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In the new edition of SFX, which is out on Wednesday, there are two things worth noting: firstly the magazine has a classy new look and, secondly, there's a ton of new Doctor Who details ahead of series nine's September 19th debut. The issue features interviews with Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, and the boss of it all: Steven Moffat.
As part of our look at what's in store, Steven gives a spoiler-free break down of the upcoming season, a run that includes more two-parters than last year year, and he describes as "the glory years of the Doctor and Clara". Here's a quick look at what to expect:
• Episodes one and two form a double-header that starts with the Doctor missing, and involves a search to find him. Steven refers to it as "Star Wars-y".
• Episodes three and four features an underwater base full of ghosts, with Steven making interesting references to the idea that time travel could potentially let you meet your own ghost: "I've always wanted to do ghosts in Doctor Who. Ghosts plus time travel always strikes me as a very strange idea."
• Episode five (on which Steven teams with series eight writer Jamie Mathieson) features Vikings, is where Doctor Who meets Maisie Williams, and is described as "a really good Doctor-Clara one. It's quite emotional."
• Episode six (by Torchwood writer Catherine Tregenna) features Rufus Hound as a highwayman and involves a "very different take on Doctor Who. It's an eloquent, heartfelt and very character-driven episode."
• Episode seven and eight (by series eight writer Peter Harness) are another two-parter that sees the return of the Zygons. "It feels like we did a finale in the middle of the show," Steven reveals. "It's got that kind of scale and gravitas and fun. And real drama. I constructed, in part, the 50th anniversary story as a prequel for it, as a prologue!"
• Episode nine is a Mark Gatiss script that's "unusual, a very unique idea for Doctor Who".
• Episode ten is from a new Who writer called Sarah Dollard (who worked on the BBC's The Game) and Steven simply says"it's a terrific idea. It leapt out at me as 'Why haven't we done this already? This is so Doctor Who we should be doing this immediately!'"
• As for the finale, episodes 11 and 12... "I'm not saying very much about them, but there's plenty to say, god knows!"
Meanwhile, Peter Capaldi tells us about the monster fromDoctor Who's past he'd love to face. "Often if I'm asked that question I pick the most obscure one, like the Chumblies [from William Hartnell tale 'Galaxy 4']," he reveals. "I would like the Daemons, because they're a little bit black magicky, a little bit supernatural. I like monsters that are not just sci-fi but who have got a horror movie kind of element to them."
Read more about the new series of Doctor Who in the new-look SFX, on sale Wednesday 19th August.
