Ncuti Gatwa’s first full season of Doctor Who came to a close in “Empire of Death,” but the Fifteenth Doctor is just getting started. Over the course of Season 1, the Doctor and Ruby (played by Millie Gibson) began their adventures across time and space together. Season 1 saw the Doctor drawn into the mystery of Ruby Sunday’s parentage and pitted the latest TARDIS team against gods and creatures from beyond the universe, culminating in the return of Sutekh, the God of Death, in the season finale.
Doctor Who Season 1 featured bigger adventures and more adventurous stories than the series has explored before, with Gatwa and Gibson bringing a joyous new energy to the classic sci-fi series. It ended on an emotional note, as Ruby found her birth mother and took time away from the Doctor and the TARDIS to be with her and her adopted family. The ending also came with a sinister warning from the mysterious Mrs. Flood, who foretold the Doctor’s story ending in “absolute terror.” Season 2 will see the Doctor and Ruby reunite, alongside a new companion played by Varada Sethu, for all-new adventures and the answers to some lingering questions.
10 The Return of Jonathan Groff’s Rogue
Doctor Who, Season 1, Episode 6, “Rogue,” introduced Jonathan Groff to the series as Rogue. This time-traveling bounty hunter caught the Doctor’s eye in the middle of a Regency-era ball, where lethal shape-shifters called the Chuldur were also lurking. Although they initially suspected one another of being the villainous alien hiding at the party, the Doctor and Rogue soon bonded over their shared experiences as lonely time travelers and fell for each other.
The Doctor shared his first romantic same-sex kiss in Doctor Who history with Rogue, who sacrificed himself at the end of the episode to save Ruby and spare the Doctor the pain of losing another friend. Rogue was banished, along with the Chuldur, to a random barren dimension. Although the Doctor told Ruby there are more dimensions than atoms in the universe, Rogue is presumably still alive. This means he and the Doctor could reunite in Season 2.
9The Return of Classic Doctor Who Villains
Doctor Who Season 1 ended with the return of Sutekh, a villain last seen on Doctor Who in 1975, during Tom Baker’s run as the Fourth Doctor. However, outside of Sutekh, the season did not see any classic Doctor Who villains returning. While Doctor Who is always introducing new monsters and enemies for the Doctor to confront, several classic foes, such as the Daleks and Cybermen, are as integral to the series as the Doctor or the TARDIS.
Upon his return to Doctor Who in 2023, showrunner Russell T Davies said the series would be giving the Daleks a rest at first, although it’s possible they could be back as early as Season 2, having remained absent so far. The Master’s return was hinted at in the 60th anniversary special, “The Giggle,” in which the Toymaker revealed he had trapped the rogue Time Lord in his gold tooth. Classic villains like the Sea Devils could also be returning to the Whoniverse, with rumors suggesting a spin-off featuring the Sea Devils at war with UNIT is in the works.
8 More Diverse Doctor Who Writers
One of the few aspects of Doctor Who Season 1 to disappoint almost all Doctor Who fans was the fact that it featured fewer episodes than previous seasons. At just eight episodes, Season 1 was shorter than any season of New Who other than Season 13, Doctor Who: Flux, which was only reduced to just six episodes as a result of the pandemic. The shorter season meant the vast majority of episodes were penned by showrunner Russell T Davies.
While Davies’ work is beloved by Doctor Who fans, the series thrives when welcoming a plethora of voices behind the scenes. Two episodes of Season 1 were written by other writers; “Boom” was penned by Doctor Who veteran and former showrunner, Steven Moffat, while “Rogue” was penned by first-time Doctor Who writing duo, Kate Herron and Briony Redman. Both episodes were huge hits with fans, making the case for future seasons to welcome a greater variety of writers.
7 Answers on Varada Sethu’s New Doctor Who Companion
In addition to Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday, Season 2 of Doctor Who will see Varada Sethu playing a new (and as yet unnamed) companion of the Fifteenth Doctor. Following the announcement that Sethu would be joining the TARDIS team for Season 2, she made a surprise early appearance as the Anglican marine Mundy Flynn in Season 1’s “Boom.”
It has been confirmed by Davies that Sethu will not be returning as Mundy Flynn, but as a new character in Doctor Who Season 2. This echoes Jenna Coleman’s early appearances as Oswin Oswald and the Victorian Clara Oswin Oswald, before joining the series as companion Clara Oswald. Fans will surely be eager to know why the Doctor’s new companion shares a face with someone he met not long ago and Season 2 will need to provide answers.
6 More of Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday
Speaking of answering questions, there are still a few unresolved mysteries surrounding the Doctor’s most recent companion, Ruby Sunday. While Ruby is taking some time away from the TARDIS after Doctor Who Season 1, she is set to return later on in Season 2, joining the Doctor alongside Sethu’s new companion. “Empire of Death” revealed Ruby’s mother was Louise Alison Miller, who had Ruby when she was just 15.
