The new Doctor Who arrived in all his befuddled glory during the Christmas Day special, The Time of the Doctor, but it was a very fleeting glimpse of Peter Capaldi in the role, so for a while we were in the dark about how the new series would develop the character, apart from him not knowing how to fly the tardis. However, having taken his first steps out on set for the filming of Dr Who Series 8 back in January 2014, he returned with a ferocious roar in the first episode of the series on BBC 1 towards the end of summer 2014.
As has been the case for the other recent incarnations of the Doctor, Capaldi decamped to Cardiff (where most of the episodes for series 8 were filmed) throughout the majority of the year following his first day on set on Tuesday 7th January 2014. With so much time on his hands to get back into character after his opening regeneration scene, he eventually starred in the first episode of the series, Deep Breath, to a buzz of fan and media excitement when it aired at 7:30pm on Sunday 24th August 2014.
With 10.2 million viewers tuning in to watch Matt Smith‘s final bow as the Doctor, Capaldi carried the weight and expectations of Whovians throughout the world on his shoulders throughout the lengthy filming process. However, whenthe first episode of series 8 aired it clocked up an impressive 7 million viewers, which is apparently more than any other first episodes in the modern era of the show.
We were lucky enough to get our first glimpse of Capaldi in the role on-set (see picture above) when the filming began back in January and even back then he appeared to be taking the casting in his raptor-like stride. While the BBC were quick to throw people off the scent, claiming that the image wasn’t an early glimpse of the Doctor’s new costume, we now know that it was just that, along with Jenna Coleman in the same outfit she went on to wear in Deep Breath. However, it did give us a quick look at the beginnings of the new partnership with Coleman, who plays his brilliant TARDIS companion, Clara Oswald, following on from their brief introduction at the end of the special.
Filming for series 8 took place in Cardiff between January and August 2014, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for BBC 1, with a quick excursion to Lanzarote for one of the episodes. The Beeb announced that Peter Capaldi’s comments for his first day on set were, “New job, first day, slightly nervous”, so even if he looked pretty relaxed, he definitely had a few butterflies to deal with having taken on such a massive role.
Stephen Moffat continued as the executive producer of the show for the eighth series, along with the recently promoted Brian Minchin. Moffat wrote the first episode for Capaldi’s regenerated Doctor take-over, so expectations were again high here for a big return for the new series and you can read our Dr Who Series 8 review to find out more about what our take on the series is.
In a comment through the BBC on the filming of series 8, Moffat said, “First the eyebrows! Then, at Christmas, the face! Coming soon, the whole Doctor. In the Cardiff studios, the Capaldi era begins.” It’s not his best comment, but in all fairness he was probably over excited at all the commotion.
For the second episode, we’ve got Phil Ford taking over the typewriter duties, having previously written for both Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and he gives Capaldi his first grapple with the Doctor’s age old nemesis in Into The Dalek. Both have been directed by Ben Wheatley, having recently impressed with the 2012 film, Sightseers.
Dr Who Series 8 episode guide:
Episode 1, Deep Breath
Air date: 23rd August 2014
The Doctor and Clara crash land in Victorian London, bringing a dinosaur with them in all the confusion following the regeneration of the twelfth Doctor Who. However, it turns out to be the last of their problems as they uncover a dark alien underbelly in the capital city. Luckily they have a little help from Strax, Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint of the The Paternoster Gang.
Episode 2, Into The Dalek
Air date: 30th August 2014
The Doctor and Clara become embroiled in a war with the Daleks as they arrive on a single rebel ship that has been surrounded by a fleet of the exterminating menace. However, when they discover that the ship has taken one of the Dalek’s prisoner and that he’s developed what appears to be a conscience, they’re minified and injected into the one good Dalek to work out what makes him so different from all the rest.
Episode 3, Robot Of Sherwood
Air date: 6th September 2014
Rather implausibly, The Doctor finds himself embroiled in a strange adventure as he takes Clara back to the time of Robin Hood only to find the English folklore hero exactly where he didn’t expect him to be. However, as they get deeper into the heart of the situation, they discover a sinister plot that involves robots from outer space, who had crash landed in the 12th Century Sherwood Forest. The episode saw Ben Miller take on the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham.
