Doctor Who season 13 started shooting this month, as confirmed by the sci-fi show’s official Twitter account with our first set photo. This past Wednesday, it was officially announced that work had begun on the eight-episode upcoming run of the BBC’s flagship series, with Who‘s social media pages sharing a snap of a clapperboard being held in front of the console in the Thirteenth Doctor’s TARDIS.
The image reveals that the first take of the first scene of the season opener was shot on November 2nd, though we didn’t find out that production had started until a couple of weeks later. This fits with how top secret the team has been with the shoot since showrunner Chris Chibnall took over for season 11, which was Jodie Whittaker’s first go as the Time Lord.
Fast forward a couple of years and Whittaker is now working on her third season as the series’ lead. That’s significant because David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi all exited after they had completed three seasons. At this stage, though, the actress hasn’t said anything about season 13 being her last. In any case, it won’t be arriving until the fall of 2021, so there’s a long while left of the Whittaker era whatever happens.
In the short term, the Doctor reappears this holiday season for new special “Revolution of the Daleks,” which will pick up the cliffhanger from the season 12 finale that saw the heroine locked up in a space prison by the Judoon. Our first look at the episode teases that she’s been in jail for a long time when we catch up with her and while plot details are still scarce, it’s believed that Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole may be written out in it, leaving Mandip Gill to star alongside Whittaker in season 13 of Doctor Who.