celebrations. It saw the return of three former showrunners, to handle each serial of the season - Ronald D. Moore, Jane Espenson and David Renwick. It starred Ace Bhatti as the Doctor.
Overview
After Hodges Departure
After Adrian Hodges left as showrunner at the end of the previous season, and with the demand from the BBC and CBS to have a thirteen episode season. Franchise Executive Mal Young had decided to split the season up into three separate six serials, with two serials spanning six episodes with the thirteenth episode being a special for the BBC to celebrate its centenary. In collaboration with the Executive Supervisor of Television Jane Espenson, they decided to have the first serial air in the spring of 2022, followed by the centenary special in the autumn of 2022 and finally the final episodes would air in spring 2023.
With this season going to be airing in the year of the show's 60th anniversary, Espenson had made the decision to have each of the three serials having a separate showrunner and the showrunner being a previous one from the show's past. Espenson had decided to offer the first serial to be in charge by former showrunner of season 49, 50 and 51 as well as series 4 to 7 of spin-off Panopticon, Ronald D. Moore. At first Moore had decided to shrug off the idea to return to the show for the six episodes, during this time Espenson had been trying to get Ben Aaronovitch to return. But while having dinner with former Franchise Executive Ira Steven Behr, Behr had convinced Moore to accept Espenson's offer to be the showrunner for the first serial. With the second serial being only one episode long and was to act as a special for the BBC's 100th year, Espenson herself decided to write the serial. For the third and final serial, Jane Espenson had brought on board former showrunner from seasons 35 to 40, David Renwick to be the showrunner. While there would be multiple different showrunners, Espenson designed the season to tell a story throughout all thirteen episodes.
The Moore Serial
With Moore agreeing to be the showrunner for the first six episodes of the season, he and Espenson sat down and pitched ideas that could be done for his serial and with this, Moore returned to an idea that he had originally planned for season 53 during the production of The Martian Equinox. The original idea being a pseudo-sequel to the original The Daleks' Master Plan. Moore and Espenson agreed to do a Battlestar Galactica restyling of The Daleks' Master Plan.
With Young wanting to keep the return of Moore a secret, Moore had to work remotely from America and delaying the third season of For All Mankind. Moore had formed a (zoom) writers room to help him work on the six episodes. With him bringing on Behr as well as David Weddle, Bradley Thompson and Matthew B. Roberts who had all worked with Moore during his time working on the Doctor Who franchise. Behr, Weddle, Thompson and Roberts would be credited as co-executive producers. Moore hired Nikki Wilson, Seth Edelstein and Brian Minchin to produce his serials, with Edelstein also producing Espenson's serial. Moore brought on former directors Rachel Talalay and John Dahl as well as Battlestar Galactica director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan to direct the episodes in his serial. Moore had also brought on frequent collaborator and former Doctor Who and Panopticon composer, Bear McCreary to handle the music in his serial.
The Espenson Serial
To be added.
The Renwick Serial
To be added.
Promotion
Details about the season were first announced at the Official Doctor Who Convention 2021, on 27 November, alongside a teaser trailer for the first serial. This teaser trailer was screened at the convention, and live-streamed through YouTube, before being uploaded to various social media platforms. It was not featured on BBC or CBS television, instead only appearing online.
Several months later, on 30 March 2022, the official key art for the first serial was released, alongside an airdate announcement. The key art was initially released via Twitter, but went onto appear, not only on BBC and Paramount+ listings, but also on posters and billboards around the world, and eventually the home media releases. Two variations of the key art were released, one with BBC branding, and the other with Paramount+ branding.
On 25 April 2022, BBC One premiered a 40-second TV trailer for the first serial, in a bumper between EastEnders and Panorama. This was followed by a longer 108 second trailer being released online, through various social media platforms, including the official Doctor Who YouTube Channel and the Paramount+ YouTube Channel. The 40-second TV trailer continued to be aired across linear BBC channels, up until the 8 May premiere. A 30-second edit of the trailer was frequently seen on both CBS, and internationally around the world, advertising it's Paramount+ premiere.
Cast
Regular
4/A
4/B
4/C
- To be added.
Recurring
4/A
4/B
- To be added.
4/C
- To be added.
Guest
Television Stories
Main Season
Serial | # | Serial Title | Episode Title | Writer | Director | Air Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | The Daleks' Master Plan | Episode One: The Carnivorous Jungle | Ronald D. Moore | Rachel Talalay | 8 May 2022 |
2 | Episode Two: The Guardian's Tale | David Weddle and Bradley Thompson | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | 15 May 2022 | ||
3 | Episode Three: The Face of the Enemy | Ira Steven Behr | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | 22 May 2022 | ||
4 | Episode Four: The Cry of the Past | Matthew B. Roberts | John Dahl | 29 May 2022 | ||
5 | TBA | TBA | Rachel Talalay | 5 June 2022 | ||
6 | TBA | TBA | John Dahl | 12 June 2022 | ||
2 | 7 | TBA | Jane Espenson | Rachel Talalay | October 2022 | |
3 | 8 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | May 2023 |
9 | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||
10 | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||
11 | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||
12 | TBA | TBA | TBA | |||
13 | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Production
Crew
To be added.
Shooting Blocks
Block | Episodes | Director | Producer | DOP | Editor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 56x02, 56x03 | Sergio Mimica-Gezzan | Nikki Wilson | Stephen McNutt | Michael O'Halloran |
2 | 56x01, 56x05, 56x07 | Rachel Talalay | Seth Edelstein | Stuart Biddlecombe | Will Oswald |
3 | 56x04, 56x06 | John Dahl | Brian Minchin | Nic Morris | Phil Hookway |
4 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
5 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
6 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Filming
To be added.
Aliens and Enemies
Viewing Figures
To be added.
Physical Media
To be added.