Doctor Who director Wheatley says new eps feel more like classic series

Ben Wheatley, who is directing the opening two episodes of Doctor Who’s new series, has revealed that the show will be returning to the style of the “classic” era.

[dropshadowbox align=”left” effect=”raised” width=”250px” height=”” background_color=”#ff0f02″ border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Series 8 is currently filming in Cardiff and is expected to begin airing in August.[/dropshadowbox]

The Sightseers director said: “Oh yeah, Doctor Who is pretty dark, I think. Generally it’s dark, it’s always been dark. Even in the more modern ones. If you look at the Tom Baker stuff, it’s especially dark. When he leaves Leela — who’s a very beloved assistant — he just laughs after it. There’s none of the [breaking down and crying]. He just laughs, and “on to the next one,” you know. It’s a bonkers show. It’s a monster.”

Hinting at the tone of Series 8, he teased: “To have a unity that runs eight years [of the new series]… it’s pretty crazy. They’ve done everything, they’ve tried all sorts of stuff. It seems to me the episodes that we’re doing now seem more like classic Who. We’re going back to that style. But you’ll have to wait and see.”