We’re about to reach the end of David Tennant’s brief but welcome return run as the Fourteenth Doctor. So, it’s time to start anticipating which villains the new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, will be facing in his upcoming run. Returning showrunner Russell T. Davies has already confirmed that the Fifteenth Doctor won’t be facing off against Daleks or Cybermen. At least not in his first season, anyway. Davies says both of the Doctor’s classic enemies need a “good pause.” As a long-time Whovian, I’d probably add the Master to that pause list as well, as excited as I’d be to see either Michelle Gomez or Sacha Dhawan, or, bless my hearts, both come back. 

Ncuti’s debut season will introduce new enemies. I’m always stoked for new and interesting villains. However, there are Doctor Who villains, fiends, foes, and frenemies from the show’s past and other mediums who can make a long-awaited return or a first-time debut onscreen. “The Star Beast” did excellent work of adapting a classic Doctor Who comic story and the Celestial Toymaker is coming back for the first time in decades in the final anniversary special, so digging into the past seems like a good move. Here are a few baddies we’d love to see face off against Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor in the near future.

The Rutans

One of the major bits of Doctor Who lore focuses on the Sontarans, a stout race of alien clones at constant war with their sworn enemies, the Rutans. We’ve seen the Sontarans make frequent returns to Doctor Who since their first appearance in 1973’s “The Time Warrior.” But the only time we’d ever seen a Rutan on TV was in 1977’s “The Horror of Fang Rock.” The Sontarans might not like to hear me say this, but it’s time for some more Rutans!

The Aggedor of Peladon

The Third Doctor serial “The Monster of Peladon” (1974) is one of the rare times we see the Doctor return to a planet to discover how its culture is progressing. (It takes place 50 years (in the series time, not ours) after the 1972 story “The Curse of Peladon.”) While the Aggedor wasn’t ultimately an antagonist, its role in the superstitions and reverence to the culture of Peladon would make a fun story. The show can revisit in perhaps another generation or two after we last saw them onscreen.

The Selachians

The Selachians are a frequent Big Finish audio antagonist. They are alien sharks who have been awkwardly shoved into big bulky battle-mech suits. They can roam outside the ocean and conquer the universe. I don’t know what else I have to say to convince you this would make an amazing monster to see on TV? You can call the episode “Shark Week.” Please make this Doctor Who villain come to life.

The Ravenous

We see a lot of the Doctor protecting others from their enemies, and we see the Master toy with the Doctor. But we rarely get a monster that exists as a direct threat to the Doctor. The Ravenous are Big Finish monsters and a total trigger warning for those with clown phobias. These killers are from a world inside the time vortex devour the regeneration energy of Time Lords. Given how few Time Lords are left in the universe after the Time War, the Ravenous hunting down Ncuti’s Doctor to feed on his energy could be a delightfully intense story.

Nobody No-One

Look, I like when Doctor Who gets weird. And you can’t get much weirder than this Big Finish foe who comes from an alternate universe where Word Lords exist instead of Time Lords. A being who travels in a CORDIS (Conveyance of Repeating Dialogue in Space-Time) and can manifest the spoken word into great power for himself is wild. Nobody No-One would make a great TV antagonist in this era of grand CGI budgets, and an excellent foe for a character whose primary trait is running his mouth. 

Gangers

One of the biggest themes of Doctor Who is having empathy and understanding the plight of others. But a lot of the villains we run into are fairly black and white as far as being “bad.” The Gangers, introduced in the Eleventh Doctor two-parter “The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People,” were synthetic avatars of humans created to do dangerous tasks. They gained sentience and then resisted the painful deaths they were often subjected to when seen as disposable.

When the Doctor left them, Gangers were starting to push for rights in society, but the episode did reveal that the technology for making them still existed centuries later in the future. Revisiting the Gangers at a later time when their ongoing fight for autonomy is still a struggle would be a great opportunity to show another antagonist with a morality that has to be addressed.

