Doctor Who Star Confirms 2020’s Holiday Special Finished Filming Before COVID-19

Doctor Who fans are used to a long wait between seasons, but the COVID-19 pandemic may mean it’ll be some time before we get new episodes. This is because, as is the case with much of the global entertainment industry, the BBC has suspended the shoots of all its scripted programming. Doctor Who is now unlikely to go back before the cameras until the summer (and that’s at the earliest), which may mean we won’t see new episodes until mid-2021. But there’s at least one ray of light for fans: this year’s holiday special, “Revolution of the Daleks,” is still on schedule.

Confirmation of its status came from star Mandip Gill, who plays companion Yasmin Khan on the show. In an interview with Radio Times, she said:

“I think I’m allowed to say, yes, the festive special has been filmed. It was absolutely pure luck we happened to have filmed it. I guess it’s the way it always films – they filmed the special at the same time as series 12.”

We’ve also heard from showrunner Chris Chibnall, who’s confirmed that effects work is being done remotely and he’s regularly receiving early FX shots to review. So, however the rest of this year pans out, at least we have one more adventure in the TARDIS to look forward to at the end of it.

Beyond that? Gill went on to reveal what the stars know about the season 13 shoot, saying,

“The conversations are probably happening somewhere else, and everyone is affected, so I guess we’re just going to have to wait for guidelines. I’ve kind of not even asked, because I know that I’ll get told when I’m supposed to. I’m quite laid back in that sense, it’s going to come to me when it’s supposed to come to me. As soon as they say yeah or no, I’m going to know too. And as soon as they know, they’re going to want to tell us.”

Right now, we don’t know exactly when “Revolution of the Daleks” will hit our screens. Over the past few years, the Doctor Who special has shifted from its traditional Christmas Day slot to New Year’s Day. However, it’s seen considerably lower viewing figures there, so there’s a chance that we could see a return to that prime December 25th timeslot. In the meantime, let’s hope the scripts for season 13 of Doctor Who are being polished to make them better than the often uneven twelfth season.