Doctor Who series 9: Osgood returns from the dead to face Zygons

But Ingrid Oliver's character will not be quite what she seems

Kate Stewart, Osgood and The Doctor (BBC)

Doctor Who creator Steven Moffat has revealed he’s not averse to a U-turn and is bringing much-loved UNIT scientist and the Doctor’s biggest superfan Osgood back from the dead.

The character, played by Ingrid Oliver, was killed off by Missy (Michelle Gomez) in the show’s series eight finale, Death in Heaven, but she will return “fresh from her recent murder” to face the Zygons alongside Peter Capaldi’s Time Lord and Jenna Coleman’s assistant.

“We recently confirmed that Osgood was definitely dead and not returning – but in a show about time travel, anything can happen,” the series’ writer Moffat said.

Moffat did, however, hint that a revitalised Osgood might not be all she seems. “The brilliant Ingrid Oliver is back in action,” he said. “This time though, can the Doctor trust his number one fan?”

The last time we saw Osgood as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart’s assistant was with the Twelfth Doctor during an invasion of Earth by an army of Cybermen led by a new, female incarnation of the Master.

Osgood played by Ingrid Oliver (BBC)

She will return to come face-to-face with the shape-shifting extra-terrestrial Zygons, as they also return for the new series.

They last appeared in ‘The Day of the Doctor’ for the show’s 50th anniversary episode.

“As every actor who’s worked on Doctor Who will tell you, there’s always the secret hope you’ll get the call asking you to come back,” Oliver said.

“I was so sure Osgood was a goner after the last series!”

The two-part episode, written by Peter Harness, is currently being filmed in Cardiff.

Guest roles in the double episode have been confirmed for Jemma Redgrave, Jaye Griffiths, Cleopatra Dickens, Sasha Dickens, Abhishek Singh, Todd Kramer, Jill Winternitz, Nicholas Asbury, Jack Parker and Aidan Cook.

Series nine will be back on BBC One in Autumn 2015.