Series 32 Breakdown

SFX is reporting on the first half of the 2011 series. Here is the skinny:

Confirmed writers:

Steven Moffat
Mark Gatiss
Neil Gaiman
Matthew Graham

Confirmed directors:

Richard Clark (“Gridlock”, “The Lazarus Experiment”)
Adam Smith (“The Eleventh Hour”, “The Time Of Angels”, “Flesh And Blood”)
Toby Haynes (“The Pandorica Opens”, “The Big Bang”, “A Christmas Carol”)
Julian Simpson (Hustle, Spooks, New Tricks, Hotel Babylon, Superstorm)
Peter Hoar (Spooks, Mistresses, Wire in the Blood)

Rumours and speculation:

In this section we’ll mention stuff that seems to be based on some substantiated facts, rather than just the tabloids making up rubbish

• On the commentary for “The Eleventh Hour” on the series five box set, Steven Moffat teases: “You might think, for instance, that there are things that live inside clouds. That might occur to you. I’m just saying that, kids, as a nod to the future.”
• There may be an episode set in Egypt (go here, then do a text search for Doctor Who) although maybe the “interactive DVD” is for a deluxe edition of “The Pyramids Of Mars” (seems unlikely, though, don’t you think?)
• There may be an episode involving a giant dollhouse
• There is the very tenuous chance that Toby Whithouse may be writing for series six, if you want to read anything into this story.

Episode One (part one of a two-parter):

Written by: Steven Moffat
Directed by: Toby Haynes

Other info: Apparently the episode has a cheesy title (for the moment, anyway) according to this Tweet from Moffat: “Told my son the title of ep 1 of the next run of Dr Who. A pause. ‘I think we can do better, Daddy.’ Then: ‘We need clever. Not cheesy.’”

This story will be set and filmed partly in Utah.

Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica, Medium, Supernatural, Warehouse 13, and a zillion other genre shows) will be guest starring in the opening episodes as revealed in a press release from the ValleyCon 36 convention: “We had just booked Mark’s airline tickets a week ago when less than 12 hours later he got the dream job of any kid who grew up in England-and many kids here too. He landed a huge role in the new Doctor Who but they needed him there the next day. There was no way we were going to stand in the way of that and so Mark took the job but with his deepest apologies. We will try to work out an appearance with him in the future and wish him great luck with Doctor Who!”

Sheppard is to play a character called Canton Everett Delaware III (according to Pop Culture Zoo). The Doctor Who News Page has images of Sheppard and Alex Kingston (River Song) filming in Cardiff Bay on 18 October (clearly not all the US scenes are actually being filmed in the US)

Episode Two (part two of a two-parter):

Written by: Steven Moffat
Directed by: Toby Haynes

Gaiman on the TARDIS set, a pic he posted on his Twitter feed

Episode Three:

Written by: Neil Gaiman
Directed by: Richard Clark
Other info: Rory is definitely in this episode (confirmed on Twitter by Neil himself)

In a column for Doctor Who Magazine, Gaiman described Suranne’s character as “someone who is beautiful, and who bites, and who might just turn out to be an old acquaintance with a new face…”, adding, “it starts in void-space, with something – or someone – we have not seen since [1969 Patrick Troughton story] ‘The War Games’, and a knock on the TARDIS door…”

Moffat has called it “a beautiful poem of an episode” and says that Suranne Jones “will change the way you see Doctor Who forever forever – and that’s a hand-on-heart promise.”

Guest Starring: Suranne Jones (Karen McDonald in Coronation Street) as Idris

Episode Four:

Written by: Mark Gatiss
Directed by: Richard Clark

Guest starring: Daniel Mays (the villainous DCI Jim Keats from the final series of Ashes To Ashes) and Emma Cunniffe (The Lakes) who play the parents of Harry, played by child actor Jamie Oram (info from The Doctor Who News Page).

Episode Five: “Rebel Flesh” (part one of a two-parter):

Written by: Matthew Graham
Directed by: Julian Simpson

Guest Starring: Marshall Lancaster (Buzzer), Sarah Smart (Jennifer Lucas)

Episode Six: “Gangers” (part two of a two parter):

Written by: Matthew Graham
Directed by: Julian Simpson

Guest Starring: Marshall Lancaster (Buzzer), Sarah Smart (Jennifer Lucas)

Steven Moffat describes this two-part story as a “thrilling and terrifying two-parter. The Doctor will face a dilemma the like of which he’s never seen before.”

Episode Seven:

Written by:
Directed by:
Other info: “Game-changing cliffhanger,” says Moffat.