Peter Capaldi is back as the Twelfth Doctor in Season 9 of Doctor Who. When we last left the Doctor, he and Clara (Jenna Coleman) were heading back out into the universe with a deeper partnership than before. The villainous Missy (Michelle Gomez) was shot by a Cyberman. However, as we know from the Doctor Who press releases, Missy is back. We’re also going to see Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams in the Season 9 opener. Unfortunately, the Doctor is going to make a big mistake that’s going to cost him. And that's just the beginning.
Collider got to hit the press room for Doctor Who at San Diego Comic-Con and chat with Coleman, Gomez and show runner Steven Moffat about where the show is going in Season 9, some of the nods to the 60s run of the show, and whether or not Coleman will stay on the show for yet another season. So, we've put together a list of 13 things to know about Season 9:
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Coleman talked about a scene she still wants to see. “I was kind of waiting for the one scene where all the Clara’s ganged up on the Doctor, but that’s not happened yet,” she said.
Image via BBC
- Coleman talked about the relationship between Clara and the Doctor. “I think they’re so much more on an even keel this series. It’s not as complicated. They’re more united. They know where each other stands. They’ve gotten into a groove. They’re united together.”
- Coleman talked about the “big mistake” that the Doctor makes, saying it happens in the two-part season premiere. When asked about if it involves Maisie Williams, she said she couldn’t say either way.
- In reference to Danny Pink’s death, Coleman said, “Her perspective has changed on life. It’s something that’s happened to her and it’s changed her. She kind of moves forward with a whole new perspective, which in a way is quite freeing, but also dangerous.
- Coleman said that “ages ago” they had discussed doing a web series that explored what the Doctor was like when he’s alone. “Trying to be human but getting it all wrong.”
- Both Coleman and Capaldi said that Moffat rarely ever reveals where the story is going to go. They’re currently filming episode 11, and neither of them have seen the script for episode 12.
- Unlike Season 8, in which many episodes took place on Earth, most of Season 9 will take place in space.
- Moffat confirmed that the Doctor can indeed be a woman, as evidenced by the Master regenerating as Missy (and Matt Smith’s first line about what gender he was). He said, “whether or not that happens, is a different question.”
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Gomez talked about where Missy is going this year and her motivation. “She has no boundaries. It’s just various shades of darkness to Missy. It can get into a sort of morass of blackness. There’s a weird sort of perverse justice coming from her. Like any good little psychopath, she believes she’s doing the right thing and for her, the right thing is to annihilate the universe.”
Image via BBC
- Moffat said that the Doctor recognizing his own face (and the fact that Capaldi appeared in “The Fires of Pompeii” as another character will be addressed this season.
- Capaldi said his character is a little more accepting of his role in saving the universe. “He has a different perspective from other people. I think he’s always on the side of good, but he doesn’t have time to be nice about it. He knows that, in order to save the universe, he has to run over there and fix that bit. Can’t chat. I have to fix that. I think when you regenerate, you have to get to know yourself. I think the Doctor has a lot of complications. I think he’s got to know himself better and recognize that even at two thousand years old, life is short. He’s in a fabulous position. He has all of time and space. I think this season is more about running towards adventure and challenging himself and being almost reckless. He knows that at some point he’ll be taken to a very dark place. At some point, he’ll have to fight the good fight the way no one else has been able to do it.
- Capaldi talked about guest star Maisie Williams. “It was great. I’m a big, big Game of Thrones fans, so I was excited when Maisie came in,” he laughed. “Maisie had her eighteenth birthday with us on the show. She’s been on Game of Thrones since she was twelve. She’s very skilled professionally. Which is hilarious. She knows where to stand, she knows where her light is, and she’s seventeen. But she’s not spoiled at all. She’s a great girl to be around. She was so much fun. Of course, she spoke a completely different language. She spoke eighteen-year-old language. She taught me all different phrases and things.
- Moffat said that that there is an inherent paradox in Doctor Who. “Doctor Who is never more Doctor Who than when it’s creating new monsters. It’s also never more Doctor Who than when bringing back an old one.” He also said there was going to be a great balance this season.
Doctor Who will return to BBC and BBC America this Fall.