Raxacoricofallapatorians

This one is a stretch, but hear me out. The Slitheen, a family of criminals from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorious (good luck, spell check!), appeared in three episodes of Christopher Eccleston’s first and only season in 2005. They were also in the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. They’re also one of the most quickly mocked aliens in Doctor Who, with good reason. They’re a fart joke… and not a particularly good one.

But they’re also a weird relic of the last time the show was brand new again and struggling to find its voice, tone, and footing. And when Davies brought one back for “Boom Town” towards the end of that season, he still managed to do it in a way that made even these cringey characters interesting and layered. I would love to see him tackle this alien again with his contemporary sensibilities. Perhaps he can take this past punchline and turn it into something amazing.

Other Time Lords

The Master and the Doctor are fun and all, but there are a whole host of antagonistic Time Lords from Doctor Who’s history that could make a welcome appearance. While they’ve shown up in comics and audio dramas, sometimes the continuity for them gets murky and could serve to be solidified a bit more by the TV show. The First and Second Doctor’s time lord antagonists the Monk and the War Chief would be a welcome sight, as well as The Rani who vexed the Sixth and Seventh. 

Big Finish audios feature an interesting take on a Time Lord antagonist with the Renegade, also known as “The Eleven.” This character suffers from a regenerative dissonance. This means all of their previous regenerations still exist as separate, active identities within their mind. Basically, imagine a multi-Doctor episode played by one actor.

And let’s not forget Rassilon himself, who has appeared twice since 2005 played by Timothy Dalton and Donald Sumpter. Even if Gallifrey is still a smoldering ruin, Sumpter’s Rassilon was exiled by the Doctor and could still be out roaming the universe. And maybe he is still a bit annoyed by it all.

There are lots of favorite monsters from the 60 years of this show that would be a welcome sight, will we see any of them, or will a new cadre of baddies make us hide behind the couch? Only time will tell.

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Sixty years after its TV debut, Doctor Who is still going strong and heading into yet another era. The show’s Christmas 2023 special will be the first adventure for Ncuti Gatwa, who will portray the Fifteenth Doctor. Then, he will take over the TARDIS with Russell T Davies leading the way once again as a showrunner in the near future.  This era doesn’t have an official name yet—we are calling it the Bad Wolf era for now—but Davies is setting it apart from the modern era’s 13 seasons by dubbing it season one. (It will not reboot nor ignore previous events.) What can we expect from this fresh slate of stories across time and space? Here’s what we know about Doctor Who season one, which is not season 14 after all.

Doctor Who Season One’s Plot 

Doctor Who always teeters between a season-long arc and weekly adventures. Who knows what will happen in Ncuti Gatwa’s first season as the Doctor?! We know there will be lots of villains, time-traveling, and tough decisions made by The Doctor. This season will have eight episodes and, for now, the titles are unknown. Right now, the main focus is on the 60th anniversary specials with Fourteen and Donna Noble. 

We do know that the Christmas special—which technically counts as a part of season one—is called “The Church on Ruby Road.” And we do have some new information about it! Here’s what Doctor Who‘s website had to say:

The episode sees the Doctor come face-to-face with the mythical and mysterious goblins as his life collides with Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.

Little is known about Ruby Sunday as she was abandoned on Christmas Eve as a baby. Now living with her mum, Carla and grandmother, Cherry her world is about to be turned upside when she encounters the Doctor and the two set off on their first adventure together…

Davies himself said in an SFX interview that this special will reset the series, which isn’t shocking. “It’s completely a reinvention. Reinvention of the show, brand new, but not a reboot, it’s the same old show, everything starts again, everything’s seen through the eyes of Ruby Sunday and it’s that lovely feeling of here we go, a new era beginning,” said Davies. We wonder what new territory the show will traverse.

It seems that the show is in its cute villain era. We just got Beep the (Homicidal) Meep and now we are getting a goblin creature. Check out his photo along with a few others from the episode.

