Doctor Who season 14 is coming to our screens very soon!
The Whoniverse is firing on all cylinders right now. The third of the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials saw us waving goodbye to the 14th Doctor as he settled down for a more peaceful life after his bi-generation. Meanwhile, our 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, set off for a new adventure and took on a horde of hungry goblins alongside his new companion in the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2023.
Following that action-packed caper, all eyes looked to the future, as we awaited more info about Ncuti's first full season as the new Doctor. A teaser showed off a handful of the periods, guest stars, and villainous creatures that we'd be seeing in Doctor Who season 14 after his festive adventure. And now we have a precise release date (which has included a major shake-up for the series' schedule) and plenty more info to get us hyped ahead of the show's return.
Below, you'll find all the latest news about Doctor Who season 14, including all the latest cast news (including rumors that our new companion has been replaced for Ncuti's second series), the new teaser and more.
Doctor Who season 14 release date
The Doctor Who season 14 release date has finally been revealed, and the BBC has made some big changes to the usual schedule this time around.
For the first time ever, Doctor Who will be getting a two-episode premiere on BBC iPlayer at midnight on Saturday, May 11. The series will also get a primetime slot on BBC One, airing right before the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final later that same day.
Going forward, viewers will have the chance to watch the 15th Doctor's adventures whenever they want, as new episodes will continue to follow that pattern. They'll drop on iPlayer, before airing in their primetime slot the following Saturday.
Outside of the UK, the series now streams on Disney Plus, and the show will be airing simultaneously on the platform starting from 7 pm ET on May 10.
If you're looking to revisit some of the Time Lord's previous adventures in the meantime, be sure to check how you can watch Doctor Who online for free.
Doctor Who season 14 cast
Naturally, the top name here is Sex Education star, Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor. Will this full series mark him out amongst the best Doctor Whos?
When he was first announced as The Doctor, Ncuti said in a statement: "There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling. A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared. This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care.
In July 2023, Ncuti confirmed that he wasn't going to be a one-and-done Doctor as he will be sticking around beyond season 14. In an interview with Rolling Stone UK, the incoming Time Lord made it clear he'd be working on more episodes and revealed a little bit more info about his version of the Doctor.
"My Doctor is emotionally vulnerable. He hides it with humour, but he's lonely", Ncuti said. "I can't say much more than that; I don't want to spoil anything. But he's also energetic! The poor cameramen struggled to keep up."
Ncuti continued: "I will endeavour my utmost to do the same. Russell T Davies is almost as iconic as the Doctor himself and being able to work with him is a dream come true. His writing is dynamic, exciting, incredibly intelligent and fizzing with danger. An actor’s metaphorical playground. The entire team have been so welcoming and truly give their hearts to the show. And so as much as it’s daunting, I’m aware I’m joining a really supportive family. Unlike the Doctor, I may only have one heart but I am giving it all to this show."
As for supporting characters, the first two new stars confirmed for the series were Jemma Redgrave and Aneurin Barnard.
Jemma is reprising her role as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, the head of UNIT, and will once again by assisting the Doctor in whatever way she can against the new alien threats we'll be seeing in the next series.
Excitingly, Jemma's return as Kate Stewart came with the reveal that UNIT (the Unified Intelligence Taskforce) would be returning as a presence in the new series as well, after previously being shuttered in-universe due to budget constraints. Subsequently, there's been rumors that a UNIT spin-off could be in the works, though that's very much unconfirmed at the time of our latest update.
Comparatively, we know precious little about Aneurin Barnard's role, save for his name: Roger ap Gwilliam, a name Davies later clarified the meaning of on Instagram. Sharing the casting announcement, he wrote: "ap is Welsh for 'son of'".
The only other piece of info that we've had about Aneurin Barnard's character is that the 1899 star's character has been described as "mysterious". How will they factor into the forthcoming Doctor's life?
On January 20, the BBC confirmed that Anita Dobson and Michelle Greenidge would also be part of the season 14 cast. Michelle Greenidge plays Ruby's foster mother, Carla, whilst Anita Dobson plays Ruby's nosy neighbor, Mrs Flood.
Life After Life star Jack Forsyth-Noble is also attached to the new series, where he'll be playing a character we at least know the name of, as he's playing Will.
The BBC has also revealed they've signed up Jinkx Monsoon for Doctor Who season 14. Although their role in the show wasn't revealed at first, we've subsequently learned that Monsoon will be playing a new villain in the show.
Their character's identity hasn't been fully revealed just yet, but they have been called 'the Doctor's most powerful enemy yet' and were originally teased to play 'a major role' in the new series, so expect them to make an impact when they appear next year!
The cast for season 14 just keeps growing, too. Since Jinkx Monsoon's reveal, we've learned that Hamilton star Jonathan Groff has landed a 'mysterious' guest role in the new series. Obsession and Game of Thrones star Indira Varma is joining the show as "The Duchess", after previously appearing in the Torchwood spin-off.
Of her new role, Indira said: "I’m thrilled to be in Doctor Who and particularly excited to be crossing cosmic paths with Ncuti, as the Doctor, and look forward to creating interplanetary mischief with him. I loved playing Suzie Costello for Russell T Davies in Torchwood so am thrilled to be entering this world again."
