Doctor Who boss promises the "biggest episode" ever with a "movie-like" Spyfall Season 12 premiere

Deadline

“Episode one is probably the biggest episode of Doctor Who we’ve done, or has been done, I would imagine," says showrunner Chris Chibnall in an interview with Deadline of the two-part Season 12 premiere, dubbed Spyfall, which kicks off on New Year's Day. "Physically, there’s a lot of stunts, there’s a lot of locations, it’s a globe-trotting action thriller. But you don’t want to lose sight of character and intimacy and emotion. You can’t do everything at 11.” Chibnall adds, to EW: “We start with a two-part, two-hour massive event story. It is an absolute action-packed, location-packed, rollercoaster ride of a story. Probably one of our biggest stories ever in the history of the show. So, we’re coming back with a bang, I think, is the shorthand phrase.” Chibnall was asked if he thinks Doctor Who fans expect more from the show with increased sci-fi competition from shows like Stranger Things. “Doctor Who has a thing that those shows don’t have, which is that we go somewhere new every week," Chibnall tells Deadline. "So every week, we’re in a new world, we’re in new locations, we’ve got new guest actors, got a new guest cast, got new monsters, we’ve got a new threat, got a new story. So the incredible thing is Doctor Who has already structured itself like that. Our responsibility is to make sure the production standards are up to scratch.” ALSO: Jodie Whittaker's Doctor will meet with Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla in Season 12.