Doctor Who Spring Special Will See The Return Of The Sea Devils

Just like many people around the world thanks to the general state of things these days, the Doctor and her companions' New Years Eve plans were thrown for a loop. A time loop, that is! In this year's "Doctor Who" New Years special, Team TARDIS dealt with some dastardly Daleks as they attempted to trap the Time Lord and her friends in a gnarly "Groundhog Day" scenario.

But now that they've gotten past that mess, with only two more episodes left until Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor regenerates, what other threats will the gang face off with before the second reign of Russell T. Davies begins? It looks like Chris Chibnall and company have dug deep into the annals of "Who" history for the actress' penultimate episode.

I Sea What You Did There

Following the premiere of "Eve of the Daleks" on New Years Day, the BBC dropped a brief teaser for the upcoming "Doctor Who" spring special. Titled "Legend of the Sea Devils," the Doctor, Yaz, and Dan will meet a classic foe from the John Pertwee era of the long-running sci-fi series: The Sea Devils. This will be the first appearance of the monsters since 1984's "Warrior of the Deep" featuring Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor and only their third major appearance including their 1972 debut in the episode "The Sea Devils" with Pertwee's Third Doctor. And based on this teaser, unlike the Cybermen or the Silurians who have evolved over the years, it doesn't look like they've changed much since those days either.

This time around, the Sea Devils will be connected to Crystal Yu's Madame Ching, a menacing pirate queen also known as Zheng Yi Sao that was active in the South China Sea during the early 19th century. Since the Doctor mentioned the lost treasure of Flor de la Mar in the final scenes of "Eve of the Daleks" (while avoiding the much larger topic of Yaz's feelings), I'll bet that they cross paths with Ching as they all search for some coveted pirate booty.

Of course, since the special isn't slated to drop until spring 2022, there isn't a ton of details about the episode just yet. Thanks to the official "Doctor Who" website, we do know that Yu will be joined by Arthur Lee as Ji-Hun and Marlowe Chan-Reeves as Ying Ki. Otherwise, check out the official synopsis and the first promotional stills for the episode.

"Legend of the Sea Devils" finds the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop) in 19th century China, where a small coastal village is under threat – from both the fearsome pirate queen Madame Ching (Crystal Yu) and a monstrous alien force which she unwittingly unleashes. Will the Doctor, Yaz and Dan emerge from this swashbuckling battle with the Sea Devils to save the planet?