Doctor Who Easter special: when is Legend of the Sea Devils on TV, cast, plot, trailer, who are the monsters?

The Doctor Who Easter special, Legend of the Sea Devils, is the second of three special episodes that will send off Jodie Whitaker as the Doctor and Chris Chinall as the showrunner.

After their departure, Russell T Davies from 2005-2010 will return at the helm, but the identity of the next Doctor has not yet been revealed.

Unsurprisingly, given the title, the episode will see the return of the Sea Devils, who last appeared in the 1984 classic Who episode Warriors of the Deep, coming up against Peter Davison’s Doctor.

Warriors of the Deep, set in the year 2084, saw the Sea Devils planning to start a nuclear war until they were defeated by the fifth Doctor.

But what is the plot of the Easter special, when is it on TV, who stars in the cast, and is there a trailer?

Here is everything you need to know about Legend of the Sea Devils:

When is Legend of the Sea Devils on TV?

Legend of the Sea Devils will air on BBC One on 17 April (Easter Sunday).

The episode will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after it is first broadcast.

All of seasons 1-13 of Doctor Who, including the latest episode, Eve of the Daleks, are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

What is the episode plot?

Legend of the Sea Devils is set in a coastal village in 19th century China that is under threat from piracy.

Real-life pirate Madame Ching is on the hunt for the treasure ship Flor de la Mar, which was wrecked in the South China sea in the 16th century, and its treasure lost to the depths.

Unfortunately, the ship is something of a Pandora’s box, and Ching inadvertently unleashes the Sea Devils on the world, and the Doctor, Yaz and Dan must help deal with the old foe.

Sea Devils are a race of marine creatures who ruled the Earth as apex predators before humanity, and who want to reconquer the planet.

The trailer features plenty of swashbuckling, cannon firing and high seas hijinks as the Doctor and her companions find themselves stuck between the Sea Devils and the deep blue sea.

Who is in the cast?

Jodie Whitaker will be back for her penultimate outing at the Doctor - the centenary special later this year will be her last hurrah.

Whitaker has also starred in detective series Broadchurch alongside fellow Doctor David Tennant, and played Cath in thriller series Trust Me.

Whitaker will be joined by companions John Bishop as Dan Lewis and Mandip Gill as Yaz Watson.

Gill has starred alongside Whitaker since the 13th Doctor’s debut in season 11, while Bishop joined the cast at the start of season 13.

Bishop is a standup comedian and has previously starred in the coming of age drama Skins and crime miniseries Fearless.

Gill played Phoebe McQueen in Hollyoaks and Sonia Chopra in crime drama Suspicion.

Madame Ching is played by Crystal Yu, who is known for the role of Lily Chao in Casualty.