Click To View Gallery

We haven’t see substantial footage yet but we should be getting it soon.

Behind the Scenes

As previously stated, Russell T Davies is back as the showrunner for Doctor Who. The list of directors include Dylan Holmes Williams, Mark Tonderai, Julie Anne Robinson, Ben Chessell, and Jamie Donoghue. Composer Murray Gold also returns to the show as a composer. Bad Wolf Studios (named after the Rose/Nine story arc) is now a co-producer of the series. Doctor Who season one wrapped filming in July 2023 and is already working on season two.

Doctor Who Season One’s Cast 

Millie Gibson will co-star alongside Gatwa’s Doctor as Ruby Sunday. It will be exciting to see their relationship unfold because they make quite the stylish pair. The Christmas special cast includes Davina McCall, a popular British TV personality who will be playing herself. Michelle Greenidge will play Ruby’s mother Carla, Angela Wynter is Ruby’s grandmother Cherry, and Anita Dobson portrays Mrs. Flood.

Now, for the remainder of the season. Bonnie Langford will reprise her role as Sixth/Seventh Doctor companion Mel Bush and Jemma Redgrave is coming back as UNIT boss Kate Stewart. There are quite a few new faces coming to Doctor Who, including Lenny Rush as Morris, Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam, and Indira Varma as the Duchess. Jonathan Groff and Jinx Monsoon are also joining the cast in roles that have yet to be fully defined. Monsoon will portray “the Doctor’s most powerful enemy yet,” while Groff will appear in a historical episode. 

Doctor Who Season One’s Release Date

Doctor Who season one will hit BBC and Disney+ sometime in 2024. The Christmas special will air on Christmas Day 2023.

Originally published November 28, 2023.

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Doctor Who sprinted back onto television in 2005 after a lengthy hiatus. Since then, the show has been running full steam ahead with several Doctors and companions traversing time and space for mind-blowing adventures. This year, fans will celebrate sixty years of Doctor Who with a slate of anniversary specials that end with us meeting the show’s Fifteenth Doctor. Ncuti Gatwa is set to helm the greatest sci-fi series of all-time and it is going to be a blast. Doctor Who series 14 will reset the series once again with another “clean slate,” bringing in fresh faces and familiar creatives to kick off a new era.

We’ll get our first adventure with Gatwa on Christmas Day of 2023. Doctor Who‘s holiday special will air on December 25, 2023. In the United States, it will stream on Disney+. And recently, the streamer revealed the name of Ncuti Gatwa’s first Christmas special in a release sharing its holiday line-up. Disney+ shared that the Doctor Who Holiday Special will be called “The Church on Ruby Road.” Sounds like it this festive episode will feature the Doctor’s new companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson. We’re excited to see how the two finally get to meet.

Here’s everything we know about Doctor Who series 14 so far. 

Doctor Who Series 14’s Plot 

Doctor Who? Plot? What does that mean? I am kidding. We can only assume that this season of Doctor Who will function like the others with a mix of episodic plots, two-parters, a few ongoing threads as the TARDIS team gels together, and some sort of seasonal arc. Based on a few outfits we have seen so far, we know that the Fourteenth Doctor will travel to several time periods in the past. This season will be short, however, with just eight episode and a Christmas special. 

Behind the Scenes 

Russell T Davies is returning as Doctor Who’s showrunner and a writer in season 14. He was previously the showrunner during the show’s early revival years from 2005-2010. Mark Tonderai, who directed Rosa, will return to direct a couple of episodes, too. Other directors include Dylan Holmes Williams, Julie Anne Robinson, Ben Chessell, and Jamie Donoughue. This is the first season that the show will be produced by Bad Wolf, Ltd. Filming for the series concluded in July 2023. 

Doctor Who Series 14’s Cast 

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson will lead the series as the Fourteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, respectively. And, as always with Doctor Who, there will be a lot of guest stars. Bonnie Langford will reprise her role as the Classic era companion Mel Bush. Jemma Redgrave will return as UNIT leader Kate Stewart. Drag Race star Jinx Monsoon will portray the Doctor’s “most powerful enemy yet,” Lenny Rush will play a character named Morris, Jonathan Groff will also take on a key role in the season.

