It really doesn’t feel like that long ago that we were eagerly awaiting the debut of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor and now we’re almost at the end of her first season in the TARDIS.
Yes, believe it or not, Doctor Who season 11 reaches its ninth and penultimate installment this week with “It Takes You Away,” which looks to be a creepy one set in the Norwegian countryside. The episode’s written by Ed Hime, a newcomer to the Doctor Who universe, and directed by Jamie Childs, a Who pro, who’s already helmed two episodes this season and will also handle the finale.
Guest stars include Ellie Wallwork and Kevin Eldon and the synopsis – seen below – teases that this week’s mystery centers on a derelict cottage, a girl in need and a monster in the woods.
“On the edge of a Norwegian fjord, in the present day, The Doctor, Ryan, Graham and Yaz discover a boarded-up cottage and a girl named Hanne in need of their help. What has happened here? What monster lurks in the woods around the cottage – and beyond?”
For a better taste of what lies ahead in “It Take You Away,” check out the gallery below, which features the Doctor, Yaz (Mandip Gill), Ryan (Tosin Cole) and Graham (Bradley Walsh) getting into some trouble. There also looks to be time for a little fun as well, though (see: Ryan playing with Graham’s cheeks).
From what we can tell, this appears to be the traditional low-key late-in-the-season episode that focuses on atmosphere and character in exchange for saving most of the budget for the grand finale. In this case, the final episode is “The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos” written by showrunner Chris Chibnall, which promises to take the TARDIS team to a brutal battlefield on an alien world.
Doctor Who 9×09 “It Takes You Away,” meanwhile, airs on BBC America this Sunday, December 2nd, with the finale following the week after.