Matt Smith on the new series of Doctor Who: From scary monsters to on-screen chemistry and a little inspiration from James Bond

The new series of Doctor Who will feature one of the scariest monsters viewers have seen, according to the show’s star Matt Smith.

The actor, who will be returning as the Time Lord on Easter Saturday, said there will be "a great new monster that will be on par with the Angels."

The Weeping Angles were most recently seen in last year’s finale and were responsible for the demise of the Doctor’s former companions Amy and Rory Pond. The deadly statues that move when no one is looking have proven to be the most terrifying and popular villains on the programme since it was rebooted in 2005.

Along with this new unnamed enemy that will send children scarpering behind the sofa, the series will see the return of two of the Doctor's most formidable foes: the Cybermen and the Ice Warriors. The actor added that there will be an episode with at least 40 different aliens in it as well in an intergalactic market.

Speaking about the upcoming episode entitled The Bells of Saint John the actor said: "I think Steven [Moffat] watched James Bond and got slightly inspired by that and there’s a motorbike in it, we go up the side of the Shard in London".

The Bells of Saint John introduces the new companion Clara, played by former Emmerdale and Waterloo Road star Jenna-Louise Coleman, and the plot will revolve around a sinister alien force in the Wifi. Images from the new episode were released over the weekend and include shots of the dynamic duo whizzing around present day London on a motorbike.

Click here to see preview images of the new doctor who series

On the subject of developing on-screen chemistry with his co-star, Smith said: "It’s such a weird thing Doctor Who because you do two auditions with the companion and then you go on set and they’re like ‘have some chemistry’. Like with anything, with any chemistry creatively it’s something that you have to work at, it’s not just a thing."

"Hopefully, throughout the series you see a progression with me and Jenna and also for the Doctor, he was so entwined with the Ponds, there’s something that’s become harder."

Like last year, each episode will have a cinematic scope, with some famous faces making guest appearances including Warwick Davis, Dame Diana Rigg, her daughter Rachael Stirling, Dougray Scott, Jessica Raine and Celia Imrie.

In one adventure called Journey to the Centre of the Tardis viewers will be shown more of the Time Lord’s ship than they have ever seen before.

"I really wanted to see the Doctor’s bedroom and didn’t. Wouldn’t that be great? I thought he would have a space safari park in there as well, where he’s collated mad animals throughout the universe who sort of just hang around. What’s really exciting about that episode is that it’s not all walls and corridors, there’s different parts to the Tardis," continued Smith.

This year marks the show's 50th anniversary and as part of the celebrations a special episode shot in 3D will be broadcast in November. Filming on the special will start next month and Moffat has said that the script is kept under lock and key on his computer to prevent any story lines from being leaked.

Although Smith could not give anything away about the 50 anniversary special, he promised that fans "won’t be disappointed," before adding: "What I think he’s written is spellbinding and there’s parts of it in mad 3D and what he’s done with that idea is really clever, he’s not just thrown things at the screen. And he’s [Moffat] been waiting to write this script forever."  

Doctor who will return on Saturday 30 March with 'The Bells of Saint John