Doctor Who fans reacted with glee when it was announced that season 12 of the sci-fi series would reintroduce a fondly-remembered foe from the David Tennant era. An upcoming episode of the next run of the show, scheduled for 2020, will bring back the Judoon for Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor to face. And now, you can take a look at what’s to come in these new set photos.
Shooting on the episode is currently taking place in Cardiff, Wales, with these snaps showing the Time Lord facing down against the Judoon captain. This member of the rhino-headed race is different from the previous ones we’ve seen thanks to his foxy mohawk hairdo. The filming makes it clear though that the Judoon have arrived on the streets of England meaning business. Luckily for us, the Doctor’s here to help.
The Judoon were introduced in 2007’s “Smith and Jones,” as created by then showrunner Russell T. Davies, which established them as interplanetary police. They might not be on Earth to conquer the planet, then, but their thuggish methods of apprehending alien criminals often put innocents in harm’s way, which in turn pits them against the Doctor. They’ve also been established as not having any jurisdiction on this planet, which makes their presence on the streets of Cardiff somewhat puzzling. Is Mr. Mohawk a rogue Judoon who’s willing to break the rules?
As far as we know, the Judoon will be the second returning foes the Thirteenth Doctor will face. For season 11, the decision was made to eschew any classic monsters to keep things accessible for new viewers. However, a single Dalek returned for the New Year’s special, “Resolution.” Hopefully, there’ll be some other familiar surprises waiting in Doctor Who season 12 for us, like maybe a Sontaran or some Cybermen.
