Sex Education and Loki director Kate Herron will team up with screenwriter Briony Redman for an episode of the upcoming series of Doctor Who, it has been announced.

The episode will air once Ncuti Gatwa has taken over as the fifteenth Doctor, over the festive period.

Herron and Redman have previously collaborated on a number of projects including their comic The Storkening as well as sci-fi show Miss Universe and short film Smear.

Herron, who directed on Netflix hit Sex Education and executive produced and directed Marvel series Loki, said: “Clearly I can’t get enough of time travel.

“It is an absolute honour to write for Russell and Ncuti. We had so much fun and can’t wait for you all to see it.”

Redman has also worked as an actor and has written Welsh crime-comedy Pont Brec and short film Forget-Me-Not.

She added: “As a big fan of Doctor Who and Russell T Davies, it’s been a dream to write on this show.”

The series revamp sees It’s A Sin writer Russell T Davies return as showrunner, the man behind the 2005 revival of the long-running BBC show, succeeding Chris Chibnall who introduced Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor.

Davies said: “This is when I absolutely love my job. Working with the stellar talents of Kate and Briony makes my whole world bigger and brighter, and a lot more fun.

“I was a huge fan of Loki and reached out to Kate to say so – she then introduced me to Briony, and it was all systems go.

“They’ve written a wonderful script which created unique challenges for cast and crew alike. The end result is gorgeous and thrilling and scary, and not like any other episode of Doctor Who.”

Russell T Davies
Russell T Davies returns as showrunner (Ian West/PA)

Sex Education star Gatwa will take over as the Time Lord after three specials air in November which will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the sci-fi series.

The episodes will see David Tennant and Catherine Tate reunited but as the fourteenth Doctor and his sidekick.

Tennant originally starred as the 10th Doctor from 2005 until his final episode aired on New Year’s Day in 2010, with Tate playing one of his companions, Donna Noble, in the beloved BBC series.

They will return to their roles for three special episodes which will air on the BBC in the UK and Ireland in November, while streaming platform Disney+ will show episodes to audiences elsewhere.