Doctor Who Season 16 Seemingly Confirmed After Ncuti Gatwa Reveals Filming Window Before Official Renewal
While no official renewal has been given for Doctor Who season 16, Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa has seemingly confirmed it. The actor made his debut in the final 60th anniversary special through the revolutionary, never-before-glimpsed Bigeneration process, before leading his first full story in the 2023 seasonal special, “The Church on Ruby Road.” Gatwa’s Doctor met companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) in the episode before traveling alongside her across season 14. They will be joined by Varada Sethu’s new companion Belinda in Doctor Who season 15.
Despite the lack of an official announcement, Gatwa has reportedly confirmed Doctor Who season 16 is in development on The Graham Norton Show, as reported by RadioTimes. While the full episode of the talk show will air on October 11, it was reported that during the episode’s recording, Gatwa told Norton that he is preparing to film a third season in 2025. He said:
It is all going well. We did the second series this year, the Christmas special is coming up, and we are filming a third series next year.
Gatwa’s response is the first hint that Doctor Who has been renewed, and that Gatwa is sticking around. While creatives at Bad Wolf Productions and executives at Disney+ have been satisfied with the series’ recent performance, neither party would confirm an expansion of the show’s current two-season order.
What Gatwa’s Comments Mean For Doctor Who’s Future
The Fifteenth Doctor Will Be Around For Many Years To Come
Gatwa’s recent statement is sure to bring relief, as many creatives involved in Doctor Who carefully sidestepped the issue of renewal following season 14’s release. While showrunner Russell T Davies had revealed shortly before the end of Doctor Who season 14 that he was already working on season 16’s scripts, he would later state that he didn’t expect any official renewal to be issued until after season 15 had aired in 2025. With this uncertainty, some wondered whether there would be enough time for a new season to be filmed for a 2026 release.
With Gatwa’s investment confirmed, it is clear the Fifteenth Doctor has more adventures to come.
However, with Gatwa’s response and the proposed filming window, it appears that Davies will be able to live up to his promise of yearly seasons without any gap. Furthermore, Gatwa’s involvement does set aside any concerns that he may be departing after Doctor Who season 15, since he stated he hopes to take on other roles after filming the 2025 episodes. With Gatwa’s investment confirmed, it is clear the Fifteenth Doctor has more adventures to come.
Our Take On Doctor Who’s Apparent Season 16 Renewal.
The Show’s Future Has Become Hard To Predict
Doctor Who is currently in a strange new era. The series’ new production pact between the BBC, Bad Wolf Productions, and Disney is an unprecedented arrangement that has led to many changes for the show. While there is a greater investment in making the production bigger, it also means that the show has had to adjust to fit within Disney+’s release structure, from the time of an episode’s release to the number of episodes commissioned per season.
This new era with Disney has led to an upcoming Doctor Who spinoff, titled The War Between the Land and the Sea and starring Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jemma Redgrave.
As such, with Disney having an impact on the show’s production, there had also been fears that the company may not be satisfied with its impact, leaving them to pull out of any agreement once the terms expire. However, Gatwa’s statement is sure to ease any worries about Doctor Who‘s future, as it appears future adventures through the Time Vortex are not only confirmed, but also that cameras will be rolling in the not-too-distant future.
