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Doctor Who: UNIT's return is "one for the true fans" - SciFiNow

Doctor Who: UNIT’s return is “one for the true fans”

Doctor Who’s Matt Smith, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall on “the final days of Amy and Rory” and ‘The Power Of Three’. Beware mild spoilers.

Doctor Who Series 7 Episode 4 'The Power Of Three'

Doctor Who Series 7 Episode 4 'The Power Of Three'
Doctor Who Series 7 Episode 4 ‘The Power Of Three’ will air 22 September 2012 on BBC One HD

Speaking to BBC Wales, fan-favourite Doctor Who writer Chris Chibnall explained the ties that bind his previous Series 7 episode, the brilliantly daft ‘Dinosaurs On A Spaceship’ (Episode 3), to his latest, ‘The Power Of Three’ (Episode 4), saying, “My episodes are about the final days of Amy and Rory and where their relationship is now, showcasing quite an interesting Doctor and companion dynamic.”

As the writer of the Series 6 highlights ‘The Hungry Earth’ and ‘Cold Blood’, Chibnall has form when it comes to revisiting Seventies Doctor Who, and ‘The Power Of Three’ is no exception. It may not have any Silurians (as far as we know) but it does feature the return of their nemesis of old, UNIT.

“They are a really efficient part of the show,” Chibnall explains. “We needed someone to come and deal with this strange situation and I don’t think Matt has had a story with UNIT, so that was a nice thing to do. I always love to see UNIT pop up, but whether they return, well that is a question for Steven Moffat…”

The Moff himself explained his enthusiasm for UNIT in the same interview, saying, “When I was a kid, and just getting obsessed about the Doctor (still not recovered) it was the Jon Pertwee era, and UNIT was as big a part of the show as the TARDIS itself. So when Chris asked if he could bring them back I couldn’t say yes fast enough. And being Chris, he gave it a clever little twist which I know the fans are going to love.”

Matt Smith added, “UNIT’s return is one for the fans. I think they like cyclical things and we have a good story. It was great to do an episode with UNIT and I hope the true fans like it.”

Doctor Who ‘The Power Of Three’ is airing 22 September 2012 on BBC One HD. The first half of Doctor Who Series 7 is released 12 November 2012, and is available to pre-order on DVD, priced £17, and Blu-ray, priced £20.99, from Amazon.co.uk.