Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies is officially back for the first time in over ten years and he’s just revealed that he doesn’t plan on leaving again anytime soon.
In a recent interview with SFX magazine (via Games Radar), Davies confirmed some of his major plans for his upcoming return to Doctor Who alongside David Tennant and fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.
See below for all of the major new Doctor Who reveals.
Doctor Who Resetting Back To ‘Season 1’
While talking with SFX magazine, the Doctor Who showrunner confirmed that the entire franchise is being ‘reset’ for the third time – Gatwa’s first official season is going to be called ‘Season 1’.
This isn’t the first time this has been done as Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor was also a reboot of the franchise back in 2005 after the show had been off screens for quite some time. Eccleston’s revival series was also classed as a ‘first’ season, however, nods and references to the classic episodes were and still to this day remain to have a strong presence in the overall franchise.
Just to be clear, whether you call it a ‘reset’ or ‘reboot’, Doctor Who has not been ‘remade’. Each new instalment is still technically a sequel to its predecessors, just a soft reboot is executed from time to time.
Season 3 Currently Being Developed
Season 2 of Doctor Who had already been confirmed earlier this year by Davies, however, it has now been confirmed that the showrunner is in the process of developing the third season.
It’s likely that the third season will still feature Sex Education and Barbie star Ncuti Gatwa as the lead role, as Doctor Who players are often asked to sign for at least a 3-season contract.
Season 4 Plans
Surprisingly, Davies also confirmed with SFX magazine that a fourth season of Doctor Who is already being planned – however, it’s unclear if season 4 is being developed with Gatwa still in mind to play the Doctor.
Stars often opt out after three seasons, and the odd few spinoffs, but there have been stars such as Tom Baker who have stuck around for much longer than expected.
Ncuti Gatwa Could Be Sticking Around
Gatwa has already taken the title of the ‘first black Doctor Who’, but could he also be aiming to stick around long enough to be the ‘star who played the TARDIS flying Doctor for the longest’ too?
We’ll just have to wait a little bit longer to hear what Davies, his team, and Gatwa have to say about the future of the new generation of Doctor Who.
Doctor Who returns with its anniversary specials in the UK on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on November 25th, 2023 – and in the US on Disney+.
