Historical adventure for Doctor Who

Auntie Beeb have finally let the cat out of the bag about why the production team were filming at the Cinecitta studios in Italy (previously used to film the series Rome) - there's a season four episode set in Pompeii, AD 79.

The Doctor and Donna arrive just as Mount Vesuvius is about to blow its top and bury the Roman city in ash, causing thousands of deaths - should they warn the locals? Or stand back and let history happen? Ooh, it's a toughie.

A week of filming at Cinecitta took place in September. Guest stars for the episode include The Thick of It star Peter Capaldi, and Phil Davis, him out of Quadrophenia and Alien 3.

It'll be interesting to see whether any aliens or monsters feature in this episode - we kinda imagine there will. If they don't, it'll be the first "purely historical" Who adventure since 1982's "Black Orchid".

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