Doctor Who News Round-Up: August 20th, 2014

Source: Den of Geek

Only three days to go now until we journey "into darkness" - are you ready?
Almost eight months on from the broadcast of Doctor Who's 2013 Christmas Special, "The Time of the Doctor", we're now on the brink of bearing witness to the first episode of Season Eight, "Deep Breath". True to form, the BBC have been astonishingly forthcoming with regards to Who-related announcements this week and as such, we've rounded up the key bits of information into one cohesive guide.

Let's waste no further time (or space) building up to the plethora of episode titles, plot synopses and other details which lie in wait here. Instead, we'll invite you, dear reader, to cast your eyes below and see what the age of Capaldi has in store for us meek (but terribly excited) viewers:

SEASON EIGHT EPISODE TITLES & PLOT SYNOPSES RELEASED
The Beeb have been uncharacteristically enigmatic this year with regards to the titles of the 45-minute episodes which comprise Doctor Who's latest series, but thanks to the Radio Times, the shroud of (arguably necessary) secrecy has finally been removed. Below are the official names of each of the twelve adventures which the universe has in store for the Twelfth Doctor, along with plot synopses written by none other than showrunner Steven Moffat:

• EPISODE 1: "DEEP BREATH" (BY STEVEN MOFFAT) - "In late-1890s London, [...] Vastra, Jenny and Strax are [in] for a big surprise, and then an even bigger one. [...] As Clara struggles to recognise the man she thought she knew so well, killers stalk the capital. A slaughterhouse restaurant and a buried spaceship lead the Doctor into a confrontation with a long-forgotten foe...but how far is this new man ready to go to protect his friends?"
• EPISODE 2: "INTO THE DALEK" (BY PHIL FORD & STEVEN MOFFAT) - "In the dying days of a bitter war, a beleaguered human army has one last hope: a Dalek so damaged that it has become good. But can it be trusted? To find out, a miniaturised team, led by the Doctor and Clara, embark on a fantastic voyage into the Dalek itself..."
• EPISODE 3: "ROBOT OF SHERWOOD" (BY MARK GATISS) - "In a sun-dapper Sherwood Forest, the Doctor discovers an evil plan from beyond the Stars."
• EPISODE 4: "LISTEN" (BY STEVEN MOFFAT) - "Ghosts of the past and future crowd into the lives of the Doctor and Clara: a terrified caretaker in a children's home, the last man standing in the universe, and a little boy who doesn't want to join the army..."
• EPISODE 5: "TIME HEIST" (BY STEPHEN THOMPSON & STEVEN MOFFAT) - "The Bank of Karabroxos is the deadliest bank in the cosmos - only a fool or a genius would attempt to rob it. Fortunately for the Doctor, he's both. With the help of a beautiful shape-shifter and cyber-augmented gamer, the Doctor and Clara fight their way past the most dangerous security system ever devised [and] the Teller: a creature of terrifying power that can detect guilt."
• EPISODE 6: "THE CARETAKER" (BY GARETH ROBERTS & STEVEN MOFFAT) - "One morning, just before assembly, Coal Hill welcomes a new relief caretaker with a Scottish accent. With Clara's world about to explode around her, terrifying events near the school make it clear that the rest of the world is about to do the same. The Skovox Blitzer is ready to destroy all humanity - and worse, any second now, Danny Pink and the Doctor are going to meet..."
• EPISODE 7: "KILL THE MOON" (BY PETER HARNESS) - "In the near future, the Doctor and Clara arrive on a decrepit shuttle making a suicide mission to the Moon. Crashing on the lunar surface, they find a mining base full of eviscerated corpses, spider-like creatures scuttling in the dark, and a terrible dilemma. When Clara turns to the Doctor for help, she gets the shock of her life. Is the man she's trusted so long really a hero after all? Is he even her friend?"
• EPISODE 8: "MUMMY ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" (BY JAMIE MATHIESON) - "Aboard the most beautiful train in history, speeding among the stars of the future, a legend is stalking the passengers. Once you see the Mummy, you have 66 seconds to live. [...] As the Doctor races against the clock to defeat this mythical foe, Clara sees him at his deadliest and most ruthless - and finally realises she's made the right decision. Because this is their last adventure: it's time to say goodbye to the Time Lord."
• EPISODE 9: "FLATLINE" (BY JAMIE MATHIESON) - "Separated from the Doctor, Clara discovers a new menace from another dimension. But how do you hide when even the walls are no protection? With people to save and no madman in a box to help, Clara goes against an enemy that exists beyond normal human perception."
• EPISODE 10: "IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT" (BY FRANK COTTRELL BOYCE) - "One morning in [...] every city and town in the world, the human race wakes up to the most surprising invasion yet: the trees have moved back in. [...] The Doctor soon realizes that the final days of humanity have arrived..."
• EPISODES 11 & 12: "DARK WATER" & "DEATH IN HEAVEN" (BY STEVEN MOFFAT) - "In the mysterious world of the Nethersphere, plans have been drawn. Old friends and old enemies manoeuvre around the Doctor, and an impossible choice is looming before him. Death is not an end, promises the sinister organization known only as 3W - but, as the Doctor and Clara soon discover, you might wish it was."

"DEEP BREATH" LEICESTER SQUARE EVENT Q&A GUESTS ANNOUNCED

In addition to premièring the first episode of Season Eight (better known to the world at large as "Deep Breath") and the first instalment of Doctor Who Extra (details of which can be found here), BBC Worldwide are holding a commemorative Q&A event at Leicester Square once "Deep Breath" has aired in the UK. The corporation have now officially confirmed that Zoe Ball will host the first public interview (well, at least since she unveiled Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor in BBC One's Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor last Summer) with Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and Steven Moffat and that (as previously teased) this question-and-answer session will be live-streamed in cinemas across the nation as it takes place. As ever, readers can sleep easy in the knowledge that On-Screen will upload any of the key plot details and/or details regarding the programme's future that emerge during the interview as soon as humanly (or Gallifreyan-ly?) possible.

Doctor Who will return with its feature-length season opener, "Deep Breath", this Saturday, August 23rd at 7.50pm on BBC One, while Episode 2 - "Into the Dalek" - has today been confirmed (by the BBC Press Office) to air at 7.30pm on August 30th.