India Varma (Torchwood) is taking on a new role as the Duchess. Of course, there are other actors like Anita Dobson and Michelle Greenridge are taking on undisclosed roles. Hopefully we will know more about them as the season nears. 

Doctor Who Series 14’s Release Date 

Doctor Who season 14 will hit the BBC and Disney+ sometime in 2024, following Ncuti Gatwa’s first full episode in a Christmas 2023 special which will air on Christmas Day. 

Originally published on July 20, 2023.

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With the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who less than six months away, the production seems ready to pull out all the stops. Not only will David Tennant and Catherine Tate come back for a trio of specials—not to mention a host of cool guest stars—but another legacy companion will return to the series. The BBC today announced Bonnie Langford, who portrayed the Sixth and Seventh Doctor’s companion Melanie Bush in the 1980s, will come back to act alongside Ncuti Gatwa in the next full series.

Langford was a big stage actor prior to her casting in Doctor Who and continued to be so afterward. Mel was an interesting companion. Her first onscreen episode, as part of the season-long “Trial of a Time Lord” arc was not actually her first canonical story. That one never ended up on screen. After six episodes with the Sixth Doctor, she continued on as the Seventh Doctor’s first companion but left at the end of season 24. Her departure gave way to Ace, one of the most beloved companions of all time.

Langford reprised her role of Mel over the years in various Big Finish Doctor Who audio plays. She also appeared briefly on screen in “The Power of the Doctor,” the Thirteenth Doctor’s final story. That special also saw Ace, Tegan, Ian Chesterton, Jo Grant, and more companions return.

The actress said of her Doctor Who return as Mel:

I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing Melanie Bush back. To be part of the exceptional cast, crew and production team led by the force of nature that is Russell T Davies is a career highlight. I’m so privileged and proud to have been a member of the Doctor Who family since the classic era and to be included in the new generation is phenomenal.

Showrunner Russell T Davies added the following:

Open those TARDIS doors wide, because Bonnie’s back! What an honour, delight and hoot to welcome back the character of Melanie, after too long away. And this isn’t just a cameo, Bonnie is right in the thick of the action, battling monsters and chaos and cliffhangers, right at the Doctor’s side, just like the old days.

The Doctor Who 60th-anniversary celebration will begin in November. It airs exclusively on Disney+ outside of the UK and Ireland and on the BBC in those territories.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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One of the hardest things fans have to do is say goodbye to their favorite characters and dynamics. But on Doctor Who, this is a regular occurrence as Time Lords regenerate and companions move on to make room for new friends. Doctor Who also always offers the hope that fan-favorite characters and Doctors will return, though. What is timey wimey stuff good for anyway, if not to bring back some familiar faces? But the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special has gone above and beyond. It will not only bring back David Tennant as the Tenth, now Fourteenth, Doctor, but it will also likely reunite him with universally loved Doctor Who companion Donna Noble. Catherine Tate will return as everyone’s favorite redhead.

The trailer for the Doctor Who anniversary special will likely bring you to tears, even if you only label yourself a casual fan of the show. Who doesn’t love reunions? (Or, almost reunions, as the case may be.)

“Allons-y!” David Tennant’s Doctor says, and the crowd goes wild. Of course, the 60th anniversary special can’t be all fun and games. Because as the Doctor Who trailer reminds us if Donna Noble ever remembers her time with the Doctor, then she will die. That’s high stakes, but we’re sure Donna will remember Ten somehow.

The trailer also introduces us to Doctor Who‘s latest villain in the form of Neil Patrick Harris. He looks to be something of a circus master and definitely sinister. But on the other hand, we get to meet the live-action version of Beep the Meep, who has to date only appeared in Doctor Who comics. What an adorable fluff ball! Of course, Ncuti Gatwa’s delightful Doctor makes an appearance right at the end. We can’t wait to see how he works into the adventure.

