Tucked away in the recently published BBC WORLDWIDE ANNUAL REVIEW, is a statement that means that DOCTOR WHO SERIES 10 is on-the-cards as the commercial arm of the BBC aims to make "..investment in..." it.

Even CEO, Tim Davie is featured behind a DOCTOR WHO montage including Peter Capaldi's 'bucket-list' alien encounter - a Mondasian Cyberman.

"During the year matters under review included plans to launch the global genre brands BBC First in Australia and New Zealand on Foxtel and BBC Brit and BBC Earth in Poland; and investments in The Musketeers S3 and Doctor Who S10. Additionally, during the year WEx reviewed people policies and development
opportunities across the company."

On BBC AMERICA, Doctor Who continued to grow with the debut of the Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and launch of series eight
delivering the show’s highest ratings to date – up 19.7% versus prior series, with an average of 2.2m viewers each week – while licensing sales on the title returned year-on-year growth of 29.1%.

Our focus on extending fan engagement with premium titles such as Doctor Who, Orphan Black and Top Gear reached new heights.
BBCAmerica.com visitors increased by 9.9% and Facebook followers doubled to 2.4m. Doctor Who remains the number one TV brand
on Tumblr and ranks among Twitter’s top five most-tweeted about original dramas.

Stand-out achievements for our core brands included Doctor Who: The World Tour. Building on the success of the 50th anniversary we
embarked on a 12-day global promotional tour for series eight. We visited South Korea, Australia, USA, Mexico and Brazil introducing the Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and companion Clara, Jenna Coleman, to international fans. This was a first for a British TV series and featured a creative social media programme with activity
on Facebook generating 130m post impressions and more than 2m video views across Facebook and YouTube.

Vitally, as a result of this financial contribution, audiences in the UK were able to enjoy investment in programmes at a higher level than
the licence fee alone can provide. Among these enhanced shows was Doctor Who, seen in the UK by an average consolidated audience of 7.4m, airing in over 70 other countries, and achieving
record ratings on BBC AMERICA and Space channel in Canada.

Our top-selling shows of the year included Doctor Who, Top Gear, Orphan Black, Life Story, The Musketeers, Atlantis, Call the Midwife, Ripper Street, Sherlock and The Honourable Woman - a range of titles that speaks to the breadth of appetite for British content from global audiences. Doctor Who S8 was licensed to 189 territories in the year."

Was it in any doubt?

The official DOCTOR WHO Twitter feed teased "something special" yesterday, and that's what we got, and made this fortysomething 'squeal' with delight - yes, it's sad, I know) for the first time since 2005 when the series returned.

The teaser contains, spoilers, but...he's the Doctor and he saves people.

The ninth series launches on BBC ONE (and worldwide - hello, Australia!) on 19 September.

SERIES 9 details:

Episodes 1 & 2 - The Magician's Apprentice / The Witch's Familiar
Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Hettie McDonald

Episodes 3 & 4 - TBC
Written by Toby Whithouse
Directed by Daniel O'Hara

Episodes 5 & 6 - The Girl Who Died / The Woman Who Lived
Written by Jamie Mathieson & Steven Moffat, Catherine Tregenna
Directed by Ed Bazalgette

Episodes 7 & 8 - TBC
Written by Peter Harness
Directed by Daniel Nettheim

Episodes 9 - TBC
Written by Mark Gattis/TBC
Directed by TBC

Episode 10 - TBC
Written by Sarah Dollard
Directed by Justin Molotnikov

Episodes 11 & 12 - TBC
Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Rachel Talalay

BBC PICTURES has released a 'teaser image' for the forthcoming (August 2015) DOCTOR WHO SERIES 9.

The lead actor, Peter Capaldi, has stated that his second series has an "...epic sweep..."

In an interview with USA's ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, he continued: " There is an epic sweep to this season and I think the villains and monsters reflect that," he said. "Great new ones, brilliant old ones, and some very scary creatures looming in stories with real emotional ambition."

