Grab your fez, bowtie and sonic screwdriver – Doctor Who was back at the Con! Season 8 left Peter Capaldi with some pretty big shoes to fill, and while the world misses Matt Smith dearly, the new Doctor brought in the highest ratings the show has ever seen.

Joining Peter on the panel were his co-workers, Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswold), Michelle Gomez (Missy), and Lead Writer/Producer Steven Moffat. Moderated by Chris Hardwick (Nerdist) who is a known ‘whovian,’ the panel reflected a great enthusiasm for this series, a passion that’s been running for decades!

Even Peter himself has been a fan of Doctor Who since he was 6 years old, and he finds it a true honor to be playing the role of this dreams. This was Peter Capaldi’s first appearance at Comic-Con and commented that it felt “cosmic” to be surrounded by 7,000 fans.

Panel Highlights:

Steven on Peter’s accent: “He’s Scottish…which is automatically better!” He jokingly addressed the change of accent in the Doctor, but then hypothetically asked the audience, “Why would he have any particular accent anyway?” He’s the Doctor: a 2,000-year-old alien who travels all of time and space, he’s not limited.

The moment Peter truly felt like the Doctor: One of this favorite elements about the film is the “B-movie element” and truly felt at one with his character when they threw a rubber spider in his face and was asked to fight it.

Missy and the Doctor’s relationship: They have a friendship and are very similar in ways. They both kill people, but the difference is the Doctor feels bad about it and Missy doesn’t.

Jenna, on how Clara handled the Doctor’s regeneration: “Your best friend changes his face, and you don’t know who to trust anymore.” As Jenna, she was sad to say goodbye to Matt, but excited for her new friendship with Peter.

What’s next for Clara and the Doctor: Steven explained that they characters are much more comfortable with each other now, and are in a good “groove.” These characters have this “immense toybox” and all of time and space in the universe to go play!

PLUS! Attendees were treated to a never-before-seen trailer for Season 9, which featured a cameo of Mazie Williams (Game of Thrones). The new season starts September 19th 2015 on BBC America.

THE END!