First Series 7 Director Confirmed

The BBC confirmed today that the director of Doctor Who’s 2012 series’ Block One of filming will be Saul Metzstein, who will start on Series 7’s first day of filming on Monday 20th February 2012.

Metzstein’s previous directing work includes the recent series of BBC One’s Upstairs Downstairs, the 2009 BBC Four drama Micro Men, and the 2001 Film4 production Late Night Shopping.

Now Metzstein can add Doctor Who to that list, as the series moves its base of production to the brand new BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff for Amy and Rory Pond’s final series – ‘new Who’ having been previously produced from an old Newport warehouse (2005-6) and then Upper Boat Studios (2007-11). Series 7 also marks Caroline Skinner's first full series as Executive Producer alongside Steven Moffat, having so far exec' produced the 2011 Christmas special.

It's almost time. New monsters are becoming real, old friends are returning to Cardiff and somewhere in Wales, a tweed jacket is being taken from its hanger and lovingly dusted off. It can only mean one thing... Filming on the new series of Doctor Who begins on 20 February, 2012!

The first director to shout 'action' will be the award-winning Saul Metzstein whose previous credits include Micro Men (starring Alexander Armstrong and Martin Freeman), the critically acclaimed Late Night Shopping and BBC Wales' Upstairs Downstairs. For the very first time, Doctor Who will be produced at the new BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, which officially open in March. The production team includes Steven Moffat (Executive Producer and lead writer), Caroline Skinner (Executive Producer) and Marcus Wilson (Producer).

The new series will see Matt Smith return as the Doctor in what Steven Moffat has described as 'the biggest, the best and the most ambitious season we've ever made'. Karen Gillan (Amy) and Arthur Darvill (Rory) are both back, for what will be their final voyage with the Doctor - a thrilling rollercoaster ride which will culminate in a heart-breaking farewell to the Ponds. But there will be more shocks, surprises and adventures to come when the Doctor meets a new friend, in the last very place he could ever have expected...

And yes! We've been promised the return of some old monsters, but some new and terrifying ones lie in wait for the Doctor...

We'll be bringing you all the news about the incredible new series as it emerges, so stay tuned for some big surprises!

Excited? Me too…

> BBC Roath Lock Studios