That’s a lot for one small teaser. Though the 60th-anniversary special trailer has us excited for more Doctor Who right now, we’ll have to wait a while longer to see Ten, Donna, and the rest. The special will begin to air in November 2023. Ncuti Gatwa and his Fifteenth Doctor will then arrive on our screens in 2024. Allons-y!

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Doctor Who’s next era—which we are totally calling the Bad Wolf era—is already setting the stage for something epic. First, there’s the bizarre turn of events that David Tennant will be the Fourteenth Doctor alongside Donna Noble for a bit. But, what’s even more exciting is to see the incredibly delightful Ncuti Gatwa step into the role as the Fifteenth Doctor. He will be joined by Millie Gibson, who will portray his companion Ruby Sunday. (What a fun companion name!) Fans have been very curious about what Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor costume would look like since his announcement. It makes sense, considering he’s a very fashionable guy with eclectic taste. And now we finally know what the Fifteen Doctor will look like with some first-look photos and videos of his costume! 

Surprisingly, Doctor Who‘s Fifteenth Doctor doesn’t have an outfit full of brightness and colors. But, when you think about it, that makes sense considering Thirteen was all about rainbows. Instead, Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor costume is giving stylish and sexy professor with his costume. Love to see it. The brown and black plaid trousers, along with a long coat that will surely flow in the wind while he’s running, are perfect on him. It is virtually law for the Doctor to have an iconic jacket.

If you’re looking to nab the screen-accurate version of this Doctor Who costume, then you may not have luck. It is Nanushka (according to eagle-eyed cosplayers) and sold out on the US website. But, this is a look that can possibly be replicated easily with another brand or, for the intrepid and talented cosplayers among us, made by hand. And Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor costume also includes a very cozy-looking cropped orange sweater, which some fans have IDed as an H&M item. The Fifteen Doctor outfit caps off with Grenson boots that will set you back around $520… if you can find them on the website. Good luck!

Now, for the details that we really love. First, there’s the set of five rings that the Fifteenth Doctor is wearing to complete his outfit. There doesn’t seem to be a significance to wearing five specifically, but they look incredibly cool. It is not the first time we’ve seen the Doctor wear rings as part of their costume. Both Three and Twelve wore them too! What does have more significance is the Gallifreyan artwork on the Fifteenth Doctor’s fingernails. Right now, there is no definitive word on what these symbols mean. A couple of fans speculate that show hints, including something about 13 episodes in Gatwa’s first season, lie hidden in there. But we will have to wait and see if we get further confirmation. 

And, for the greatest part of all. Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor has a mustache. I repeat, there is a Doctor with a mustache. We’ve seen Doctors who don’t fall into the numerical lineup (like the War Doctor) have facial hair; however, this is the first numbered Doctor to have a mustache on Doctor Who. We saw him wearing it in a previous teaser, and, thank the Gallifreyan gods, he kept it. 

Of course, we also love Ruby Sunday’s very cosplayable outfit. From the standout jacket with a fur collar to that sold-out Topshop sweater and those really cute shorts, we can imagine that there will be a lot of Ruby Sundays showing up at conventions in 2023. Costuming is one of the most fun elements of Doctor Who and we can’t wait to see our new Doctor Who and his companion rocking their costumes and running off for wild adventures.

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The second reign of Russell T Davies as Doctor Who showrunner has wasted little time. Fittingly. From announcing new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa to the intriguing teaser for the 60th anniversary, Davies has done more promo for the show before his even airs than the previous regime did in toto. Hell, under Davies we know the show will air globally on Disney+! Now, as part of the UK’s annual Children in Need telethon, we know who Gatwa’s first companion will be. Say hello to actor Millie Gibson, who will join the series as companion Ruby Sunday.

