The BBC have revealed that series 8 of Doctor Who will begin on 23 August on BBC1, with a bumper 70-minute premiere called "Deep Breath", directed by Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Sightseers). This will also mark the debut of Peter Capaldi as the twelfth incarnation of The Doctor, joined by current companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman). The teaser above hints that Clara will be less sure about this new Doctor's personality, and suggests Capaldi's character will be more serious than immediate predecessor Matt Smith's 'mad professor' take. I wonder if we're due a Colin Baker-style backlash (as his Sixth Doctor was also less lovable), or if this is exactly the kind of darker take we need after David Tennant and Smith's amiable nerds. Time will tell...
Interestingly, showrunner Steven Moffat mentioned having already thought up series 9's penultimate episode cliffhanger in a column for Doctor Who Magazine, which appears to confirm he has no intention of moving on from the show until at least late-2015.
