Doctor Who series 10 to start filming in May - but new companion is yet to audition
Exclusive: The BBC has yet to identify a replacement for Jenna Coleman, but sources say they are confident of finding the right person
Doctor Who series ten will begin filming in May, RadioTimes.com can reveal.
BBC bosses have decided upon a late spring deadline for the cameras to start rolling on Steven Moffat’s final series as showrunner – but are yet to choose a new companion, according to senior show sources. It is understood auditions for Jenna Coleman's replacement have still not begun.
And while it is believed that the production team is confident of filling the role with the “right person” according to the source, it is not yet clear whether this means that Peter Capaldi will spend any or all of series ten travelling time and space without someone to keep him company.
As RadioTimes.com revealed last month, Moffat will be overseeing at least 12 new episodes for series ten and a Christmas special which will air this year. It is believed he is also planning to bow out with a special episode for Christmas 2017. He will then be replaced as showrunner by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall.
When asked about casting at the Radio Times Covers Party in January, Capaldi remained tight lipped:
"We’ve just had some brief talks about it, we haven’t actually chosen someone yet — that I know of,” he said. “I would expect that I would meet them before we finalised all that... we’re looking for someone different."
However he added that he would be training hard for the role, which he has admitted in the past has caused some strain on his joints.
In September he revealed that he has developed the same "knee complaint" as his predecessor Matt Smith, which he believes could be down to the physical challenges of playing the Doctor.
At the Covers Party he said: "You have to be fit to do Doctor Who and so I’ve just been getting myself ready and I’ll be getting into training to start the show. When we start, it’ll run for nine months and the most important thing is to be there and to be fit and be on top of everything.
"I’m looking forward to starting."