Ruby Sunday is perhaps the most RTD name in history. Has a very “Rose Tyler” ring to it. Gibson is only 18, which makes me feel about a million years old. However, this roughly puts her the age of Rose when she joined the TARDIS in 2005. But now I’m just 17 years older, is the problem. Anyway.

According to the official announcement, Gibson will join some time next year once Gatwa officially takes over. Speaking of her new role, Gibson said:

“Whilst still being in total disbelief, I am beyond honoured to be cast as the Doctor’s companion. It is a gift of a role, and a dream come true, and I will do everything to try and fill the boots the fellow companions have travelled in before me. And what better way to do that than being by the fabulous Ncuti Gatwa’s side, I just can’t wait to get started.”

Gatwa had this to say of his new co-star:

“Millie just is the companion. She is full of talent, strength, she has a cheeky sparkle in her eye and is sharp as a razor. From the moment she walked into the room she captured all of our attention with her effervescence and then solidified that attention with the sheer torque of her talent. This adventure is going to be so wild and so fun, I cannot WAIT to sail the universe with Millie!”

And Davies, his typical tease-happy self, had this to say:

“It’s the great honour of my job to find the next generation of talent, and Millie shines like a star already. She’s brilliant, dynamic, clever and a wonderful actor. As a Coronation Street fan, I’ve seen Millie survive chases, guns and sieges, but that’s nothing compared to what lies ahead for Ruby Sunday.”

The report also confirmed that David Tennant’s new Fourteenth Doctor would star in three specials to coincide with Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary after which time Gatwa’s Fifteenth would take over. 2023 is close, but we don’t know exactly when the specials will air. I guess time—get it?—will tell.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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Doctor Who gave Jodie Whittaker, a.k.a. the Thirteenth Doctor, a sendoff full of action and heartwarming cameos from days gone by. While many fans assumed that we would get our first glimpse of Ncuti Gatwa, whom we’ve been mostly calling Fourteen until now, that was not the case. In a surprising yet unsurprising (after seeing the episode) move, Thirteen regenerates into a former version of The Doctor. Now, we have a very confused Tenth Doctor (hello David Tennant) wondering what is going on. It left fans wondering where Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor falls in the lineup.

No worries, Whovians, he is not a rogue version of The Doctor. Ncuti Gatwa will portray the Fifteenth Doctor, with David Tennant officially being the Fourteenth Doctor. It is very wild. 

We got this confirmation from none other than returning showrunner Russell T Davies himself. Here’s what he had to say about Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, David Tennant’s return, and more: 

If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way! The path to Ncuti’s Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!

And boy, do Whovians love to speculate. It will be interesting to see what theories people come up with and why. This return to Tennant’s Doctor as Fourteen does make sense in a couple of ways. First, we saw the Master mess with Thirteen’s regeneration cycle, so we knew it would probably affect her in some profound way.

And, with next year being the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, we can expect lots of wonderful fanservice in those specials. That is a lot to put on a new Doctor while trying to fully establish who they are. It is a nice bridge of sorts that will lead us into what we are calling the Bad Wolf era, giving Ncuti Gatwa a fresh new slate to start on as the Fifteenth Doctor. And we love him already from this very short clip where he, like us, wants to know what the hell is going on.

We cannot wait to see him take over the TARDIS as Doctor Who continues to make history.

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It is the end of an era in more ways than one. Doctor Who is preparing to go into yet another phase (one that we truly believe is the Bad Wolf era) with another “clean slate.” Fans are bidding a sad farewell to the Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Dan, and showrunner Chris Chibnall in “The Power of the Doctor,” which will air on October 23. This story has been pretty hush-hush since its announcement until “The Power of the Doctor” trailer hit us all with those complex regeneration feels as Thirteen gets ready for her last episode. 

Of course, it is exciting to see the return of Sacha Dhawan’s very hot Master, along with Vinder and Kate. And we get an extra treat for Thirteen’s sendoff with Classic era companions Ace and Tegan! In The Power of the Doctor clip, we hear the Master (who looks a bit scraggly) tell the Doctor that her life is coming to an end. She teams up with Kate to go searching for missing seismologists, which brings her back across the path of Ace once again.

