"It was kind of an immediate entry into – literally! – deep-sea diving."
We're now just over a week away from Jodie Whittaker's penultimate outing as the Doctor, and we're starting to get more information about what went on behind the scenes of Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils.
Ella Road, who co-wrote the special with showrunner Chris Chibnall, recently opened up about the production to Doctor Who Magazine, calling it "a kind of mad, accelerated process".
Road explained: "I was brought on board on the Thursday, and I was in Wales by the Monday, brainstorming with Chris and the amazing script editors, Becky [Roughan] and Caroline [Buckley]. So it was kind of an immediate entry into – literally! – deep-sea diving.
"When they first called me up, I assumed they’d have a story and they wanted me to write the episode. But they also wanted me to help come up with the story, which was great.
"We had three really intense days at the beginning, sitting in Chris' house in Wales, just coming up with stuff."
Chibnall previously told Doctor Who Magazine that he was asked by BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore to finish Whittaker's era with an additional special to celebrate the corporation's centenary, which could explain the sped up production for this episode.
The official synopsis for the special was recently released, and teased that the Doctor, Yaz and Dan will face off against "both the fearsome pirate queen Madame Ching (Crystal Yu) and a monstrous alien force which she unwittingly unleashes".
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The Sea Devils make their return in the episode, appearing in the show for the first time since its 2005 revival.
In her interview, Road also talked about how the team had a "clean slate" and "loads of creative freedom" with the Sea Devils, despite them being pre-existing Doctor Who characters.
Doctor Who Magazine's new issue is on sale now from Panini.co.uk and WHSmith.
Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 17th April. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
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