Doctor Who series launch date announced and the BBC is messing with time - quite literally - from now on the 55-year-old show will be aired on a completely different day and at a different time.

Doctor Who fans don't fear change - or so the BBC hopes.

Not only has the series brought in a new Doctor WHO ISN'T A MAN (Jodie Whittaker), now they're literally messing with time: they've moved the slot when the show airs on BBC1 from Saturday to Sunday, with the new 10-part series set to kick off on October 7.

The show has aired on Saturdays for every episode (other than specials) since it returned to the small screen in 2005 and has been part of BBC1's Saturday night schedule for a lucky-for-some 13 years. As the BBC notes: 'Never before in the show's history has an entire series descended to earth on a Sunday'.

Even in the darkest recesses of time (1963 to 1989) Doctor Who went out on Saturdays, but with today's packed Saturday night schedules, the show has been moved to a cosy Sunday night slot. But will it be pre or post Countryfile/Strictly? We are yet to find out (but our money is on earlier rather than later).

The show will kick off with an hour-long episode titled The Woman Who Fell To Earth. Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content said: 'With Chris Chibnall at the helm and Jodie Whittaker's arrival as the new Doctor, we are heralding a brand new era for the show and so it feels only right to give it a new home on Sunday nights at the heart of BBC One's Autumn schedule.'