‘Doctor Who’ Teases Season 10 And Christmas Special At New York Comic Con

Madison Square Garden was packed this morning, teeming with excited people donning colorful bowties, fezzes, and toy screwdrivers. The event? BBC America’s New York Comic Con panel. During the course of the panel’s two and a half hour runtime, the British television giant teased three of its most exciting series — Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Class, and of course Series 10 of Doctor Who. If this year’s panel is any indication, then we’re about to be seeing a more diverse and innovative BBC than ever before.

Moderated by EW’s Clark Collins, the panel kicked off with its underdog series, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Agency. Based on the Douglas Adams’ novel of the same name, this adaptation stars Samuel Barnett as the time-traveling detective Dirk Gently and Elijah Wood as his reluctant sidekick, Todd. “If we’re doing Dirk Gently, I’m not going just the tip Douglas Adams like other adaptations go, like just a millimeter weird. No, I’m going full weird,” writer Max Landis said during the show’s panel at Comic Con. Landis is known for writing films such as Chronicle, American Ultra, and Victor Frankenstein.

BBC America premiered the first episode for panel attendees before bringing the cast out for a Q&A amidst a flood of corgis. With its lightning fast pacing, cheeky acting, and tonal swings between hard drama and campy almost gore, Dirk Gently quickly became one of the biggest highlights of the panel. All of the actors, especially Barnett and Wood, play to their A-game and perhaps more than any other adaptation, Dirk Gently feels distinctly like a Douglas Adams creation. BBC will likely have a new cult hit on their hands with this new sci-fi drama / comedy, and they know it.

Next up was the anticipated Doctor Who spinoff series, Class. Created and written by YA author Patrick Ness, Class is set in Coal Hill Academy and focuses on an interesting premise — how people who have taken part in the Doctor’s adventures cope with the oddities of the world without him. The series promises to be a lot of fun and looks to add a high school twist to the Doctor Who franchise. Based on conversations with Ness, Brian Minchin, and the four main cast members, Class is looking to use the familiar beats of Doctor Who while transforming the series into something that’s not been seen before. “We’ve got some really, really great, really creepy monsters in there, but we also got some that do unexpected things and play unexpected roles,” Ness said. “And also I just love the idea, too, of you know, if you don’t have the Doctor around … sometimes you’ll face monsters that you’ll never learn the name of, you’ll never learn their motivation. You’ll just have to deal with whatever it is, and it’s baffling. And that’s a lot like being a teenager.”

Rounding out the panel was the show that inspired so many costumes in the audiences and legions of loyal fans throughout the decades, Doctor Who. This panel marked Peter Capaldi’s first ever New York Comic Con appearance as well as Pearl Mackie’s first ever fan appearance. Mackie will be playing the Doctor’s new companion, Bill. Capaldi, Mackie, new series regular (and seasoned comedian) Matt Lucas, lead writer and king of the nerds Steven Moffat, and executive producer Brian Minchin all turned up for the panel, and though they didn’t reveal any major spoilers, they did spill enough to get us excited for Series 10’s upcoming premiere.

Here’s what we know: Lucas is reprising his role as a sweeter Nardole for this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special and beyond. The return of this highly successful comedian seems a surprising addition for both audience members and Moffat himself. “I phoned up Matt in LA, and we discussed how many episodes he could be in, and he just kept volunteering to do more,” Moffat joked. The reason Lucas kept volunteering? To be a part of one of the nicest and most iconic franchises in British TV history and for the opportunity to work with the great Peter Capaldi.

We also got a couple of hints about this year’s Christmas special. Lucas will be featured heavily in the special, but Bill will not be revealed until the Series 10 premiere. BBC America even revealed an image of Justin Chatwin (Orphan Black) in costume for the special. There will be a superhero component to this new special. Specifically what that means and how it relates to wibbly-wobbly, timey-whimey stuff is unclear, but we do now know that Steven Moffat has intense opinions about superheroes.

However, the big question surrounding the Whovian universe has to do with Pearl Mackie. Though we won’t be seeing her until this new season’s premiere, we do know that she comes from “the regular” universe, much like Rose Tyler did. We also know that she resets the series. Much like the Ninth Doctor, people will be able to watch Series 10 without knowing past Whovian lore. “If I gave you one tone word for this series, it’s new. It’s brand new. You’re getting to see the Doctor all over again through a very different pair of eyes,” Moffat said.

Perhaps one of the most interesting reveals from BBC America’s panel was the network’s focus on diversity. Each of these shows’ casts featured characters of color, typically a rarity in sci-fi. When asked about her role in increasing diversity in the typically white-washed world of sci-fi, Mackie had this to say: “I think in 2016 it’s frustrating that we have to have this conversation,” she said before praising the diversity of the three shows’ casts. Moffat added, “It’s not something that we’re look for a pat on the back for to be honest. Everyone watching television, particularly children, should see people like them up there. That’s a fact.”

Seeing Peter Capaldi grinning as he sat next to Pearl Mackie watched as a sort of snapshot into what BBC has become — a home for both iconic British actors and new, promising talent. A place for classics, innovation, and truly excellent sci-fi.

[Where to watch Doctor Who]

For more coverage of all things New York Comic Con, including conversations with the casts of War For The Planet Of The Apes, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, Underworld: Blood Wars and more, visit decider.com/nycc.