Peter Capaldi is to battle his favourite ever monster in his last series as ‘Doctor Who’.
The 58-year-old Scottish actor has begun filming the final two episodes of the upcoming Series 10 and his Twelfth Doctor will have to battle one of his oldest enemies, the Mondasian Cybermen.
The villains are the original version of the familiar foes, hailing from Earth’s twin planet Mondas and have not been seen in the BBC One sci-if show for over 50 years. They first appeared in 1966 serial ‘The Tenth Planet’ in what was First Doctor William Hartnell’s final storyline before he regenerated into Second Doctor Patrick Troughton.
The Time Lord will fight the Mondasian Cybermen in episodes 11 and 12 of the series, which will also star Pearl Mackie as new companion Bill Potts, Matt Lucas as Nardole and Michelle Gomez as Missy – the female regeneration of The Master. The episodes, written by Steven Moffat and directed by Rachel Talalay, are currently shooting in Cardiff, Wales.
Life-long Whovian Capaldi has frequently cited the Mondasian Cybermen as the classic monster he would most like to battle throughout his tenure in the TARDIS.
He previously said: "I’d like to see – this is really one for geeks – the return of the Mondasian Cybermen. They came from the Planet Mondas and they were absolutely terrifying, with cloth faces. That was really creepy."
Showrunner Moffat – who is also departing the programme after eight years in charge – had previously dismissed Capaldi’s wish, citing the limitations of their appearance due to their creation in the 60s as his reason for not bringing them back. But the ‘Sherlock’ creator has finally given in.
Moffat, 55, said: "We’re not bringing those Cybermen back, because they look like boys with sweaters pulled over their heads. We’re not having a fight about which kind of Cybermen are better!"
The Cybermen have undergone numerous design changes over the years and there are different versions of the menacing cyborg race in the Who universe.
The new series of ‘Doctor Who’ begins on BBC One on Saturday 15 April.
Peter Capaldi to battle favourite monster in final Doctor Who series
