[Susan Foreman]

Well, this will please some!

Series 13 Losing 3 Episodes Due to COVID-19 / Doctor Who TV

"Series 13 of Doctor Who will have just 8 episodes due to Coronavirus filming restrictions.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall told the Mirror he was “thrilled” to be able to make the show at all: “In this strangest of years, the Doctor Who production team have worked wonders to get the show back into production.

“Given the complexity of making Doctor Who, and with new and rigorous Covid working protocols, it’s going to take us a little longer to film each episode, meaning we expect to end up with eight episodes, rather than the usual eleven.

“But rest assured, the ambition, humour, fun and scares you expect from Doctor Who will all still be firmly in place. For everyone around the world, this is a challenging period — but the Doctor never shirks from a challenge.”

Executive producer Matt Strevens said he was delighted to be back at work. “We are so thrilled to have unlocked the TARDIS, dusted down the sonic and be able to start filming again for the next series of Doctor Who. The amazing production team, crew and cast have worked wonders to get us shooting again in these challenging times. It’s going to be as fun filled and action packed as ever – with plenty of surprises.”

The report adds:

The 13 series has started its 10-month shoot and is expected to air late next year.

And:

It is not yet clear if the eighth episode of series 13 will be held back as a special.

This reduction of episodes means fans will see the lowest amount of Doctor Who in a run since the show returned in 2005. During the RTD and early Moffat era the show aired 14 episodes a year. The latter Moffat era saw a slight reduction to 12 episodes. The Chibnall era then lowered this to 11, on top of lengthier gaps between each series."