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BBC bosses are so confident in Doctor Who that they are making an episode without him in it.

Instead, the Time Lord’s three female assistants – Rose, Martha and Donna – take the starring roles.

The shock twist comes after the Doctor, played by David Tennant, gets lost in space.

His faithful sidekicks – played by Billie Piper, Freema Agyeman and Catherine Tate – are left to take control of the Tardis as they battle to save the world from an alien invasion.

An insider on the show’s top-secret Cardiff set said: “The chemistry between the three assistants is electric. It is so strong that we realised the doctor could be in danger of getting in the way.

“So it is left to the girls to sort things out, having to save civilisation and the Doctor himself.”

Former assistants Billie, 25, and Freema, 28, will team up with the Doctor’s new companion Catherine, 39, for the one-off episode towards the end of the next series. It will be screened in March.

The insider added: “It is a bit of a gamble having Doctor Who without the Doctor – it has never been done before. But everyone is so interested in the different assistants that it should be fantastic.

“Donna, Martha and Rose are all competing for his attention in different ways and all want to be the best.

“But the question will be, can they work together?”

The Beeb are hoping for huge viewing figures for series four after the Christmas Special featuring Kylie Minogue pulled in 12.2million viewers.

But Tennant’s future remains uncertain. He is expected to quit after filming this series and three more specials. He recently said bosses had yet to offer him a new contract.

Source - The Sun