Doctor Who: New Series 7.2 Photos/Rumored Episode Titles

by Mike Reyes
Who Title (WC Sized)ComingSoon.net, as well as any entertainment site worth their salt, are breaking on to the Internet today with the latest photos from the second half of Doctor Who Series 7. Information in the Internet is limited, but here's what we can gather so far, based on the officially released photos from the first four episodes. Among the adventures in store for us: Bells of St JohnEpisode 7: The Bells of St. JohnWritten by: Steven Moffat Directed by: Colm McCarthy Air Date: 03/30/2013 Speculation: Spoonheads, evil Wi-Fi, The Doctor and Clara on a Motorbike, you know...all the modern Who standards. Another present day London adventure, this looks like a lot of fun, and if the photos are any indication we'll probably have a couple moments where we're lightly teased by just who Clara is. Also, it looks like The Doctor just might take up street performing, as the Fez is back and accepting donations. (Give 'em a Pound, he's earned it.) Steven Moffat, as usual, will throw us a thread to follow through the rest of the season, and will hopefully confirm whether or not Series 7.1 occurred in reverse or not. Episode 2Episode 8: The Rings Of AkathenWritten by: Neil Cross Directed by: Farren Blackburn Assumed Air Date: 04/06/2013 Speculation: Doctorwho.co.uk has a quote from Steven Moffat that "the story takes place on the biggest and best alien planet Doctor Who has ever done, an €œepic, overwhelming, boiling, red-orange planet.€ Not much else is mentioned, except that there's a possibility that Akathen may be a reference to Pharaoh Akhenaten...Queen Nefertiti's husband. This sounds extremely plausible, and problematic for The Doctor, as Queen Nefertiti was featured in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. She was last seen flirting with, and running off with, game hunter Riddell, who has clearly found his division. If this rumor is true, expect some tension and maybe a little bit of a revenge play for The Doctor's unintended marital interference. Episode 3Episode 9: The Cold WarWritten by: Mark Gatiss Directed by: Douglas MacKinnon Assumed Air Date: 04/13/2013 Speculation: This episode, rumored by The Nerdist to be called "Cold War", looks to be a submarine adventure where the Ice Warriors return. The particularly awesome part about this is if you remember the deleted scene from The Waters of Mars, the Tenth Doctor mentions The Ice Warriors in passing, noting they may have frozen the pathogen that would later turn Bowie Base 1 into one of the biggest colonization disasters in history. As if this wasn't awesome enough, Steven Moffat's co-fanboy for life, Mark Gatiss, has written this episode. So expect things to get creepy fast, and expect a lot of attention to continuity. (Also, this is the episode David Warner is supposed to be guest starring in. Who wants to wager he's the baddie?) Episode 4Episode 10: The Hider In The House (aka The Phantom of the Hex) Written by: Neil Cross Directed by: Jamie Payne Assumed Air Date: 04/20/2013 Speculation: Looking to be a 40's/50's set haunted house drama (and sounding as such in DoctorWho.Co.UK's blurb), this episode features characters Alec Palmer (Dougray Scott) and Emma Grayling (Jessica Raine). Judging by his dress, and the blackboard of photos behind him in frame, Mr. Palmer seems to be an investigator of some sort. (One could assume a paranormal investigator.) The photos also show a moment where Mr. Palmer is holding Clara back from some sort of white light, which only further bolsters said speculation. Also interesting is the presence of Ms. Raine, who's been making a name for herself on another BBC show that's been raising its profile, Call The Midwife. She will also be seen later this year in the Doctor Who biopic "An Adventure in Space and Time", playing the role of Verity Lambert. As for the rest of the series, we have "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" (promising to be exactly what it says on the tin) in the Episode 11 slot, Mark Gatiss' second episode 0f 7.2 follows after that, rumored to be titled "The Crimson Horror". This episode is one that he wrote specifically with Dame Diana Rigg and her daughter, Rachel Stirling, in mind, and it will be in the 12th spot. Neil Gaiman's "The Last Cyberman" (which features Warwick Davis in a role, as well as redesigned Cybermen) is airing 13th, and Steven Moffat's undoubted nose thumbing to the audience closing out the season. So, if we're on a once a week schedule as usual (without any pre-emptive programming such as the Eurovision Song Contest), here's our presumed schedule with rumored episode titles:

Episode 7: The Bells of St. John - 03/30/2013Episode 8: The Rings Of Akathen - 04/06/2013Episode 9: The Cold War - 04/13/2013Episode 10: The Hider in the House - 04/20/2013Episode 11: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS - 04/27/2013 Episode 12: The Crimson Horror - 05/04/2013Episode 13: The Last Cyberman - 05/11/2013Episode 14: TBA - 05/18/2013

So there you have it. As usual, this information is tightly guarded and will be revealed a week before each episode. As always, Episode Order, Titles, and Air Dates are subject to change. Those of you with banners on your fansite for "Phantom of the Hex", will undoubtedly heed that last warning particularly close.

Contributor
Contributor

Mike Reyes may or may not be a Time Lord, but he's definitely the Doctor Who editor here at What Culture. In addition to his work at What Culture, Mr. Reyes writes for Cocktails and Movies, as well as his own personal blogs Mr. Controversy and The Bookish Kind. On top of that, he's also got a couple Short Stories and Novels in various states of completion, like any good writer worth their salt. He resides in New Jersey, and compiles his work from all publications on his Facebook page.