Summer was just around the corner, the days were getting longer, and the Doctor was, unfortunately, still nowhere to be seen.

Anticipation surrounding Series 9 was reaching fever pitch as we entered the second half of 2015, with our beloved Time Lord finally returning to our screens – the long way round – in September. Peter Capaldi’s second string of adventures were just the tip of the timey-wimey iceberg, though, as July-December brought us plenty of other surprises, including the announcement of a brand new Doctor Who spin off.

Reflect on the best moments that 2015 had to offer in the second half of our Year in Review. It’s been an absolute blast and we can’t wait to see what 2016 will have to offer.

July (WhovianNet news posts: 17)

Honestly, you wait months and months for one scrap of Series 9 news, and then all of this comes along at once! Entertainment Weekly teased that “cataclysmic repercussions” awaited the Doctor when the first picture from the Series 9 two-part premiere surfaced online, and fans finally found out exactly when they’d be able to enjoy it when it was confirmed at the end of the first full-length trailer (and oh, what a trailer it was!) that the TARDIS would be back in business on Saturday 19th September. Let the countdown commence!

Meanwhile, the Doctor Who cast and crew descended on San Diego Comic Con, the Time Lord took on a new dimension in the first LEGO trailer and Torchwood fans were deservedly thrilled to discover that Ianto Jones would be making his long awaited return in Big Finish’s new audio range. It only took him 6 years!

August (WhovianNet news posts: 13)

With Series 9 just around the corner, anticipation was already reaching fever pitch as the BBC unveiled an explosive poster as well as a second heart-stopping trailer featuring previously unseen clips from the Twelfth Doctor’s second string of adventures. Missy and Maisie and dragons, oh my!

Naturally, the man himself was revealed as this month’s Doctor Who Magazine cover star to prove that he and Missy will always be the very best of enemies (n’awww!), and he also appeared on SFX’s regeneration issue which boasted an exclusive preview of his forthcoming escapades. Was it September yet?!

Also in August, Series 9 added another glamorous guest star in the form of Reece Shearsmith as rumours mounted that the show would be taking another hiatus in 2016 (producing only a handful of sporadic “specials”) to accommodate a behind the scenes overhaul. Interestingly, the BBC declined to comment. Which is so unlike them.

September (WhovianNet news posts: 19)

The moment had finally arrived! Having last appeared on our screens on Christmas Day 2014, the Twelfth Doctor and Clara finally returned in The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar, which were watched by official audiences of 6.54 million and 5.71 million, respectively. The premiere of Series 9 was preceded by the release of an official prequel and prologue as the Daleks invaded the London Underground and Peter and Jenna took a leaf out of the Beatles’ book by recreating their iconic Abbey Road photo to promote their imminent televisual comeback. The moment had definitely been prepared for!

It wasn’t all good news, however. On the eve of the new series, the BBC announced that Jenna Coleman would be stepping down from her role as Clara Oswald after four spectacular years, leaving fans to speculate just when and how her final departure would play out. One thing was for sure, though, it was going to be “emotional”! Meanwhile, Christmas came early in Cardiff as filming on this this Christmas Special officially commenced, accompanied by the announcement that Alex Kingston would be reprising her ever popular role as River Song.

October (WhovianNet news posts: 31)

The month of Hallowe’en kicked off with the extremely exciting announcement that 2016 will be bringing us a brand new Doctor Who spin off, Class, written and created by award-winning YA author Patrick Ness. Based in Coal Hill School, the 8-part BBC Three drama will follow a group of students whose lives are thrown upside down when incredible dangers break through the walls of time and space. It’s basically growing up… but with monsters. We’ve all been there, right?

Meanwhile, the first pictures of the official LEGO set materialised (and it was basically the best thing ever!) as the Doctor’s televisual adventures saw our heroes journey Under the Lake and Before the Flood before Maisie Williams made her anticipated debut in The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived. Next up, there were shape-shifting shenanigans around every corner and nobody could be trusted as one of the Doctor’s most iconic adversaries returned in The Zygon Inversion, but all the national press could talk about was Last Christmas guest star Faye Marsey who had emerged as the bookies’ favourite to be unveiled as the new Doctor Who companion.

And then Big Finish went and ripped the stratosphere of the fandom apart by announcing that David Tennant and Catherine Tate would be reprising their roles as the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble for a brand new audio series. Someone had been picking at our Christmas lists…

November (WhovianNet news posts: 47)

November went off with a bang for the Doctor and Clara in The Zygon Inversion before they faced a nightmare scenario in Sleep No More. As Clara prepared to Face the Raven, the Doctor Who Festival kicked off in London and there was yet more excitement for LEGO fans when it was claimed that the Doctor will be appearing in the LEGO Movie sequel in 2018. Everything is awesome!

Meanwhile, the Doctor faced his greatest challenge alone in Series 9’s penultimate episode, Heaven Sent, as Oscar winning Peter Jackson sent the fandom into a frenzy when he posted a cryptic video message suggesting that he’ll finally be directing Doctor Who. Christmas came a month early when the BBC unveiled the first picture from this year’s festive adventure and, looking even further into the future, Steven Moffat responded to ongoing speculation by affirming that Series 10 will be 13 episodes – including a Christmas Special – after all. Oh, and Peter Capaldi “is going nowhere”, too. Well, for another year, at least!

December (WhovianNet news posts: 27)

Christmas was coming, the goose was getting fat… and the Doctor was returning to Gallifrey once and for all. This year’s series reached its dramatic and “devastating” conclusion at the start of December as the Time Lord was Hell Bent on saving Clara Oswald from her untimely demise. Averaging 6.03 million viewers, Series 9 might’ve been over (don’t worry, you’ll be able to get the boxset on 7th March 2016!) but thankfully the TARDIS doors weren’t closed for long. Christmas Day saw Alex Kingston make her triumphant return in The Husbands of River Song which rounded off the year in spectacular style.

But what will 2016 have in store for the Doctor? Well, all we know for sure is that he definitely will be back (which is certainly better than knowing that he isn’t!) and Steven Moffat has already dropped some cryptic hints to suggest that Missy will also be returning in Series 10, which will also welcome two “prominent” new writers.  Oh, and the new companion, of course, which is pretty exciting. Peter Capaldi fans better make the most of it, too, as the man himself has hinted that it may be his “final year” at the helm of the TARDIS. As always, though, only time will tell. It always does.

Happy New Year to our visitors, and we wish you all the very best for 2016. What Doctor Who memories will you be taking with you from 2015? Let us know in the comments and read Part 1 of our Year in Review here.