Sixty years after its TV debut, Doctor Who is still going strong and heading into yet another era. Ncuti Gatwa, who will portray the Fifteenth Doctor, has taken over the TARDIS with Russell T Davies leading the way once again as a showrunner. 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?
Well, we do know that Steven Moffat is in the mix. His episode, titled “Boom,” is highly-anticipated among fans and he confirmed that he also penned the 2024 Christmas special titled “Joy to the World.”
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 here are the titles:
” Space Babies” – Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Julie Anne Robinson
“The Devil’s Chord” – Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Ben Chessell
“Boom” – Written by Steven Moffat, directed by Julie Anne Robinson
“73 Yards” – Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Dylan Holmes Williams
“Dot and Bubble” – Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Dylan Holmes Williams
“Rogue” – Written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman, directed by Ben Chessell
“The Legend of Ruby Sunday” – Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Jamie Donoughue
“Empire of Death” – Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Jamie Donoughue
Ruby Sunday’s mysterious background, which was established in the Christmas special, will play a major role this season. In an Entertainment Weekly interview, Russell T Davies revealed that the inspiration behind her character’s arc comes from the Doctor’s rather controversial “Timeless Child” revelation during Thirteen’s era. In that, we discover the Doctor is an orphan who was not born on Gallifrey and came from an unknown planet. Could this mean that Ruby Sunday is not from Earth? It is possible.
This wonderful Doctor Who Season 1 trailer gives us a glimpse into the upcoming adventures of the Doctor and Ruby Sunday. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait long to see them because the new series will air in May 2024!
There’s also the new Doctor Who title sequence, which we first saw during the 60th Anniversary specials, has Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson’s names. It’s truly an exciting time to be a fan.
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. Doctor Who also confirmed that Steven Moffat will return to pen an episode of Ncuti Gatwa’s first season. We don’t know many details yet but Julie Ann Robinson is directing. According to a release, Robinson says the episode will have Hitchcockian vibes. Interesting. 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.
In fact, Ruby and Fifteen will get a new traveling friend in season two, coming in 2025. Varada Sethu will be the new companion at that time. Hopefully, Gatwa will get his chance to face the Daleks. “I’ve heard chats about me not ever facing a Dalek,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I’d be so angry if that’s the case! By the time that I’m done with Doctor Who, I better have faced a Dalek… What on earth would be the point of me being Doctor Who without facing a Dalek!”
Davies is already teasing a set from the 2024 Christmas special titled “Joy to the World.” It will be interesting to see where Fifteen and Ruby’s friendship is by this point and if the new companion will make her debut.
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. Golda Rosheuvel will portray Jocelyn in “Space Babies.”
Doctor Who Season One’s Release Date
Doctor Who season one will hit Disney+ on May 10, 2024 with its first two episodes at 7PM ET. The season will be 10 episodes with the others releasing weekly.
Originally published on November 28, 2023.