Next Doctor Who Episode’s 2022 Release Date Revealed

“Legend of the Sea Devils,” the penultimate episode of the Chris Chibnall/Jodie Whittaker era of Doctor Who, will be a standalone special released during Easter. The episode is the second of three specials which will conclude the Thirteenth Doctor’s arc, including the already released New Year’s special, “Eve of the Daleks,” and a currently unnamed episode planned as part of the BBC’s centenary celebrations. Following the latter, former showrunner Russell T. Davies will be returning to reshape the series along with the new iteration of the Doctor.

The upcoming Doctor Who special will feature the long-anticipated return of the Sea Devils, a memorable race of monsters from the show’s classic era who first appeared in the 1972 serial of the same name as an adversary of Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor. They haven’t appeared in the show since 1984’s “Warriors of the Deep,” which featured Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor and a notoriously ridiculous pantomime horse dinosaur called The Myrka. They are the aquatic cousins of the more well known Silurians, a race of humanoid reptiles from before the dawn of man who have featured in both the classic and modern eras of Doctor Who.

Now, after having been previously confirmed for spring 2022, the Independent Talent page for episode director Haolu Wang reveals the next Doctor Who episode will be an Easter special. The page describes the episode as being 60 minutes long, and it will serve as Wang’s first television credit. The young director is a BAFTA China Scholarship recipient who received a mentorship from Ex Machina director Alex Garland and has feature film projects currently in development.

“Legend of the Sea Devils” will see the Doctor and her companions, Yaz and Dan, arrive in 19th century China to find a coastal village under threat from pirate queen Madame Ching, as well as the aforementioned reptile monsters. It is unclear how much the concept of Easter will factor into the adventure, as Doctor Who seasonal specials aren’t always heavily connected to the holiday they arrive on. Last year’s “The Halloween Apocalypse,” for example, contained very few actual Halloween elements, and the setting makes present-day Easter imagery difficult to factor in.

“Legend of the Sea Devils” will be the penultimate appearance of Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor before she hands over the TARDIS keys to her successor later this year. Expectations are high for Doctor Who season 14, since Davies was responsible for the show’s 2005 revival and oversaw one of the most popular eras in the show’s history. His return to Doctor Who means that he will be overseeing the property during its hugely anticipated sixtieth anniversary year, which should lead to plenty of exciting surprises.

Source: Independent Talent

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