After bursting onto the scene and into the TARDIS earlier this year, Ncuti Gatwa’s energetic Time Lord is set to embark on even more adventures in Doctor Who season 15.
The season will mark the second outing for Gatwa who took over the role from David Tennant who made a surprise return as the Fourteenth Doctor. This short reprisal of the role came after previous TARDIS owner Jodie Whittaker hung up her Sonic Screwdriver at the end of three specials that topped off season 13. Still with us? Good.
With big plans afoot for the wider Doctor Who franchise — including a new spin-off series from current showrunner Russell T Davies entitled The War Between the Land and the Sea — it can be tricky keeping abreast of all the latest Whoniverse updates. So here, we’ll stick to just the primary show.
Read on for everything we know so far about Doctor Who season 15.
When is Doctor Who season 15 being released on TV?
Doctor Who season 15 doesn’t have a confirmed release date at the moment. However, previous comments made by Davies have led many to believe that the show will land sometime in May 2025.
“If I sound a bit hyper, it’s because I just this morning delivered a Doctor Who script that will be on air in May 2025,” Davies told the Big Issue, setting many a pop-culture journalist scribbling.
However, before this happens, the series is technically set to start with the next Christmas special, which will air on Christmas Day 2024. Like previous episodes, this special will appear on BBC One and iPlayer but an exact air time has yet to be revealed.
Read more: What we know about Doctor Who spin-off The War Between The Land and the Sea
Entitled Joy To The World, this festive special will likely set the scene for the next set of adventures awaiting Gatwa’s Doctor and will also feature a handful of guest stars. It was written by long-time Who-scribe Steven Moffat and will be followed by season 15’s remaining episodes which will land later in 2025.
There will be eight episodes in Doctor Who season 15 in total (including the Christmas special), all of which will be available for international viewers to enjoy on Disney+.
Is there a trailer for Doctor Who season 15?
Unfortunately, there’s no trailer for Doctor Who season 15 just yet. However, the show is in the can, having shot throughout late 2023 and early 2024. As we edge closer to Christmas, odds are we’ll start to see some footage from new episodes start to make its way online, starting with the festive special.
What will Doctor Who season 15 be about?
Plot details for the Doctor’s latest slew of adventures are currently lost in time and space. However, we can make a couple of educated guesses as to what’s coming up based on previous episodes.
*Warning: Doctor Who season 14 spoilers below*
Season 14’s finale Empire of Death saw the Doctor best Sutekh, a baddie that he previously thought he had beaten. It also saw companion Ruby Sunday work with the Doctor to track down her biological parents, with Ruby coming face-to-face with her mother and learning some intriguing details about her father all before the credits began to roll.
It was during this emotional moment that Gawta’s Doctor realised that Ruby had some much-needed family bonding time to catch up on — so he left her to embark on some solo TARDIS trips. Despite this separation, we know that Ruby is set to return for at least part of Doctor Who season 15, with more stories involving her new family planned by Davies.
We also know that the Doctor will meet his next companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), at some point in season 15, with the character set to experience some crossover with Ruby.
Season 14 also left us with some questions that we’re hoping season 15 will answer, like the full story behind Ruby’s mysterious neighbour Mrs Flood and the potential return of the Doctor’s new crush, Rogue.
As if all this wasn’t enough, it still remains to be seen as to whether threats made from the Pantheon of Discord will materialise into something more tangible.
Who is starring in Doctor Who season 15?
Gatwa is of course back as the Fiftheenth Doctor, with season 15 marking his second outing as Time Lord.
We also know that Emmy award-winning actress Archie Panjabi is set to star as the villain of the new season although we have no clues as to who that might be just yet. Panjabi is known for her roles in Under The Bridge and Snowpiercer.
Millie Gibson will also return as Ruby Sunday, with her time as companion set to be eclipsed and eventually taken over by Varada Sethu’s Bellinda Chandra. Who fans will no doubt recognise Sethu from her surprise season 14 appearance as a completely different character called Muddy Flynn.
Michelle Greenidge will return as Ruby’s adoptive mother Carla, with Angela Winter once again playing her Nan Cherry and Anita Dobson back as the suspicious Mrs Flood.
Appearances from iconic Who star Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush have also been confirmed, alongside the return of Jemma Redgrave as UNIT boss Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. Speaking of UNIT, Alexander Devrient’s The War Between The Land and the Sea character Colonel Ibrahim is also set to make an appearance, with Ruth Madeley set to star as UNIT advisor Shirley Anne Bingham.
Star of Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid, Jonah Hauer-King, is also set to appear as a character with a close relationship to Ruby, with Bridgerton and Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan due to pop-up in the 2024 Christmas special.
