Following the BBC’s co-production deal with Welsh company Bad Wolf Studios and global distribution deal with Disney+, the future of Doctor Who looks good, and it kicks off with Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson’s new companion, Ruby Sunday.
However, as of 2023, it’s been a while since the last run of Doctor who – while we’ve had the six-part miniseries Fluxalso known as Series 13, and a series of specials in 2022 and 2023 – there hasn’t been a full run since Jodie Whittaker’s second series in early 2020.
On the other hand, given the COVID-19 pandemic and the filming restrictions that followed, it’s a miracle that we have new Doctor who not at all. But with returning head writer and executive producer Russell T. Davies leading the way in the next era, the plan is to return to the annual Doctor who series ahead.
Read more: Doctor Who stars welcome Ncuti Gatwa to the show
Filming on the eight-episode series began in December 2022, with directors Mark Tonderai, (who made episodes of The Ghost Monument and Rosa in 2018), Dylan Holmes Williams, (Apple TV’s Servant) and Julie Anne Robinson (Netflix’s Bridgerton) behind the camera on the first three production blocks of the new series.
But what can we expect and when will it be on TV? There’s plenty to look forward to already, so let’s take a look at what we know so far…
When will Doctor Who Series 14 be on TV?
Doctor Who Series 14 is expected to premiere in the UK on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in early 2024. There are no confirmed dates at the moment, but we do know that the rest of the world can expect to see the show on Disney+ at the same time as the UK. , courtesy of the distribution deal announced in October 2022.
The first episode featuring the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday will be a Christmas special, premiering in the UK in December 2023. Thirteenth Doctor went out on New Year’s Day instead.
It’s possible that the eight-episode series will continue weekly from there in January, as was the case with the series 12 premiere, Spyfall Part 1, which kicked off Jodie Whittaker’s second series in 2020. In any case, we know that Davies’ goal is to make Doctor Who an annual TV show again, after two years of specials.
In its column for Doctor Who Magazine, RTD said: “It takes a while to shape the empire, but that’s a serious plan: annual Doctor Who, no gap years, lots of content and so on. Yes please!”
Who’s in Doctor Who series 14?
Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the next Doctor ahead of the BAFTA awards on May 8, 2022. While it was assumed he would succeed Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, her final episode The Power Of The Doctor ended with a surprise regeneration inDavid. Tennant, making Gatwa the fifteenth Doctor.
Speaking to GQ, Davies described Gatwa’s first read-through of the script in January 2023: “He’s so unbelievably mind-blowing. I can’t wait for you to see him. He just lifts your hair off your head. He is pretty. Absolutely beautiful, in every way. So very excited.
Millie Gibson was revealed as the new companion of the doctor Ruby Sunday on the BBC Children In Need telethon on 18 November 2022. Gibson is best known for her award-winning role in ITV’s Coronation Street playing teen teen Kelly Neelan.
Since the announcement of this casting, we’ve had a costume reveal for the Fifteenth Doctor with both actors, with Gatwa in a tartan plaid jacket and trousers and an orange jumper. His doctor also has a necklace, some rings and “Gallifreyan nail tattoos”.
We’ve also had several guest cast announcements, led by the return of Jemma Redgrave as UNIT head Kate Stewart. Introduced in 2012’s The Power Of Three, she has since appeared with Doctors David Tennant, Matt Smith, John Hurt, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker, and she and UNIT will be back with Gatka’s Doctor in episodes 4 and 5 of the next series.
Newcomers include Aneurin Barnard as a mysterious new character named Roger ap Gwilliam (Peaky Blinders, The Personal History Of David Copperfield) and Jack Forsyth-Noble (Life After Life, Casting Kill) as Will. Anita Dobson (EastEnders) and Michelle Greenridge (After Life, It’s A Sin) are also among the guest stars announced so far.
What happens in Doctor Who Series 14?
At this early stage, the plot details for Doctor Who Series 14 are firmly hidden, but there is a steady stream of news of future adventures.
We’d expect the upcoming 60th anniversary specials to cover the story of the Doctor’s regeneration(s), while the Christmas special and the next series will focus on the Doctor meeting Ruby and having adventures in the TARDIS.
In addition to Series 14, 2024 could also bring a variety of spin-offs. In his previous stewardship of Doctor Who, RTD launched Torchwood on BBC Three and The Sarah Jane Adventures on CBBC, and before announcing his return in 2021, he talked about how Doctor Who should have an interconnected universe of Marvel-sized shows.
He told journalist Paul Kirkley: “When you look at those Disney announcements, all those new Star Wars and Marvel shows, you think: we should be sitting here announcing The Nyssa Adventures or The Return of Donna Noble , and you should have.” the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors together in a 10-part series.”
Since news of Davies’ return and that deal with Disney+, there have been several reports of spin-offs featuring new and returning characters from the world of Doctor Who under the “Whoniverse” banner.
These were seemingly backed up by a post on Gatwa’s Instagram in January where he poses in front of a Whoniverse logo with his Doctor on the wall at Bad Wolf Studios.
We may not get The Nyssa Adventures, but true to Davies’ word, the Whoniverse is opening up and it all begins with the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, soon to hit our TV screens…
Doctor Who returns to our screens in November with David Tennant.
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