Louise gave Ruby up in order to keep her daughter safe from her own abusive stepfather. While the reveal that Ruby’s parents were regular humans was an emotional one, it failed to resolve the mystery of why Ruby could make it snow whenever she thought about her birth mother. This, along with the question of what Ruby’s life will look like now that she has tracked down her birth parents, could be further explored in Doctor Who Season 2.
5 New & Old Gods From Doctor Who’s Pantheon
Russell T Davies’ return to Doctor Who has seen the series embrace more fantastical elements, with godlike beings confronting the Doctor. This started with the Toymaker in “The Giggle,” a returning villain who had previously met William Hartnell’s First Doctor. Season 1, Episode 2, “The Devil’s Chord,” then introduced the Toymaker’s child, Maestro, the God of Music. In “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” Sutekh’s harbinger also dubbed The Sarah Jane Adventures‘ Trickster the God of Traps and classic Doctor Who villain Mara, the God of Beasts.
Other gods were teased in “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” who have yet to appear on screen. These includes Reprobate, the God of Spite; Incensor, the God of Disaster; Incensor’s children, Doubt and Dread; the threefold deity of malice and mischief and misery; and “gods of skin and shame and secrets.” With the gods having made a powerful entrance to Doctor Who and more being teased, there could be a place for new gods to be introduced in Season 2. Maestro’s sensational first appearance could also warrant a return, while the Trickster is overdue an appearance on Doctor Who itself.
4 The Meep’s Boss Is Yet to be Revealed on Doctor Who
The first of Doctor Who‘s three 60th anniversary specials, “The Star Beast,” introduced the adorable but deadly Meep. Initially thought to be an innocent victim of the vicious Wrarth Warriors, it was soon revealed that the Wrarth were a cosmic police force trying to bring the Meep to justice for their various war crimes. Ultimately, the Meep was taken into custody by the Wrarth Warriors, but not before imparting a final cryptic message.
The Meep warned the Doctor that their boss would be interested to learn about a being with two hearts. While many fans had assumed the Meep’s boss would play a role in Doctor Who Season 1, this turned out not to be the case. Exactly who this cuddly despot was working for — and why they are interested in two-hearted beings — is yet to be revealed. This is a mystery that could be addressed in Season 2.
3The Return of Classic Time Lords Like Susan Foreman
Throughout Season 1 of Doctor Who, the Doctor spoke frequently about his adoptive people, the Time Lords. Adoption was a key theme throughout Season 1, explored largely through Ruby’s search for her birth mother, but also touched upon by the Doctor’s allusions to his true origins as the Timeless Child. These allusions seemed to set up a reunion with the Time Lords, helping the Doctor come to terms with his past, but this never materialized.
In the first episode of Doctor Who Season 1, “Space Babies,” the Doctor namedropped the Rani, a sinister Time Lord scientist he previously met in his sixth and seventh incarnations. In the following episode, “The Devil’s Chord,” and the two-part finale, he referenced his granddaughter, Susan. Both these Time Lords seem to be prime candidates for a comeback, along with the Master, whose return was teased at the end of “The Giggle.”
2 The Introduction of the Doctor’s Children
When the Doctor brought up Susan in “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” Kate Lethbridge-Stewart of UNIT asked him if that meant he also had children somewhere out there in the universe. The Doctor surprisingly answered “Well, not quite. Not yet.” He suggested to Kate that, due to Time Lords often living their lives out of chronological order with others, he didn’t have children yet. But that doesn’t quite line up with what Doctor Who has suggested in the past.
As recently as “Boom” — the third episode of Season 1 — the Doctor has referred to himself as a dad. Prior to this series, he told both Rose Tyler and Donna Noble that he had been a father in the past. This seems to imply that he wasn’t being completely honest or serious, in his answer to Kate. In either case, as well as potentially welcoming Susan back to Doctor Who, Season 2 could see the Doctor finally meet his children.
1 Mrs. Flood’s True Identity Revealed
Ruby Sunday’s mysterious nosy neighbor, Mrs. Flood, has been sparking countless fan theories since she first appeared in the Doctor Who Christmas special, “The Church on Ruby Road.” The Christmas special ended with Mrs. Flood turning to camera after one of her other neighbors, Abdul, had reacted in shock to the TARDIS dematerializing. Flood asked Abdul — and the viewers — whether he had never seen a TARDIS before.
The Season 1 finale deepened the mystery around Mrs. Flood, revealing she was apparently well aware of Sutekh’s status as the One Who Waits. She also spoke to Cherry Sunday about waging a war on Heaven, before she was temporarily destroyed by Sutekh’s dust of death. The finale then ended with her cryptic warning about the terror in the Doctor’s future. There is clearly much more to come from Mrs. Flood, and hopefully, Doctor Who Season 2 will reveal exactly who this mystery character really is.