The most recent major addition was BAFTA winner, Lenny Rush, who is on hand as a character known as Morris. Of his new role, Lenny said: "It's an absolute honour to be part of Doctor Who, one of the most iconic shows on television and wow what a dream come true!"
Russell T. Davies added: "This is what Doctor Who's all about, brand new talent from the next generation, and no one’s more talented than Lenny! He joins the TARDIS team just in time for the Doctor’s greatest nightmare, so hold on tight!”
Who's the new Doctor Who companion?
The next Doctor Who companion was revealed during Children in Need 2022 on Friday, November 18, 2022. During the show, the TARDIS appeared on stage, and we learned that Coronation Street star Millie Gibson was taking on the role after she stepped out of it!
Millie's companion is called Ruby Sunday. The 2023 Christmas Special revealed that she was a foundling baby and was left by her mother outside the church on Ruby Road.
You can watch Millie's reveal from the Children In Need show below:
Some set photos released in April saw the Doctor and Ruby sporting a vintage look as the pair stepped back in time to the swinging 60s as filming on the latest series continued. Thanks to the trailer, we now know these snaps are from an episode set at Abbey Road Studios alongside The Beatles!
Sadly, it looks like we won't be spending too much time with our new companion, as The Mirror has reported that Gibson will be replaced after this one series.
According to their report, Gibson will not appear in the forthcoming 2024 Christmas Special, and will only make 'a handful' of appearances across Ncuti's second series as the Doctor in 2025.
It's since been reported that Gibson will be replaced by Varada Seethu, whose credits include Jurassic World: Dominion, Doctor Foster, Andor and Now You See Me 2.
Is there a Doctor Who season 14 trailer?
Yes! Our first teaser followed the recent Christmas Special to comb through. In it, the 15th Doctor brags about having 'the whole universe' at his fingertips, and then we see him and Ruby crossing paths with all kinds of alien creatures (and donning all kinds of outfits!). Check it out below:
When the release date was revealed, the Doctor Who team also released another short teaser for the new series, which you can find below:
What else do we know about Doctor Who's next series?
In an issue of Doctor Who Magazine (#585, released in December 2022), returning showrunner Russell T. Davies confirmed that the new series will only be eight episodes long, though it will be accompanied by a festive special. He also indicated that the festive specials will continue for the foreseeable future, revealing that he was already working on the script for 2024!
By the sounds of things, we won't have as long to wait between seasons, either, as Davies also claimed the plan for the show going forward is to have annual, mainline seasons. "It takes a while to get the empire in shape, but that's a serious plan: annual Doctor Who, no gap years, lots of content, on and on", he said.
As international viewers now know, Doctor Who has found a new streaming home outside of the UK. Disney Branded Television and the BBC revealed they'd struck up a new deal to try and maximize the sci-fi show's global popularity.
Starting with the 60th anniversary special, new episodes of Doctor Who have been airing exclusively on Disney Plus outside of the UK (where Doctor Who has continued to air on the BBC and BBC iPlayer).
In October 2023, we learned that writers Kate Herron (Loki season 2) and Briony Redman (Pont Brec) had teamed up to write an episode of Doctor Who season 14.
Kate Herron said: "Clearly I can’t get enough of time travel. It is an absolute honour to write for Russell and Ncuti. We had so much fun and can’t wait for you all to see it."
Briony Redman added: "As a big fan of Doctor Who and Russell T Davies, it’s been a dream to write on this show."
Of the reveal, Davies said: “This is when I absolutely love my job. Working with the stellar talents of Kate and Briony makes my whole world bigger and brighter, and a lot more fun. I was a huge fan of Loki and reached out to Kate to say so - she then introduced me to Briony, and it was all systems go! They've written a wonderful script which created unique challenges for cast and crew alike. The end result is gorgeous and thrilling and scary, and not like any other episode of Doctor Who.”
The latest bit of info about Doctor Who season 14 revealed that former showrunner Steven Moffat —the writer behind some of the show's most highly-rated adventures— had penned a new episode for the new season.
Of his Whoniverse return, Moffat said: “Yes, okay, fair enough - apologies to everyone I’ve very slightly misled - I am in fact writing an episode of the series of Doctor Who. Exactly like I said I never would. What can I tell you? There was begging, there was pleading but finally Russell agreed to let me have another go - so long as I got out of his garden.
"Working with old friends and a brand new Doctor I couldn’t be happier. Sorry I was a bit reticent on the subject for so long. It was all part of an elaborate plan that would have delighted millions but at the last minute I forgot what it was.”
BAFTA and Emmy award-nominee Julie-Anne Robinson was behind the camera as the director for Steven Moffat's episode, and she's revealed that the overall tone Moffat was aiming for was 'Hitchcock'. Sounds like we're in for a truly thrilling caper!
Will there be another season?
Yes, Ncuti Gatwa will be getting at least two seasons as the titular Time Lord, and we got a progress update on his second series not long back.
On October 23, 2023, the official Doctor Who social feed announced that filming had commenced on season 15! Hopefully, that will mean that the gap between his season won't be too long?!
TARDIS at the ready! 🎬 Filming starts today on Ncuti Gatwa’s second series as the Doctor #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/Melhdtw9MbOctober 23, 2023
