‘Doctor Who’ News: Osgood And The Zygons Return For Season 9

Some familiar faces – including one notable character whose last experience with the Doctor ended with her death – and monsters will be returning for the upcoming ninth season of Doctor Who. That’s the advantage of being a show about traveling through time and space.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams will be appearing in an upcoming Doctor Who Season 9 episode as someone who challenges Peter Capaldi’s character and gives him hell. Not much else has been revealed about her character or her episode, but there are more details out about the two-parter in which Ingrid Oliver will return as UNIT scientist Osgood.

Osgood, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart’s assistant, was last seen in the Season 8 finale, “Death in Heaven,” when the female incarnation of the Master, Missy, played by Michelle Gomez, killed her. (Watch that below.) When she returns in Season 9, it’s for an adventure involving the shape-shifting Zygons, the same monsters from the series’ 50th anniversary episode, “The Day of the Doctor,” which was the first episode to tease a glimpse of the 12th Doctor. Oliver also appeared in that episode.

Based on what lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat has said about Osgood’s return, it sounds like maybe something could be different about her this time around since whether or not she can be trusted seems to be a question.

“Osgood is back, fresh from her recent murder at the end of last series. We recently confirmed that Osgood was definitely dead and not returning – but in a show about time travel, anything can happen. The brilliant Ingrid Oliver is back in action. This time though, can the Doctor trust his number one fan?”

For her part, Oliver’s statement makes it clear she’s excited to be back, given what happened to her character in her last appearance.

“As every actor who’s worked on Doctor Who will tell you, there’s always the secret hope you’ll get the call asking you to come back. To actually receive that call is both unexpected and brilliant. The word ‘honour’ gets banded about a lot, but it really is, it’s an honour. Especially because I was so sure Osgood was a gonner after the last series!”

Also appearing in the two-parter, written by Peter Harness (“Kill the Moon”), produced by Peter Bennett, and directed by Daniel Nettheim, are Jemma Redgrave, Jaye Griffiths, Cleopatra Dickens, Sasha Dickens, Abhishek Singh, Todd Kramer, Jill Winternitz, Nicholas Asbury, Jack Parker, and Aidan Cook.

The comment about time travel does lead to the question of when the Doctor and Clara will run into Osgood. Will it be before Matt Smith’s character met her in the 50th-anniversary special? With Kate (Redgrave) returning as well, will Osgood be her assistant or could this adventure lead to her being her assistant? Anything is possible.

In other Doctor Who news, Blastr has reported that Alex Kingston has teased that her character, River Song, could be back, especially since she hasn’t “been told” she’s “done.”

“All I can say is … spoilers! But what I will say is the sonic screwdriver that I had in Silence in the Library, which ad been given to me by the Doctor, is not the sonic screwdriver that has been seen … yet.”

Doctor Who will return to BBC America for a ninth season in the fall.

[Image via BBC America]