Doctor Who fans have an entirely new iteration of the Time Lord to get used to when Peter Capaldi begins his term as the Gallifreyan in season 8, but it looks like viewers will be eased into the change by the inclusion of some familiar faces.

Although the BBC drama probably won't return until sometime next fall, the Christmas introduction of the Twelfth Doctor (Capaldi) has viewers already anticipating the season 8 premiere. According to executive producer Steven Moffat, the series will tread familiar waters to get the story rolling for the new time traveler.

"This time I've made sure we've got a bunch of characters around him so that we can have a new Doctor introduced and we can push that Doctor a bit further if you've got a familiar world around him," Moffat said, according to Doctor Who TV.

To kick things off, Doctor Who TV claims that the oddly constructed Victorian Trio of Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh), Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart), Strax (Dan Starkey) will be appearing in the premiere.

Meanwhile, the Doctor's wife may also pop up again in season 8. River Song (Alex Kingston) hasn't featured since "The Name of the Doctor," but a statement the actress gave in October hints at her eventual return.

Click the video below to see Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor turn in Capaldi's Twelve.

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Doctor Who, BBC, BBC America, Television