One thing is for sure…this Doctor is very different from the one that Ace was with decades ago. Oh yes, and there is a Dalek incursion happening because there’s always some mess with the Daleks. Those guys will outlive us all. The Doctor Who trailer ends with that dreaded moment of regeneration energy surging from a very scared Doctor’s face. It is always hard to say goodbye, but we are all very curious to (presumably) get our first glimpse of Ncuti Gatwa as the Fourteenth Doctor. Seeing him in Thirteen’s delightfully colorful outfit will surely spark a lot of joy.

“The Power of the Doctor” certainly gave us a hype Doctor Who trailer full of questions, fire, and what could turn out to be yet another heartbreaking swan song for our beloved time traveler. Let’s see how it all goes down and prepare ourselves for the big feels as Thirteen’s last episode hits our screens.

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As the Jodie Whittaker/Chris Chibnall era of Doctor Who awaits its final episode this fall during the BBC’s Centenary celebration, we’ve begun to get information about the show’s future. We know that Russell T Davies will be returning as showrunner. We know a lot about big casting details like the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Plus there are new faces like Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Yasmin Finney as a mysterious new Rose. With both actors, the long-running series continues its slow but ever-improving work towards being a much more inclusive and representative work. But will this new RTD era, this post-60th anniversary be more than just another of the show’s traditional handoffs of writers and cast? Could we be about to enter a brand new epoch of Doctor Who as we know it?

Doctor Who‘s Holy Trinity of Eras (So Far)

Before we dive too far into what’s coming, let’s take a look at what has been. When talking about Doctor Who, fans usually divide it into two main categories. There’s Classic Who and Modern Who, or “NuWho.” Classic Who starts at the beginning in 1963 when the show was first created by Sydney Newman and shaped by Verity Lambert and Waris Hussein with star William Hartnell (a process lovingly dramatized in the film An Adventure in Space and Time). The Classic Era goes up until the initial cancellation of the series in 1989, seven Doctors later. NuWho, an increasingly inaccurate nickname, began in 2005. Russell T Davies brought the show back to television with Christopher Eccleston in the semi-titular role and it continues until the present. 

There is also a less remarked upon era of Who, yet no less important. Normally reserved to conversations of the sort of obsessive Whovians who might attend conventions, produce Who podcasts, or write articles with titles like “Are We at the Edge of a New Doctor Who Era?” is the Wilderness Years. It is the vague, semi-mournful, semi-nostalgic term for the disconnected space of time in between 1989 and 2005. Way back when the fans were lost in the wilderness, so to speak. 

A consistent TV series did not exist in that gap of time; however, Doctor Who was by no means dormant. The content produced during the Wilderness Era would leave a sizable impact on the show to come. The New Adventures novels, which began publishing in 1991, featured new Who stories by writers from the classic era, like Terrance Dicks and Andrew Cartmel. And, the novels included some of the voices that would later shape the NuWho era, like Paul Cornell, Mark Gatiss, and Russell T Davies. In 1995, an attempt to reboot the show as an American series ultimately became the Fox television movie starring Paul McGann as the Doctor. Then in 1999, Big Finish Productions began creating audio plays of Who stories. This took place the same year of the BBC’s official parody of the show for the Red Nose Day charity, The Curse of Fatal Death. 

A New Doctor Who Era on the Horizon: Welcome to Bad Wolf

As mentioned before, Doctor Who came back to TV in 2005. NuWho introduced us to five main Doctors, two significant secret Doctors from other points in time, and a whole host of companions, monsters, and feels. The BBC, either by BBC Wales or BBC Studios, is the producer behind the show. That is about to change. While not as attention-grabbing as the return of RTD or his big casting decisions, one major new development in Doctor Who involves this switch up. After Jodie Whittaker hangs up her iconic coat, the production of the series will go to a third-party production company, Bad Wolf. 

