Doctor Who season opener revealed to be Asylum of the Daleks

The 2012 season of the BBC’s flagship long-running science-fiction drama series will launch with Asylum of the Daleks, and will premiere at the BFI in August.

As reported by Digital Journal in March, the episode will bring together all types of Dalek from the show’s history for the very first time. Asylum of the Daleks, which is written by Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Saul Metzstein, will see the Doctor’s companions Amy and Rory begin their final travels with the Time Lord. Both characters are to be written out towards the end of the 2012 run of episodes, in an adventure that sees the return of another Doctor Who monster, the Weeping Angels. Jenna-Louise Coleman will take their place as the Doctor’s new companion, in a special Christmas episode also written by Moffat. The Daleks last appeared in Doctor Who in the 2010 story penned by Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), Victory of the Daleks. In that episode, the Daleks had undergone a radical redesign, although retaining their distinctive “pepper-pot” design. Timey-wimey Nicholas Pegg, who is one of the Dalek operators on the show, first revealed the title of the new episode through his Twitter feed: “The title has been officially announced, so at last we can say it aloud: it was an absolute blast shooting Asylum of the Daleks!”, and later confirmed by the BBC. According to the show’s new executive producer Caroline Skinner (The Fades), the new storyline will see all versions of the Daleks, from five decades of stories, pitted against the Doctor. However, the production office is keeping exact details firmly under wraps. Eight episodes of Doctor Who Series 7, including the annual Christmas special, is expected to begin broadcasting in the UK, US and elsewhere from August/September this year. The remaining seven episodes will follow in early 2013. Later in 2013, another batch of episodes are to be broadcast to celebrate Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary, although, once again, full details are being kept secret.