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‘Doctor Who’: Series Eight Will Explain Capaldi’s Previous Appearances

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 02:36 PST, Aug 5, 2014

Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat is opening up about how the series will address new star Peter Capaldi’s previous appearances, as fans eagerly await their first “Deep Breath” of the new Doctor.

Capaldi, who was revealed a year ago to be the twelfth regeneration of the time-traveling Doctor, appeared in the 2008 episode “The Fires of Pompeii”, opposite David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. Capaldi also played civil servant John Frobisher in a 2009 episode of the spin-off series Torchwood: Children of Earth.

According to io9, Moffat addressed the issue at the London Film and Comic Con, offering a few insights into how Capaldi’s previous Doctor Who appearances would be tackled:

“When Peter Capaldi turned up in Torchwood, Russell said he had a plan in his head on why he looked like the guy in The Fires of Pompeii. So I emailed him and said what was the explanation and does it fit with the new Doctor? And it sort of does.

“So in a very low-key way we’ll address it. It won’t be a major deal because in the end people know the real reason is he’s played by the same actor.

“What’s really worrying me is Karen Gillan in The Fires of Pompeii. That’s just inexplicable – I’m going to get to that eventually.”

Moffat also addressed series eight’s story arc, which is said to be much smaller than previous Doctor Who seasons. According to Doctor Who TV, Moffat acknowledged that there would be an over-arching plot line, “but at the same time 90 percent of every episode is a stand-alone adventure.” When pressed about the overall setting of upcoming Doctor Who episodes, Moffat was more hesitant to share:

“We’ve got quite a lot of Earth stuff this time. But it’s proper variety, and I think i’ll not tell you what’s going to be on the roller coaster in advance.”

While the two-part finale of series eight is set to involve some of the Doctor’s oldest enemies, Moffat claims that “It’s not just about the Cybermen. It’s a good, action-packed, mad one.”

Fans who are eagerly awaiting their first adventure with the new Doctor will have a unique opportunity to experience the premiere, “Deep Breath.” As The Inquisitr previously reported, the first episode of the new Doctor Who series will be screened in theaters worldwide, just as the 50th Anniversary special “Day of the Doctor” was last fall.

Series eight of Doctor Who premieres on August 23rd.

[Image via Best Daily]

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