“Doctor Who” Season 10 Spoilers: John Simm To Return As Supervillain The Master, Pearl Mackie To Play First Openly Gay Character Companion; Is The New Time Lord A Woman?

As Peter Capaldi set to make his final bow as the twelfth reincarnation of The Doctor in “Doctor Who” later this year, the BBC fantasy series will be welcoming a familiar face.

The Sun reports that John Simm is set to return to the series to play his old role, The Master. He once portrayed the evil Time Lord back in 2007 opposite Tenth Doctor David Tennant when the latter tried to rule the Earth in episodes titled “Utopia,” “”The Sound of Drums” and Last of the Time Lords.” He also returned just in time for Tennant’s last appearance in the show back in 2009, and fans thought it would be his very last.

Simm confirmed his return to the series, saying, “I can confirm that it’s true, thanks to the power of time travel I’m back. It’s always a pleasure to work with this great team of people and I can’t wait for you all to see what The Master gets up to in the next series.”

Season 10 will also introduce a new character in the person of Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), who is set to be the first openly gay character on the show. On the other hand, Mackie’s introduction to the series opened up the possibility that the next Doctor under the new direction could be a woman.

Capaldi said about the possibility to GQ, "I’m sure whoever that person is [that takes over] would be wonderful. “Doctor Who” is a wonderful part and they’re going to make, if they have not already done so, a wonderful choice. Whether that’s a man or a woman is irrespective, just as long as they are right for the part."

Season 10 of “Doctor Who” will return on BBC One on April 15th.