Bad Wolf comes with a Who pedigree of its own. The company’s founders Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter were both highly involved with the show’s return in 2005. In fact, their company name comes from the first revival season’s mysterious “Bad Wolf” arc. BBC Studios will continue to distribute the show; however, we don’t know how the co-production with Bad Wolf will work financially. We do know that about a month after the announcement, Sony Pictures Television purchased Bad Wolf. This acquisition is likely sweetened by the presence of a certain blue box that’s bigger on the inside. 

We can also assume that Bad Wolf’s new involvement plays a role in why RTD is back at the controls. His return announcement came at the same time as the Bad Wolf co-production deal announcement in the fall of 2021. What makes this so interesting is earlier that same year—before Chibnall and Whittaker’s departure had been made public—RTD gave Radio Times an interesting quote. He said Doctor Who should create expanded content at the level of Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek. Among his ideas were the return of Tate’s Donna Noble and further adventures of Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. Both of which are appearing in the 60th-anniversary special.

In November 2021, a month after Sony’s purchase, Bad Wolf filed for a new subsidiary company. Whoniverse 1 Ltd. is an almost blatant nod to RTD’s above statement. Looking at the facts together seems to signal what is in the works. A former showrunner make ambitious statements about the potential future of the show. Then, he gets hired for his old gig but does it alongside a new deal. One that could potentially establish exactly the sort of big picture future he laid out. 

We can’t say for certain what Doctor Who will look like in 2023 and beyond. But it feels very likely that it will be as new and different from the Who we’ve seen so far. And there’s a good chance that the Bad Wolf era could be a distinctly fourth epoch in Doctor Who‘s history. Another regeneration, if you will.

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Doctor Who and change go together like peanut butter and jelly. The show’s ability to survive and thrive over nearly six decades is because of its rotating cast for both the Doctor and their traveling companions. The latest incarnation of the Doctor broke ground with Jodie Whittaker as the first woman to step into the iconic role. And, with her impending departure, fans knew it would be only a matter of time before we got big news. Who will be the Fourteenth Doctor on Doctor Who? Now we know… and it is glorious news indeed. Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa of Sex Education fame will step into Doctor Who’s beloved TARDIS as the next Doctor. 

Gatwa is the first Black man (and the youngest actor) to take on the show’s lead role in a full-time capacity. Recently, Doctor Who did introduce an incarnation of the Doctor (known as Fugitive Doctor), played by the lovely Jo Martin. (Her reveal certainly meant a lot to me.) And many fans wondered if the show would go back to its default of having a white male actor lead the way. But this announcement shows that Doctor Who is continuing to evolve in a bold and brilliant way. The Doctor is, in fact, an alien who presents as human. So they can be whatever they choose. And, it’s thrilling to see that face starting to reflect the show’s diverse global fanbase. 

The news came on Mother’s Day in the USA as Ncuti Gatwa and returning showrunner Russell T Davies hit the BAFTA TV Awards red carpet. He spoke briefly about becoming the next Doctor, saying he’d known since February. Ncuti Gatwa jokes around and reveals that the Fourteenth Doctor news was hard to hold in. Why? Because, in his words, he’s terrible at keeping a secret.

As a fan of Doctor Who and Sex Education, Gatwa is such a great choice for the role. He can deliver the high-octane energy, tinge of sadness, chaotic weirdness, gripping gravitas, and wild whimsicalness that our beloved Time Lord possesses. And Gatwa seems like just a general delight in general. His excitement about giving all of his single heart to this role. He’s stylish with a flair and we hope this shows up in his Doctor.

We will get our first glimpse of Ncuti Gatwa as the Fourteenth Doctor sometime in October when Thirteen’s swan song airs. There’s a lot to look forward to: new Doctor, iconic costume, companion(s), and adventures. And I cannot wait to see Ncuti Gatwa at the helm of it all. 

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