Doctor Who Season 15: Confirmation, Cast, Story & Everything We Know

Ever since the classic British science fiction series was rebooted in 2005, Doctor Who has continued to gain popularity worldwide, and the upcoming 15th season is already shaping up to be the biggest yet. Originally debuting in 1963 on the BBC, the series concerns a mysterious alien known only as The Doctor who travels through time and space with various human companions in their vessel, the TARDIS. With adventures ranging from cheesy to terrifying, Doctor Who has continued to captivate audiences with stories of excitement among the stars, in the past, and even in alternate dimensions.

The original Doctor Who series ran from 1963 until its cancelation in 1989, and though a backdoor pilot in 1996 went nowhere, the series was rebooted properly in 2005. The era affectionately known as “New Who” has now become an ongoing TV juggernaut of its own and has added seven new Doctors to the equation in the years since it debuted. Ncuti Gatwa is the latest actor to step into the role, and with Doctor Who‘s partnership with Disney+, the 15th Doctor’s era is another fresh start for the longest-running science fiction franchise of all time.

Doctor Who Season 15 Latest News

New Details About The 2024 Christmas Special

A little over a month before the start of season 15, the latest news comes in the form of new details about the 2024 Doctor Who Christmas special. The episode, entitled “Joy to the World” was first teased during 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con, and will concern a mysterious time-traveling hotel that allows guests to stay in unbooked rooms throughout history. It’s also known that Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan will play the titular role of Joy, and team up with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor.

The new information comes via BBC News (in a clip posted online by @harrythewhovian), that reveals the involvement of former showrunner and writer Steven Moffat. Though current showrunner, Russell T Davies has been hard at work on season 15, Moffat was called upon to write a brand-new script for the Christmas special. In the aforementioned clip, Moffat said “The truth is I absolutely love doing Doctor Who Christmas, ’cause I’m a big fan of Christmas,” before going on to tease the episode’s story.

Read Moffat’s full comments here:

The truth is I absoloutely love doing Doctor Who Christmas, ’cause I’m a big fan of Christmas. I absolutely adore Christmas. Then the email came through saying, “Steven, I need to get onto series 2. I’m never going to finish this Christmas script. Could you come in and write one?” Not complete his script, just come and do another one from scratch…

I can tease something about the Christmas special. Imagine, in the far far future. Imagine that a hotel chain got hold of the idea of time travel. What’s the first thing a hotel chain would do if they had time travel? They’d realize they had an opportunity to sell all the unsold nights in their own hotels in history.

Doctor Who Season 15 Is Confirmed

Seasons 14 & 15 Were Renewed Simultaneously

Considering the immense popularity of Doctor Who the BBC’s decision to renew the show for two seasons at once wasn’t really surprising. Despite changing lead actors every few years since 2005, Doctor Who has hardly faded in its relevance and the start of the Disney+ era is a chance for the show to expand its reach even more.

Doctor Who season 14 ended on June 22, 2024.

Doctor Who Season 15 Is Technically Season 2

The Disney+ Era Resets The Season Numbers

The decision was likely made to try to draw in new viewers who were perhaps scared off by 13 seasons of TV they might have to catch up on

One of the biggest changes made with the official start of the Disney+ era of Doctor Who is that the season numbering has officially been reset. Though the canon of the story is still intact, Doctor Who season 14 was technically season 1, making season 15 technically season 2. The decision was likely made to try to draw in new viewers who were perhaps scared off by 13 seasons of TV they might have to catch up on, but it has led to confusion as well. Doctor Who now has three separate season 1’s making starting points plentiful for burgeoning Whovians.

Doctor Who Season 15 Production Status

A Release Window Is Already Revealed

Despite the fact that season 14 is still so new, production is already underway on Doctor Who season 15. Furthermore, a release window for Doctor Who season 15 has already been revealed, and it suggests the show will get back on a yearly trajectory. According to recent reports, season 15 is slated to debut in May 2025, exactly one year after the debut of season 14. With production wrapping in May 2024, there’s little doubt that the 15th season will arrive on time.

The Christmas special, “Joy to the World”, will be the unofficial start to season 15 and is slated to air on Christmas day 2024.

Doctor Who Season 15 Cast

Ncuti Gatwa Will Return As The Doctor

The cast of Doctor Who season 15 has been the subject of much speculation since rumors swirled that The Doctor’s newest companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), would be departing after season 14. Though other news suggests Ruby will appear in season 15, newcomer Varada Sethu is being set up to become The Doctor’s newest companion in season 15. As a counterpoint to the confusion surrounding the companions, 15th Doctor actor Ncuti Gatwa is already confirmed to reprise the role in season 15.

Also confirmed to return is Mrs. Flood (played by Anita Dobson), who will play a bigger role after a few shocking teases in season 14. Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid) has joined the cast of season 15, but nothing is known about his role yet. Likewise, newcomer Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) is set to play an as-yet-unnamed villain in the upcoming episodes.

The confirmed cast of season 15 includes:

Doctor Who Season 15 Story

More Adventures In Time & Space

At this juncture, it is impossible to know exactly what will happen in season 15 of Doctor Who. The Doctor’s adventures are best when they’re unexpected, and each episode is usually a self-contained story that may touch upon overarching themes. The best Doctor Who stories typically involve many of The Doctor’s most recognizable enemies like Daleks or Cybermen, but they can also be character-driven as well. Season 14 has already set the tone of the Ncuti Gatwa era, and that will likely inform the types of adventures The Doctor faces in season 15.

In the final episode of season 14, The Doctor and Ruby were able to vanquish Suketh by releasing him into a time vortex. This means the next season will need to introduce new conflicts, especially when coupled with the reveal of Ruby’s normal parentage. While that may have dissapointed some viewers, it leaves the door open for Doctor Who season 15 to be the true blank slate that the Disney era has envisioned.