Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils air time and episode length confirmed
The Doctor, Yaz and Dan will be back on Easter Sunday - but the special might not be as long as you expect.
Doctor Who is returning to TV soon for Jodie Whittaker's penultimate episode, Legend of the Sea Devils, and we now have a confirmed time and length for the swashbuckling adventure.
The special is set to air at 7:10pm on Sunday 17th April 2022, and will be on until 8pm, making it a 50-minute episode.
This will make the episode a fairly standard length for an episode during Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall's tenure, which increased from 45 to 50 minutes in 2018 (with some episodes including season premieres and finales clocking in at an hour or longer).
However, it does make it on the shorter side when compared to other specials, which usually clock in at an hour on the dot. As a guide, January's New Year's special Eve of the Daleks ran to 58 minutes, while the last Easter special (2009's Planet of the Dead) also came in at around 60 minutes.
The episode is set to see the Doctor joined by Mandip Gill's Yaz and John Bishop's Dan for an adventure in 19th century China, where they take on fearsome pirate queen Madame Ching (Crystal Yu) and the Sea Devils.
Sea Devils haven't shown up on screen since 1984's Warriors of the Deep, with this marking only their third major appearance on the show since their 1972 debut in The Sea Devils.
Episode star Gill recently spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com, and confirmed that Yaz's romantic feelings for the Doctor will be further addressed, making up where "the heart" of the special is.
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Meanwhile, the episode's director Haolu Wang called this episode Whittaker's "last chance to have a bit of fun with the gang" before her regeneration later this year, suggesting that while it is "very emotional" it is likely to be a lighter instalment.
Legend of the Sea Devils will be followed by the centenary special this autumn, which is set to act as a send-off to Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor, while also being part of the BBC's 100-year birthday celebrations.
Read more: Doctor Who’s next episode had a "mad, accelerated" production
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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Authors
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.
