by Ani Bundel
It’s been nearly a decade since Doctor Who last graced San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H— although in terms of the show’s 60 years, that’s just a drop in the bucket. In the intervening time, the series has undergone significant changes, including no longer being a solely BBC production (Bad Wolf and Sony own 51 percent), the return of showrunner Russell T Davies, the return (and exit) of David Tennant as the 14th Doctor, the show getting fully rebooted, moving to Disney+, and starting over with Season 1.
Oh, and of course, there was the introduction of the first Black, queer Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa.
Moderated by Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Friday’s panel consisted of Davies, Gatwa, and Season 1 companion Millie Gibson, who plays Ruby Sunday. For Gatwa and Gibson, this was their first time at SDCC, and both looked slightly stunned at the room full of fans going wild over their entrances. Gatwa called it joining the most extensive family in the world and admits the pressure of carrying on the legacy drives him to do better.
Davies admitted that when he first rebooted the series in 2005, he never saw the way the series would change and grow. He claimed never to write characters for specific actors because he’s still used to their agents saying no. (Jinx Monsoon was the closest he’s come.) He knew things were genuinely global for the new series during the premiere of “Rogue” when Kylie Minogue called in the middle of the episode, squealing over her song being used. He was delighted but also: “Please don’t call now, Doctor Who’s on.”
Gatwa and Gibson gushed over filming “Rogue,” him over Jonathan Groff and her over Indra Varma. (Notably, Gibson referred to that episode as “Bridgerton.”) Hall H started to make it snow as Gibson talked, much to the crowd’s amusement, but she also spoke about being a Companion in a Gen Z manner, including discussing how much PTSD her character must be suffering.
The show also debuted the full 2024 Christmas Special trailer, introduced by guest star Nicola Coughlan. The trailer is a time-jumping romp in which the Doctor visits several eras trying to figure out who ordered a pumpkin latte, only to run into a Silurian.
Speaking of Silurians, Davies finally confirmed the first Whoniverse spinoff, which is indeed called The War Between the Land & the Sea and is a limited five-part series. It will star Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, as well as Jemma Redgrave as the Head of UNIT, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and Alexander Devrient as her latest foot soldier Colonel Ibrahim.
Yes, Tovey and Mbatha-Raw have been on the show before, but no, they’re not reprising their original characters, Midshipman Frame and Martha’s sister Tish Jones. (However, Davies said he would totally write that team-up.) We also learned our favorite Silurian from the dawn of time, Madame Vastra, her human wife Jenny Fleet, and Sontaran butler Strax, will not be in the new series. Davies admitted they were Steven Moffat’s invention, and therefore he wasn’t going to bring them back without Moffat penning the episode.
We also learned the name of Season 2’s new addition to the TARDIS, played by Varada Sethu, who fans met in Season 1 (though as a different character): Belinda Chandra. Also, Ruby Sunday has a new young man she’s been hanging out with, played by Jonah Hauer-King (World on Fire). Davies talked about having Gibson head home to live with her bio-mom and her adopted one and noted that Ruby will indeed be experiencing PTSD and that it will lead her back to the TARDIS.
Also? Season 2 episodes will have plenty of musical numbers spread between them, though Davies said none would be an “official” musical episode. Gatwa did hint that he has yet to see a Dalek, which suggests Season 2 will once again be without the show’s famous pepper pot villains.
Doctor Who’s Christmas Special will air/stream on Christmas Day, December 25, on the BBC and Disney+. The War Between the Land & the Sea and Doctor Who Season 2 (or Season 15/41, if you prefer) are expected in 2025.
Stay tuned for more SDCC ’24 coverage from The Beat.
