Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has promised fans a giant, two-part season 12 premiere, and an intriguing new preview hints at all the action that’s bound to follow.
Although the clip is less than two minutes long, it’s surprisingly tense. Yaz and Ryan have teamed up for a solo mission, going undercover as journalists so they can surreptitiously perform a DNA and “Centre Identification” scan on a mysterious executive, played by Sir Lenny Henry.
Based on that footage alone, it looks like Henry’s character will be a formidable opponent for the Companions in episode one. As Chibnall teased in an AV Club interview published on Monday, the actor is one of “two great British icons heating up the screen” in the premiere. The other one is Stephen Fry, whose character has yet to be revealed. There’s no other plot details available, but Chibnall does hint at the premiere being an “epic, funny, action-packed, global thriller…filmed all around the world.” And if the title, “Spyfall,” is anything to go by, there are bound to be some sly winks at James Bond.
Doctor Who arrives on BBC America in the US and BBC One in the UK on New Year’s Day.