Reign Of Terror

Alan Cumming plays witch-hunting King James as the Doctor lands in 1600s Lancashire.

- Sean Marland

We knew there’d be some fantastic moments in store when Jodie Whittaker exploded on to our screens as the new Doctor last month, but Sunday’s episode has the potential to be one of the highlights of this year’s series.

Fans of the iconic sci-fi show have had this week’s episode, The Witchfinders, marked in their diaries ever since earlier this year when Alan Cumming revealed he was playing 17th-century monarch King James I.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall is renowned for keeping episode details closely guarded and he wasn’t happy when the Scottish actor let the cat out of the bag in March.

CHILDHOOD DREAM

‘I was so excited because I’d never been in the show before,’ says Cumming, who was born in the Perthshire town of Aberfeldy. ‘It was always my little boy fantasy. It was such a childhood dream come true. I love Jodie Whittaker, too – she’s an absolute darling.