Doctor Who Season 12 Premiere Date Reveal Makes The Wait Less Agonizing

Doctor Who BBC America

A week after Doctor Who dropped its first trailer for Season 12, the Jodie Whittaker-led series hit us with another action-packed trailer. Fans were also given the official release date for Season 12, and it turns out the return in early 2020 was not an exaggeration. Doctor Who will premiere its next season with yet another New Year's Day special.

That's right, the fun begins on New Year's Day with an episode that will stretch into a two-parter set to air days later at the show's regularly scheduled time. Get ready for the season to put its foot on the gas and not let up, because this new trailer looks just as over the top as the first one.

The name of the Season 12 premiere is "Spyfall," and as mentioned, will be two parts with the second episode airing in Doctor Who's regular 8:00 p.m. ET time slot on Sundays. There were previous reports that BBC America was going to move the series back to Saturdays after Season 11, though it's now confirmed the show will keep the previous time slot.

This means Part 2 of "Spyfall" will air on Sunday, January 5, but that's not all fans will be able to look forward to. BBC is partnering with Fathom Events for a special screening of the premiere, which will include the New Year's Day special and the second episode ahead of the episode's premiere on television. After the theatrical screening, there will be a live Q&A with Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill. The screening will be available on over 600 screens nationwide.

While explicit details regarding the Season 12 premiere, "Spyfall," haven't been revealed just yet, the first two trailers featured scenes very reminiscent of a James Bond movie. We can only speculate, though I would wager that any scenes of the characters all fancied up in formalwear are tied to the premiere. It will be interesting to see how the franchise will blend the worlds of two of Britain's largest franchises. Imagine how awkward it will be if The Doctor has to do the iconic Bond introduction phrase!

Doctor Who Season 12 is set to run for 10 episodes, so this season will be one fifth of the way complete on its return week. This isn't too out of the ordinary considering Doctor Who has maintained a 10-episode season for the past few years, though some may wish the BBC America series would return to its 11-13 episode seasons. Perhaps if Season 12 does well with viewers that will return in the future?

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Doctor Who will return to BBC America Wednesday, January 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on the series, and for a look at what else is happening in the world of television and movies this winter season.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.