Chris Chibnall

Davies will return in time for the 60^th Anniversary of the sci-fi series in 2023, and continue writing for series beyond.

From his relaunch of the show in 2005 to his departure in 2009, Davies is widely credited with turning the British drama into a global icon.

Davies said: “I’m beyond excited to be back on my favourite show. But we’re time-travelling too fast, there’s a whole series of Jodie Whittaker’s brilliant Doctor for me to enjoy, with my friend and hero Chris Chibnall at the helm - I’m still a viewer for now.”

Having taken the helm of the show in 2017, Chibnall made the history-making decision to cast Whittaker as the first-ever female Doctor. He also brought together Tosin Cole (Ryan), Mandip Gill (Yaz) and Bradley Walsh (Graham) as the new ‘fam’ of adventurous space-exploring sidekicks.

With a six-part Event Serial already announced for this autumn, Chibnall and Whittaker will bow out of Doctor Who with three specials in 2022, including a final feature-length adventure to mark the BBC’s Centenary celebrations, before the Doctor regenerates once more.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall commented, “Hailing from a range of backgrounds, tastes and styles, here’s what unites them: they are awesome people as well as brilliant at their job. (It matters!) They love Doctor Who. And they’ve all worked above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring audiences something special, later this year.”

Past notable writers have included Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams and Richard Curtis.

In an interview for BBC 6 Music, the actor spoke of her excitement to take on the role and to work again with Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall, who is taking over from Steven Moffatt as head writer and executive producer. “I already know how incredible he is,” she said, adding “He’s come from a fan’s point of view, so the direction he’s going to take it is going to be incredible.”

Most people, asked to identify the show that changed the career of Chris Chibnall, would point to his ITV crime trilogy Broadchurch. But, for Chibnall, the show that altered everything was, unusually, a flop: Camelot, his king-and-wizard drama for the US cable network Starz, which struggled to the end of one season in 2011.

The pair will be joined by new cast members Sarah Parish (Atlantis), Charlie Higson (The Fast Show) Georgina Campbell (Murdered By My Boyfriend), Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street) and Mark Bazeley (Home Fires).

Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan will also return as Beth and Mark Latimer alongside Arthur Darvill as vicar Paul Coates, Carolyn Pickles as newspaper editor Maggie Radcliffe and Adam Wilson as Ellie’s son Tom.

Jed Mercurio doesn't make it easy for himself. His current show, Sky 1's Critical, is a 13-part drama set in a state-of-the-art trauma centre. Every week, it focuses on a different and gruesome medical emergency while also telling the intertwined personal stories of its large cast. Oh, and it's told in real time, too.

"I always think that everything is achievable," he says, when I ask if he deliberately set the challenge of making this series as hard as possible for himself.