Doctor Who

Anticipation is building for the next full season of the BBC's Doctor Who, with Matt Smith replacing David Tennant as the Doctor, joined by a new assistant, Amy Pond (Scottish actress Karen Gillan). The TARDIS will once again hurtle through time and space, as the Doctor explores never-before-seen planets and fighting off countless more villains who want to take over the world. But which of the Doctor's old foes will be making a return come 2010?

Digital Spy reports that in episode two or three of the programme's fifth season, the Eleventh Doctor will be facing the Daleks once more. The last time we saw Who's most famous and feared villains was in the season four finale, Journey's End, in which they were joined by their creator Davros in yet another attempt to exterminate the whole of creation. This was one of numerous appearances since Russell T. Davies revived the show in 2005.

Although Davies has now departed for pastures new, it appears that new showrunner Steven Moffat is hoping that the return of a familiar foe so early in the season's run will continue Who's success on both sides of the pond.

It is Mark Gatiss who has been entrusted to pen this particular episode. Gatiss has written two Who episodes previously, featuring the walking dead in late-19th century Cardiff (The Unquiet Dead) and a monster hidden in all televisions broadcasting the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (The Idiot's Lantern). Neither episode was set in the present day, and this latest tale will also be a historical one. It will be set in World War II (the scene of Moffat's chilling two-parter The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances), where Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain, is using the Daleks in the war against Nazi Germany.

There has been no BBC press release to confirm this story, but various on-set reports courtesy of The Doctor Who News Page. What do you think about Winston Churchill employing the Daleks as war weapons? And does this fill you with confidence for the new era of Doctor Who?