“Legend of the Sea Devils,” is coming out this Easter Sunday, and will take Jodie Whittaker out on her penultimate Doctor Who outing. As the title of the special suggests, the episode will also see the return of Sea Devils after their last appearance in 1984’s “Warriors of the Deep” serial.
Executive producer Chris Chibnall has shown an interest in resurrecting classic Who monsters before, so the return of the Sea Devils after the season 12 finale tease wasn’t a complete surprise. How this story will set up Whittaker’s regeneration episode, though, which is supposed to premiere on New Year’s Day, is anyone’s guess for the time being.
Going by this trailer alone, it seems that “Legend of the Sea Devils” will serve as a standalone adventure rather than the continuation of Thirteenth’s narrative, a point that director Haolu Wang also confirmed in an interview with Doctor Who Magazine.
“This is very much an adventure episode,” she explained, per Radio Times. “Because Jodie is regenerating in the next episode, this is her last chance to have a bit of fun with the gang. But it’s done in a way that we maybe haven’t seen on Doctor Who before. It’s quite epic, but also very emotional.”
The BBC has also released an official poster for the upcoming Easter special, which you can check out below.
Taking over after Whittaker and Chibnall have bowed out will be former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies, who’s currently busy working on the series’ forthcoming 60th anniversary special, rumored to include David Tennant’s 10th and Matt Smith’s 11th Doctors in the epic ensemble.
As for “Legend of the Sea Devils,” the special airs on April 17 via BBC and BBC iPlayer.