NEW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL TITLE REVEALED

The title for this year's Christmas special episode has now been revealed: Last Christmas.

Alongside this, a brand new promotional image has been released, showing Capaldi and Coleman with Nick Frost, who will be playing the man in red himself.

MISSY REACTION

This weekend's episode, Dark Water, saw Steven Moffat offer up his most divisive blow to Doctor Who lore yet. 

For those of you who have not seen Dark Water, and thus have not learned the truth of Missy's identity, turn away now!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

'The shop Mistress. Well, I could hardly keep calling myself the Master.'

What should have been a shock revelation came across, to most, as little more than the most obvious reveal in an episode full of obvious reveals (helped none by the trailer promoting Dark Water). For months fans have been discussing some wild theories on who Missy could turn out to be, and most linked her to the Master. But almost all those hoped it was too obvious a move for Moffat to pull -- alas, it was not!

Our very own Andy Frankham-Allen (author of Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants and line editor of Space: 1889 & Beyond) had this to say; 'Moffat knew he'd never get away with turning the Doctor into a woman, so he did so to the Master.' It is one of many responses collected by our friends at Kasterborous.com, the full responses from their contributors can be found HERE.

We would like to hear your thoughts on Dark Water, especially the Missy revelation. Please tell us what you thought in the comments below.

SERIES EIGHT RATINGS, SO FAR...

Series 8 is polarising the Doctor Who fanbase, with many conflicting views on the various merits of each episode. Despite what the fans are saying, good and bad, the ratings speak for themselves. 

Six episodes in, and Peter Capaldi's début season is holding its own against some stiff competition...

• Deep Breath - 9.17 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 82.
• Into the Dalek - 7.29 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 84.
• Robot of Sherwood - 7.28 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 82.
• Listen - 7.1 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 82.
• Time Heist - 6.99 million viewers in total, with an Audience Appreciation of 84.

The Caretaker had 4.89 million viewers in overnight figures, which will almost certainly improve by several million once the final figure is released.

EP.5 - TIME HIEST (POTENTIAL SPOILERS)

With fifty years of history to draw from, it's no surprise that new Doctor Who episodes are often littered with references to previous stories. Sometimes these nods are blatant, other times they are subtle. A few such nods are given in a blink-and-you'll-miss-them moment in the trailers for the next episode of series eight -- Time Heist.

What's most interesting about the following screen grabs is that not only do we see characters from the original run of the series, but also one from the expanded universe of the comics and books. A very rare occurrence indeed, and in this case a very exciting one... Why? Read on.

Potential Spoiler Space

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

First of all, we have a Terrileptil - first seen in the Fifth Doctor story The Visitation in 1981.

Next up is a Sensorite, from the eponymous episode from 1964, a First Doctor story (if you look closely you can see Susan's arm). They are from the planet Sensesphere, in the same area of space as the Oodsphere as seen in 2008's Planet of the Ood.

This one will be familiar to viewers of the series since 2005, having appeared in several episodes of Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. One of the ever-expansive Slitheen family.

This chap is Androvax, the last survivor of the Veil, as seen in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Although mentioned a few times in Doctor Who, this is the first time we see the Trickster in the parent show, he's usually haunting Sarah in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

And to continue the spin-off theme, this handsome devil is Captain John Hart (not his real name), ex-Time Agent and one-time lover of Captain Jack Harkness, seen in Torchwood.

And finally, this little rouges gallery is completed with the appearance of the one character that has got Doctor Who fans of old quite excited. Abslom Daak - Dalek Killer has appeared in many Doctor Who comic strips over the years, last seen working alongside the Seventh Doctor in Nemesis of the Daleks. He also appeared in a Doctor Who novel! Can this mean an eventual fully-fledged appearance in television-Who? A lot of excited fans are wondering.

All screen grabs are courtesy of John Davies.

FOXES TO APPEAR ON THE SHOW

© Sign of the Times 2013

Singer-Songwriter Louisa Rose-Allen, better known as 'Foxes', will be appearing in an upcoming episode of Doctor Who.

For the latest series, the artist will also be performing a song, the title of which is unknown at this point.

Of her appearance, she says: "I can't believe I'm actually going to be in an episode of Doctor Who! Especially as it all came about from a chance meeting. I was playing a gig and got chatting to the show's production team who'd been watching my performance. I was telling them how much I loved Doctor Who and next thing they invited me to be on it. I couldn't think of a better place to make my acting debut than on one of the UK's most iconic shows!"

Steven Moffat also stated: "We are completely thrilled that the amazingly talented Foxes is joining us on board... well, you'll see. Let's just say, the Doctor is finally catching up on his phone calls."

BBC IPLAYER FIGURES!

It's official: Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, 'Day of the Doctor' was the most watched programme on the Beeb's streaming service in the whole of 2013.

With a whopping 3.2 million people watching said episode, it's no surprise that there's no sign of the show's appeal slowing down while we wait for Capaldi's full debut appearance.

With that in mind, fans are already searching for the smallest of clues for how the next series might kick off. For the time being, here is a (very) short clip of the latest episode being filmed, featuring the Doctor himself - showing off his mechanical horse-riding skills through the very Victorian-looking streets of Cardiff. Enjoy!

SERIES 8 HAS NOW BEGUN FILMING!

Those of us lucky enough to be in Cardiff know full well that the show's eighth series and the first to feature Peter Capaldi has officially begun.

Filming has taken place at Roath Lock studios as well as various other locations around the city. Alongside this announcement, the BBC have also revealed the first official image of Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor as he is in the upcoming series:

© BBC 2013