'Doctor Who' Announce Series 11 Writers and Directors Ahead of the Autumn Premiere

New Doctor announced—Check. New companions announced—Check. San-Diego Comic-Con—Check. Adding onto that list, the BBC have finally revealed who is writing for the new series, which will premiere this autumn. Series 11 of Doctor Who sees the show's first ever female Doctor, who is to be played by Jodie Whittaker. The Doctor will team up with new faces, Graham (Bradley Walsh), Ryan (Tosin Cole) and Yasmin (Mandip Gill) as they travel to new world and meet all-new monsters. But, they're not the only new faces to Doctor Who, as the confirmed writers and directors for the fast approaching series have never worked on the show before, excluding Chibnall.

Revealed in the latest Doctor Who Magazine, Chibnall gives us an insight as to who he's teamed up with for his first series as showrunner. Speaking about the revealing of the crew members, Chibnall said:

"Finally! The moment has come where we can start telling you a bit more. But first I want to introduce you to the writers and directors of this year's episodes. So may I introduce to you: the writers and directors of this year's Doctor Who. No spoilers now..."

So, let's get started! Below are the confirmed writers for Series 11, who will be joining Chris Chibnall.

Series 11 is shaping out to be even more fantastic judging by who Chibnall has asked to write alongside him. First up is former Children's Laureate, Malorie Blackman. Over the years, Blackman has written over sixty books for children and young adults, including the series of novels "Noughts & Crosses." Blackman, who is a graduate of the National Film and Television School, has written original and adapted drama scripts for television, some of which include CBBC's Byker Grove.

Next up is Ed Hime. In the past, Hime has written for theatre, and his credits include About the Boy, London Falls/ London Tongue and Small Hours. Hime also worked on Series 4 and Series 5 of Skins, which earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Craft Breakthrough Talent back in 2010. Speaking about writing for Doctor Who, Hime said:

"[Chris] Chibnall was very clear from the beginning about the tone he wanted for this iteration, so actually it hasn't been that tricky."

Joining them is Pete McTighe, who has written "over a hundred hours of TV drama," most of which being on the female prison drama Wentworth, which won him Most Outstanding Drama. Vinay Patel, playwright and screenwriter is also writing for the new series. Patel's television debut was titled Murdered by My Father and won him the 2016 Royal Television Society Award for the Best Single Drama.

Finally, the last remaining writer for Series 11 is screenwriter Joy Wilkinson. Across her career, Wilkinson has written for the BBC five-part series The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby and other theatre stories. Speaking about her joining Doctor Who, Wilkinson said:

"Doctor Who didn't seem like a viable ambition. I loved the show and felt like it might be a good fit for me, but I knew it was really hard to get onto."

So that's the confirmed writers, but what about the directors?

First up and new to Doctor Who is Sallie Aprahamian, who has an incredible career as a director. Her work includes Extremely Dangerous, The Sins, Real Men, The Lakes, Teachers and This Life. Sallie has revealed that she remembers Doctor Who from the start, where she watched the show from "behind the sofa." Speaking about joining Doctor Who, Sallie recalls some of the major problems the production encountered:

"The weather was not kind to us on one of the episodes—howling rain storms, snow, lots of mud and bright sunshine, sometimes within minutes of each other. There are many challenges. But the best and most difficult is liberating your head from naturalism you carry from other dramas."

The next confirmed director was rumoured amongst fans, but now it has finally been revealed to the public. That's right, Jamie Childs is making his Doctor Who debut.

"I always complain that in Britain we tend to make lots of realistic dramas, tons of crime shows etc. We tend to avoid making many shows that really allow the audience to properly escape, and Doctor Who has been doing this for decades."

Rumours have sparked saying that Childs will be directing the opening episode of Series 11, but it still remains if that is true.

The other female director for Series 11 is Doctors and Hollyoaks director, Jennifer Perrott. Jennifer won the Broadcast Now Best Young Director Award, which she has said "helped her get an agent," leading to her fantastic directing career.

Finally, BBC Radio 1 DJ, Mark Tonderai, will be joining Chris Chibnall's brilliant crew as a director. Tonderai directed every episode of The Five for the network Sky and he made Paranoid for ITV. Tonderai said this:

"If you're English, it's Bond and Who. I doubt I'll ever get Bond, buthey, at least I can say I did Who!"

There we have it! Your Series 11 writers and directors confirmed. Who are you most looking forward to?

Doctor Who returns to the BBC this autumn. Keep your eyes peeled for that all important release date!