What Is Your Most Anticipated Doctor Who Series 9 Story?

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It’s almost here. Doctor Who Series 9 hits screens at 7.40pm UK time (9/8c in the USA – check local listings elsewhere) on Saturday evening and the excitement is building. But which episode are you really looking forward to? I asked some of the Kasterborous team to hit me with their thoughts.

Heaven Sent – Alex Skerrat

I think my most anticipated Series 9 story is Heaven Sent, because I understand it features just Peter Capaldi and nobody else? I am curious to see how the Moff and the production team will pull it off – although I’m sure they will. It’s always interesting when TV shows play with formulas in potentially ‘dangerous’ ways. That’s what I admire about Peter Kay’s Car Share, which mostly consists of just two people travelling in a car, talking to each other, on their way to work! Or even early Doctor Who like The Edge of Destruction, where the entire story takes place within the TARDIS. Or the fantastic Blake’s 7 episode Sarcophagus. So yes, Heaven Sent is one I am very, very excited about.

As long as it doesn’t end with something ridiculous. Like Sergeant Benton coming back as a Cyberman.

Although, actually…

The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar – Joe Siegler

I’m looking forward to the first story, The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar. Mostly because I’m a nutter when it comes to self referential stuff. And in particular the Daleks. If this story does what it’s supposed to do with history, it could be QUITE interesting. I already spotted Daleks from about four or five different Doctor eras in the trailer, so I’m way up for that. Plus, Missy. I’m still not sold on her as “The Master”, but I can’t deny her performance, which was quite good.  Plus, it’s the first story of the season.  That’s always something to look forward to!

I also am not sure about the rest, as I’ve tried to avoid spoilers as much as possible.  Also, Maisie Williams, depending on who she turns out to be.

The Girl Who Died/Woman Who Lived – Tony Jones

With all the reveals, hints and now the titles themselves it’s become hard to know where to turn with series 9. Part of me wants to make a clever answer along the lines of ‘I’m most looking forward to the one that focusses on telling a good story rather than trying merely to look good’. On a more serious, and useful, note the answer has to be The Girl Who Died/Woman Who Lived pairing. The reason is the obvious one – I wan’t to see how well Maisie Williams performs. Unlike many I’m not a Game of Thrones fan (I’ve only seen one episode), but I have seen Maisie act. I happen to have seen the film The Falling in which Maisie plays a huge part. When I got home and reflected on the film (the reviewer’s curse) I couldn’t escape from the fact that at a relatively young age she is incredibly talented. Whether it is a precocious beginning to a career that will fade away or the first calling cards of a future legend I don’t know, but under the right direction she is astonishing.

I’m ambivalent about the promise of Vikings, Norse gods and even a dragon, but I hold out hope that under the style will be a well crafted, engaging tale.

Hell Bent – Drew Boynton

Probably in vain, I have been trying to hold out as long as humanly possible and avoid spoilers of all kinds (including the just-announced episode titles).  But, I have to say, my most anticipated story of Series 9 is the series finale.  I believe at some point Steven Moffat said that the finale was going to be something new and different–something that had never been done before in the history of Doctor Who.  I believe he also said that it was one of the most difficult things he’s ever had to write.   I’m not sure when or why (or if!) he said actually said all of that, but it’s stuck in my head, so I hope I’m correct.  These (hopefully not imagined) comments, combined with the very real possibility of Jenna Coleman leaving, the return of director Rachel Talalay, the ever-present “the guy who plays the current Doctor is leaving” rumors, the Series 10-as-a-set-of specials rumors, and the announcement of Alex Kingston’s appearance in the upcoming Christmas special all make me wonder what in the universe is going to happen in the finale!  To paraphrase the Eleventh Doctor, it may be a whopper!  Hopefully it will live up to the hype that is going on in my head!

Programme Name: Doctor Who – TX: 12/08/2015 – Episode: n/a (No. n/a) – Picture Shows: Doctor Who Series 9 trail – 12.08.15 – (C) BBC – Photographer: N/A

Face the Raven – Richard Forbes

While I don’t particularly care about the return of Flatline’s Rigsy (Of all of the characters… Rigsy? Really!?), the idea of a little world tucked in behind all we take for granted is one that gets me

excited because I spent my entire childhood imagining exactly that – from Narnia’s Wardrobe to Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley – it’s a reoccurring theme in fantasy that our urban landscape may hold secrets beyond what we might expect, but it’s also an idea with untapped potential for Doctor Who. I’m also just frightfully intrigued by the episode’s villain, ‘the Raven’ – which we know nothing about, currently. Birds are scarcely used in Doctor Who lore and yet are such unearthly creatures, omens of worse things to come. Steven Moffat writes that Sarah Dollard, with Face the Raven, has written what will soon become a fan favourite and I hope he’s right.

The Magician’s Apprentice / The Witch’s Familiar – Jeremy Remy

One of my favorite variations of the TARDIS crew is the Richard E. Grant Doctor and Derek Jacobi Master in Scream of Shalka. For some reason—which, I’m sure was in no small part due to the quality of the acting—the use of the Master as a companion worked fantastically.

For this reason, I’m very much looking forward to The Magician’s Apprentice / The Witch’s Familiar (the first two-part episode of the series). Missy will team up with Clara to search for the Doctor, in what we can only assume will be some version of Skaro. I typically prefer the evil mastermind/Moriarty version of the Master over the evil madman/the Joker version of the Master. Yet, Michelle Gomez won me over with her interpretation of Missy. Seeing Clara, Missy, and the Doctor all working together against the Daleks (and, dare I hope, Davros) already has me on the edge of my seat.

So, those are the episodes that the Kasterborous team are dying to see. Now it’s your turn – what stories are you most looking forward to? Time to click your answer below… don’t forget to tell us in the comments!

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(Forget that we don’t really know which are two parters, three parters and one parters…)

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