The amazing Jodie Whittaker steps aboard the Tardis in the all-new Doctor Who

BBC1, SUNDAY 7 OCTOBER, 6.45PM

Doctor Who is back, and apart from the fact it’s very much still about an alien who travels through time and space having amazing adventures, pretty much everything else about it is new. From the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor (see our feature, page 52) and the arrival of three new companions on screen, to the new showrunner Chris Chibnall (of Broadchurch fame) behind the scenes. Plus, there’s even a new composer, Segun Akinola, who’s brilliantly revamped the legendary theme tune. Asked to describe the series opener, Chibnall says, “It’s a massively accessible jumping-on point for anybody who’s never seen the series, anybody who’s been there since An Unearthly Child [the first episode in 1963], and anybody who has been watching and drifted away.” And he’s right. SHEFFIELD STEEL The first episode of this series, which will have ten new selfcontained stories in total, plus a Christmas special, is called The

Woman Who Fell To Earth and begins by introducing us to the Sheffield-based newbies (see character guide, right) who are about to become friends with the Doctor. Why Sheffield? It seems like a random place for the Doctor to arrive in, but it does turn out to be highly telegenic, and the locals are handily friendly and inquisitive, even when faced with the weird woman who arrives in their world all of a sudden, eager to tell them what to do. And, without giving anything specific away, the Doctor’s arrival in town does coincide with the sudden appearance of strange, antagonistic things clearly not of this world. SECRET WEAPON Quite how the Doctor falls to Earth, who or what the creatures are that she has to tackle, and how she ends up with this gaggle of companions we won’t spoil. What we will say is that Chibnall and his team have given the series a glorious visual upgrade, so that it looks as cinematic as the best Netflix can offer, and that Whittaker herself is so great, you’ll be totally used to her as the Doctor within minutes. Her new pals are all deeply likeable, and the thoroughly excellent Bradley Walsh is not just used as light relief. The secret weapon of episode one is the superb Sharon D Clarke, who shines with compassion and humanity as Walsh’s partner. As Whittaker herself puts it, “We absolutely want to engage with the eight year olds and the 80 year olds, whether they’re into Doctor Who or not. If you’re not, you don’t need to know everything – but I bet you’ll enjoy it”. It really is time to join the Who revolution.