Toby Whithouse – the writer of this week’s episode, A Town Called Mercy – has said that we see a more “volatile” side of the Doctor in the Western story.

The writer told SFX that he has become “unpredictable” as a result of travelling on his own. “It was just enormous fun to write,” he explained. “It was really refreshing and exciting, to make him a little more dangerous in that sense – and to mark the other characters’ opinions of that. I really enjoyed it. I think it added a nice frisson to the character.”

A Town Called Mercy airs on Saturday at 7:35pm on BBC One – see the previews here!

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