Doctor Who: Series 9 Episode Titles And Plots Announced
7. Episode 6: The Woman Who Lived
Putting complaints about the lack of female writers on Doctor Who partially to rest, this story is written by Catherine Tregenna. It's only fitting that a story about a woman has finally been written by one.
The eponymous woman of "The Woman Who Lived" must be Ashildr. Given the year in which this story is set, it must also be the case that she can live a very long time or travel in time (no wonder so many fans think she's really the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan). In the leaked dialogue for this episode, we hear some of the things Ashildr's got up to over the intervening centuries:
"Ninja, nun, surgeon, scientist, composer, inventor... it’s a fantastic CV."
By the time of this adventure, she has become a highwayman. And, from the new story summary, it seems her long life may be the Doctor's fault:
England, 1651. The highwayman known as The Nightmare is plaguing the land. But the Nightmare is not all he seems, and his fire-breathing accomplice who lurks in the shadows is clearly more than human… The Doctor, on the trail of an alien artefact, is brought face to the face with the consequences of his own actions. For once he encounters someone who won’t let him turn his back on the things he has done. But will the Nightmare be his friend or foe? It may well take till the end of the universe to be sure...
"Fire-breathing accomplice"? That'll be the lion person glimpsed in the trailer, then. Finally, the last sentence of the summary reinforces the impression Ashildr is immortal - there could well be a scene set at the end of the universe with her and the Doctor. However, it's doubtful it'll tie in with the events of Series 3's Utopia.