December 23, 2024
“There are forces beyond this universe...”
As seen in the trailer premiering on Christmas Day, Ncuti Gatwa is back as the Doctor for another exciting season of Doctor Who, meeting new friends, monsters and enemies - and we’re breaking down what we know so far!
New Companion
Following Ruby Sunday’s (Millie Gibson) departure at the end of Season 1, and an adventure with Joy (Nicola Coughlan) at Christmas, the Doctor has found a new travelling companion in Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu.
Varada last appeared as Mundy Flynn in Season 1’s Boom - are we witnessing another case of spatial genetic multiplicity, or is it something more sinister?
Like many a companion before her, Belinda doesn’t seem to have chosen to take a trip in the TARDIS - asking the Doctor to “get me home”. And, as is often the case, the Doctor doesn’t appear to be in control, telling her that it may be “the long way round”.
It certainly seems to be, as Belinda can be seen visiting numerous worlds that don’t quite look like Earth...
New Adventures
Anti-gravity explorers, flying saucers and real-life cartoon characters climbing out of cinema screens... Once again, the Doctor is facing new threats and troubles, across new alien worlds, universes and, of course, planet Earth.
And there are more people to save, including terrified cinema-goers and people literally clinging on for their lives in zero mavity.
From space battles to whirling time vortexes, there’s a whole universe of trouble out there...
Find the full list of new episodes in Season 2 here.
Returning Enemies (?)
Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) is back, and she’s ditched the snowy outfit and umbrella (last seen in Empire of Death) for opera glasses; cooly appearing amongst a crowd of panicked people.
She seems to have abandoned her fourth wall-breaking ways for the moment, but, as we last saw her warning the audience that the Doctor’s story ends “in absolute terror”, we’ve got a feeling we’ll be seeing even more of her this season.
The Doctor also makes reference to “games” being “deadly” - having faced off against the Toymaker in The Giggle, and following on from the references to the Pantheon of the Gods of Chaos in The Legend of Ruby Sunday, it seems like particularly ominous phrasing...
Returning Friends
Luckily, the Doctor has the “biggest family in the universe” and plenty of allies to help him combat the forces of darkness.
Season 2 sees the return of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), Shirley Anne Bingham (Ruth Madeley) and UNIT, who appear to have continued their tradition of hiring the Doctor’s companions and recruited Ruby Sunday.
They don’t look particularly pleased though - suggesting the Doctor’s enemies might have come to Earth once again...
More New Faces in the Whoniverse
Amidst the excitement for the teaser, the announcement that Rose Ayling-Ellis will be joining the cast of Season 2 has also sparked a lot of buzz. Playing the role of 'Aliss', Rose has spoken to Doctor Who Magazine about bringing a new deaf character to the Whoniverse. Another exciting announcement revealed that Emmy -winning actor Alan Cumming will be returning to the Whoniverse as the voice of cartoon character Mr Ring-a-Ding.
Additional casting announcements include the addition of Slow Horses stars Christopher Chung, Freddie Fox and Kadiff Kirwan, as well as TV and stage actor Charlie Condou. Additionally, presenter Rylan Clark is set to appear in Season 2, hosting the Interstellar Song Contest!
New Stories from New Writers
Juno Dawson (Doctor Who: Redacted), Inua Ellams (Barber Shop Chronicles), Sharma Angel-Walfall (Dreamland) and returning writer Pete McTighe (Kerblam!, Praxeus and upcoming spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea) have all penned episodes for the latest season.
When and where can we watch Season 2?
Season 2 will officially launch on Saturday 12th April at 8am on BBC iPlayer and later that day on BBC One in the UK. At the same time, those outside of the UK can watch the Doctor and Belinda on their epic adventures on Disney+ where available.
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