It's hard to imagine that it's been a nearly a year since we first saw the 15th Doctor on the BBC classic Doctor Who, but he first appeared in costume in November 2023. It had been more than a year since his announcement as the program's titular character, but he did not appear in an episode until December 2023's "The Giggle." Since then, he has taken viewers on a whirlwind series of adventures from "The Church on Ruby Road" to "Empire of Death."
More to Come
During an appearance on the Graham Norton show, he announced news that Whovians have been hoping for:
"It is all going well. We did the second series this year, the Christmas special, and we are filming a third series next year."Ncuti Gatwa
Ncuti arrived on the Who scene in an unique transformation for the show. Each of the actors playing the alien who goes by the name of The Doctor has "regenerated" into a new version of themself. This innovative way originally allowed William Hartnell to retire from the role and the incarnations of this character have been stealing the show and warming our hearts since 1963. When David Tennant, the 10th and 14th Doctor, felt the regeneration coming on, he asked his companions to help with the process. The result was Tennant's brief cooperation with his successor and the introduction of Ncuti's flamboyant and emotionally open version.
His series as the regular Doctor has seen him more prone to opening up about his past than those who came before him and it has made for a rich experience. There is glee in his interactions with the babies in charge of a spaceship, and regret and desperation in a moment of extreme peril on a battlefield. We also have seen him in musical numbers such as "There's Always A Twist At the End." Jordan King of Empire called him "a total breath of fresh air...no stranger to taking plotline and selling every line." As a fan of this Doctor, I have to agree.
What comes next
The Doctor Who Christmas special is a couple of months away. We've known since November 2023 that Derry Girls and Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan will be appearing in "Joy to the World." Since Millie Gibson has left the show, and we have yet to see Varada Sethu's role as Belinda Chandra, Coughlan will be a one-off like Kylie Minogue's Astrid or David Morrisey's Jackson Lake. Coughlan is a star in each of her roles and we look forward to her tale.
"Joy to the World" will be aired on December 25, 2024 and "Season 3" of Doctor Who is something we will follow with great interest.