Doctor Who: 12 Things You Need To Know About Series 9

9. Toby Whithouse Is Returning...

Every new series of Doctor Who is preceded by the speculative discussions regarding its string of coveted writers but thus far only one of them has actually been confirmed for Series 9 (excluding Steven Moffat, of course, but as the showrunner he's a given anyway!). That one is Toby Whithouse who is already known and loved within the Whoniverse for his previous contributions to the ongoing escapades of TV's favourite Time Lord. His first NuWho offering, School Reunion, is generally regarded as a modern classic as it featured the long awaited return of Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 and he has since returned to the proceedings with an adventure featuring The Vampires in Venice, another set in a nightmarish hotel (The God Complex) and most recently a Western adventure in which our heroes encountered a relentless cyborg (A Town Called Mercy). Only in Doctor Who... As you can tell, versatility is one of his strong points as a writer and in Series 9 he'll have even more time to show it off owing to the fact that this year he's been entrusted with his first Doctor Who two-parter (more on that later). His two episodes were the first that were filmed and they've been described as one of "the scariest adventures yet" which is certainly intriguing. Taking on a two-parter is a mighty challenge but Toby is more than able. In fact, many fans are even calling for him to be Steven's successor as Doctor Who's showrunner but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Toby's is one familiar face that will be returning to Doctor Who for its ninth series but there's one writer who has confirmed he won't be joining the party, which brings us to...