He added that his Doctor would be less curmudgeonly - "...throwing himself into life with a newfound hunger for adventure..."

"He's in pursuit of joy and grabbing every thrill that he can along the way," he teased. "But I sense him running from something, that even he does not yet understand."

Of Clara Oswald played by Jenna Coleman, Capaldi continues, "Jenna continutes to deliver a beautifully nuanced, complex, and funny performance that marks her out as one of the best companions ever. They've (the Doctor and Clara) suddenly realised that they are the most fortunate people in all of time and space and are hellbent on adventure."

Series Executive Producer and Head-Writer, Steven Moffat, says that SERIES 9 "...places the Doctor in a conflict that is central to his being, as well as containing some subtle tributes to the '60s, and truly wonderful guest performances," he said, adding that the Doctor will "make a mistake that has cataclysmic repercussions".

The current firm bet is that SERIES 9 will be broadcast on BBC 1 on Saturday 29 August 2015.

SERIES 9 details:

Episodes 1 & 2 - The Magician's Apprentice / The Witch's Familiar
Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Hettie McDonald

Episodes 3 & 4 - TBC
Written by Toby Whithouse
Directed by Daniel O'Hara

Episodes 5 & 6 - The Girl Who Died / The Woman Who Lived
Written by Jamie Mathieson & Steven Moffat, Catherine Tregenna
Directed by Ed Bazalgette

Episodes 7 & 8 - TBC
Written by Peter Harness
Directed by Daniel Nettheim

Episodes 9 - TBC
Written by Mark Gattis/TBC
Directed by TBC

Episode 10 - TBC
Written by Sarah Dollard
Directed by Justin Molotnikov

Episodes 11 & 12 - TBC
Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Rachel Talalay

The Twelfth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver Remote Control is finally here to give DOCTOR WHO fans what they have been asking for: a brand new, hero prop replica which is a superb recreation of the Sonic Screwdriver used by Peter Capaldi in Series 8. A limited run of 168 laser-etched numbered Sonics will be available exclusively to purchase on the BBC AMERICA booth (#4129) for the first time at San Diego Comic-Con (8th-12th July 2015) prior to general sale from 7 th September.

The new Twelfth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver is a fully functioning gesture-based universal remote control which can control your TV and other home entertainment equipment. Learning the gestures and programming the Sonic Screwdriver is easy, and the intuitive gestures allow the user to become the Doctor. Flick it open and the clasps extend with a satisfying clunk; press the grip mounted button for instant light and sound action or use the Any-TV-Off function just for fun! 

The Twelfth Sonic has been made in direct response to the huge number of requests that The Wand Company received from fans all over the world asking for an extending version of their famous Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver.

"Since our Eleventh Doctor's Sonic went on sale, we have had a constant stream of requests from fans of all ages asking us to make an extending version. It wasn't easy to engineer a solidly reliable device that can withstand being repeatedly flicked to extend it, but we've been able to do it, and I'm certain that any fan of DOCTOR WHO is going to love it, " said Chris Barnardo, co-founder of The Wand Company.

Jason Easy, Senior Licensing Manager at BBC Worldwide, said, " The Wand Company continually exceed expectations with their range of Sonic Screwdrivers, and the Twelfth Doctor's Sonic is no exception. The Sonics are not just technologically sophisticated, but also beautifully made and have exciting features that delight fans."

Product details

The Wand Company's new extending Twelfth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver universal remote control prop replica contains the following features: 

• 1:1 scale replica of the Series 8 Sonic Screwdriver hero prop
• Highly authentic flick-to-extend action
• Grip-mounted action button
• Press and hold button to make Sonic buzz and tip light in FX Mode
• Any-TV-off function that turns off any television at the press of a button, without having to program the Sonic first
• Stores up to 39 remote control commands
• Customisable personal lock code
• Ivory-coloured handle with subtle fleck
• Redesigned copper-plated handle end
• Gallifreyan stand for vertical presentation
• 12 new secret Morse-coded Twelfth Doctor phrases
• 12 different sonic screwdriver sound effects