Summary
WhileDoctor Whohas yet to be renewed for a new season beyond season 15, Russell T Davies is hard at work at a potential third Ncuti Gatwa-led season and confident in the show’s future. After debuting in 2023’s 60th-anniversary special, Gatwa’s first full season has seen the fifteenth incarnation of the Time Lord joined by new companion Ruby Sunday, portrayed by Millie Gibson, for eight adventures. Following a seasonal special set to air in December 2024, both Gatwa and Gibson return in the recently filmedDoctor Whoseason 15in 2025, and will be joined by Varada Sethu’s new companion.
AsDoctor Whoseason 14 enters its final quarter, Davies revealed toRadioTimeswhat viewers should expect from the series following Gatwa’s second season in 2025. While the showrunner revealed that the series had yet to be renewed beyond the initial two-series order between the BBC and Disney, he confirmed he had taken the initiative tocontinue writing scripts for a potential season 16, with filming set to begin in early 2025 should the series be renewed. Check out Davies' response below:
I’m working on the fourth script now for season 3. It’s not actually commissioned, that’s still up in the air. But that’s the same for every TV programme. I shouldn’t say we’re confident, because that’s asking for a fall, but we’re very confident, to be honest. And we’ll just keep going.
I can’t stop, that’s the problem!
Ncuti’s off to do a play, The Importance of Being Earnest. And so were coming back after that. Amazingly, we might be shooting those scripts early next year. Those scripts have to be ready by about August, for prep. And it’s June. We’re not behind - but all my deadlines are just going to slap me in the face like mad. That’s my summer ruined, ha!
What We Know About Doctor Who’s Future
The Series Is Expected To Expand
With Davies' high hopes for his new era ofDoctor Whogrowing, it is unsurprising that he is already looking beyond the series' official order. Alongside the current order of episodes, it has long been rumored that a selection of spin-offs set within the universe are in development at production company Bad Wolf, with the most prominent rumors surrounding aSea Devil-centered spin-offtitledThe War Between The Land and Sea. While the spin-off isn’t confirmed, Davies also has many long-term plans for the main series.
As Davies alludes to in his response, season 16 ofDoctor Whowould be intended to feature Gatwa leading the series once more as the Fifteenth Doctor, as each Doctor’s departure had been announced ahead of their final scenes being filmed. However, it isunclear whether Gibson or Sethu would remain with the Doctor, with Davies alluding to Ruby’s story being one season 14 and 15 would fully explore. One previously teased element that would return isthe Meep’s (Miriam Margolyes) “Boss”, whom Davies confirmed would be a thread revisited far later down the line.
ThoughDoctor Whohas yet to be renewed for season 16, it is clear from Davies' response that there is a lot of optimism surrounding the series' future. Even in a changing television landscape, the series has continued to be a key asset for the BBC in attracting hard-to-reach younger demographics. As such, with Davies not only hard at work, but eyeing a potential production start, new adventures in 2026 seem like a likely possibility.
Doctor Whoreleases new episodes every Friday simultaneously on Disney+ for international audiences and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.
Doctor Who
Cast
Doctor Who: Released on August 15, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
