We finally have an air date for the first episode of Series Eleven (07 Oct 2018), which will now go out on Sundays for (I believe) the first time. It’s been a long haul; we’ve known Capaldi was leaving since the end of January last year, and there’s been more than a nine-month gap between new episodes. Further, we’ll have known Jodie was destined to be the next Doctor for nearly fifteen months before we get to see her in action for real.

And yet, we’ve heard precious little about what will—or won’t—be on screen this year. I’m actually pretty impressed.

It has become the norm since the show returned in 2005 for a certain number of details to leak. In fact, whole episodes (e.g., S01E01 Rose, S08E01 Deep Breath) or scripts (much of Series Eight) have made their way to the Internet well before they were slated to air. The Night of the Doctor reportedly had to be released earlier than intended to head off a similar leak and the spoiling of the reveal within.

But episodes and other plot elements aren’t the only details to leak. Casting surprises like last year’s return of John Simm as the Master have also been a victim of loose lips. And because there’s a part of fandom that’s eager for any scrap of news they can get—and loves to share it as soon as they hear—spoilers run rampant in such a way that it’s hard to avoid them if one uses the Internet at all (which is to say, a huge number of fans).

I’ve never been shy about sharing my feelings on spoilers. I much prefer to take things as they come, to have the stories and appearances revealed to me as they unfold within a given episode. (Just like I would never, ever skip ahead in a book.) Apparently that’s new showrunner Chibnall’s preference, too. So far, he’s been quite successful.

What little news has dribbled out has been through official channels. First we got to see the Doctor’s costume, then her Companions, and eventually some writers and directors. Even now, less than a month out, we’ve barely heard anything more, and what we have heard tends more toward what won’t be included than what will.

Just within the last few days, we’ve seen official reports that Moffat characters like River Song, Missy, and the Paternoster Gang won’t be back. Nor will some classics like the Daleks and Cybermen, at least for a while (huzzah to that, says I!). The production team has also confirmed that the “no hanky panky in the TARDIS” policy is back in play (which elicits another cheer from me).

So with a dearth of “we’ll see X” and a growing list of “there won’t be Y,” for the first time since I became a fan, I feel like I’m going into a new series of Doctor Who knowing approximately bupkis—and nor does anyone else! For that very reason, I’m getting more and more excited about what’s to come. I can’t wait to discover this Doctor together.