It’s time to hide behind your sofas again: the BBC has confirmed the release date for its upcoming Doctor Who Easter special.
Titled Legend of the Sea Devils, it will be airing on BBC One on Sunday 17th April and will mark the second-to-last appearance for Jodie Whittaker’s thirteenth Doctor.
The episode will be the second in a trilogy of Doctor Who specials, which will be airing across 2022 in lieu of a new series.
The Sea Devils are not a new monster: they first appeared in the 1972 episode The Sea Devils, fighting against Jon Pertwee’s Doctor – but have been absent from our screens since 1984.
However, recent pictures released by the BBC suggest that they may have had somewhat of a glow-up since their heyday in the 70s and 80s.
In this latest special, the Doctor, Yaz (played by Mandip Gill) and Dan (played by John Bishop) will be travelling to 19th century China where they will battle both the Sea Devils and the notorious pirate queen Madame Ching.
2021 will be a year of change for the veteran TV show, as showrunner Chris Chibnall will be stepping down alongside Whittaker to make way for the return of Russell T Davies.
Davies was behind the reboot of the show in 2005 and sources have since hinted at his desire to take Doctor Who global, with several new spinoff series and a potentially A-list Doctor for the title role (a flurry of excitement met reports that the team was in talks with Hugh Grant, before the actor appeared to pour cold water on the rumours, saying he had “no idea where the story came from”).
Whittaker herself announced that she would be stepping down from her role in July last year, writing:
"In 2017 I opened my glorious gift box of size 13 shoes. I could not have guessed the brilliant adventures, worlds and wonders I was to see in them. My heart is so full of love for this show, for the team who make it, for the fans who watch it and for what it has brought to my life. And I cannot thank Chris enough for entrusting me with his incredible stories. We knew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side and pass on the baton together.
"So here we are, weeks away from wrapping on the best job I have ever had. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons I’ve learnt forever."
