22nd century Caithness to feature in Dr Who episode

The Doctor, played by Scots actor Peter Capaldi, will step out of his Tardis into the Highland county in Saturday’s show.

The adventure, titled Under The Lake, is set in Caithnes, circa 2119 AD, and features hollow-eyed ghosts in an underwater mining base called The Drum.

Dr Who and his assistant Clara, played by Jenna Coleman, investigate the discovery of a spaceship which has been found at the bottom of a lake.

The two-part episode also stars comedian Paul Kaye as a Tivolian, a mole-like species last seen played by David Walliams in 2011, and includes an alien used previously in both Doctor Who spin-offs, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

It also features a deaf character, played by actress Sophie Stone, herself hearing impaired. The tallest man in Britain, Neil Fingleton, who starred in Game of Thrones, will also feature.

Despite being set in Caithness, it is not believed to have been filmed there.

Asked on Twitter why he chose the county as a setting, scriptwriter Toby Whitehouse said: “Because like me, it’s remote and beautiful.”