Doctor Who Series 11 Directors and Writers Revealed

New Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has revealed the writers and directors behind the upcoming season of the long-running series via the BBC.

Of the team, Chibnall said, “We have a team of writers who’ve been working quietly and secretly for a long time now, crafting characters, worlds and stories to excite and move you. A set of directors who stood those scripts up on their feet, bringing those ideas, visuals and emotions into existence with bravura and fun.

“Hailing from a range of backgrounds, tastes and styles, here’s what unites them: they are awesome people as well as brilliant at their job. (It matters!) They love Doctor Who. And they’ve all worked above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring audiences something special, later this year.”

First up were the writers, namely children’s author Malorie Blackman and screenwriters Ed Hime (Skins), Vinay Patel (Murdered By My Father), Pete McTighe (Wentworth) and Joy Wilkinson (The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby).

Of the chance to work on the classic television series, Doctor Who, Blackman said, “I’ve always loved Doctor Who. Getting the chance to write for this series has definitely been a dream come true.”

The directors list featured an incredible list of talented individuals, including Sallie Aprahamian, who has directed critically-acclaimed shows such as Extremely Dangerous, The Sins, Real Men, The Lakes, Teachers and This Life; Jamie Childs, who directed the Jodie Whittaker’s reveal as the Thirteenth Doctor; Jennifer Perrott, who wrote, directed, produced and executive produced her own award-winning 35mm short film The Ravens; and Mark Tonderai, who directed the full season of The Five, Impulse, Lucifer, Gotham, Black Lightning, George RR Martin’s Nightflyers and the film The House at the End of the Street starring Jennifer Lawrence.

“Doctor Who is an iconic show and one I’d loved as a child, especially when Tom Baker was the Doctor,” said Perrott. “Space travel has become more a part of modern life and this has opened the door for more human stories to be told amidst the escapist fantasy of saving the world from alien invasion. The aliens are now as emotionally complex as the humans, and I was really excited by that.”

Set to premiere in fall 2018, the series will feature actress Jodie Whittaker in the title role, the first woman to play the role of The Doctor.

Whittaker will be joined by an all-new cast of characters in the series, including Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill. Also joining the series in a returning role is Sharon D Clarke. Chris Chibnall takes over as head writer and executive producer from Steven Moffat for the series, which is set to return in the fall of 2018 with ten brand new episodes.

Doctor Who, which began broadcasting on BBC America in 2005, follows the Doctor, an alien from a race called the Time Lords whose home planet is Gallifrey, and is created by Sydney Newman (The Avengers), and Executive Produced by Russell T. Davies (Torchwood), Julie Gardner (Torchwood), Steven Moffat (Sherlock), Phil Collinson (Coronation Street), Piers Wenger (How I Live Now), Beth Willis (Doctor Who Confidential), Brian Minchin (Wizards vs. Aliens), Caroline Skinner (Our Girl), and Mal Young (Desperate Scousewives).