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The fifteenth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who is expected to premiere in 2025. It will be the sixth series led by Russell T Davies as head writer and executive producer, and the second since his return to the show in 2023, having previously worked on it from 2005 to 2010. This series is set to be the fifteenth to air following the programme's revival in 2005, and will be the forty-first season overall. As with the changes introduced from series 14 onwards, this series is referred to as "Season Two" in marketing, following the production changes and the acquisition of Doctor Who's international broadcasting rights by Disney+.
| Doctor Who | |
|---|---|
| Series 15 | |
| Showrunner | Russell T Davies |
| Starring | |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Series chronology | |
This will be the second series to star Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, an incarnation of the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time and space in the TARDIS, a time machine which appears to be a British police box from the outside. Millie Gibson is to reprise her role as the Doctor's companion Ruby Sunday from the previous series, along with Varada Sethu as additional companion Belinda Chandra. It was confirmed that Nicola Coughlan would appear as a companion in the 2024 Christmas special.
The series, which is set to be preceded by a Christmas episode in 2024, is due to consist of eight episodes, directed by Alex Pillai, Peter Hoar, Amanda Brotchie, Ben A. Williams, and Makalla McPherson. Alongside Davies, the writers include four other individuals, with former showrunner and head writer Moffat writing the Christmas special. Filming began in October 2023 and concluded in May 2024.
| No. story | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special | ||||||||||||
| 312 | – | "Joy to the World"[1] | Alex Pillai | Steven Moffat | 25 December 2024[2] | TBD | ||||||
Ncuti Gatwa confirmed that he would return for a second series in July 2023.[3] In November 2023, it was announced that Nicola Coughlan would appear as Joy in the 2024 Christmas special.[4][5] Along with Jonah Hauer-King being added to the series, Millie Gibson was revealed to be filming for her second series in November 2023,[6] though reports emerged in January 2024 that Gibson would be leaving the show after the fourteenth series, to be replaced by Varada Sethu.[7] However, in April 2024 it was announced that Gibson and Sethu would appear concurrently throughout the series.[8][9] Sethu made a surprise appearance in the series prior in "Boom" (2024) as Mundy Flynn before her debut as the new companion.[10] On 27 July 2024, it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Sethu's character would be called Belinda Chandra.[11] On 17 September 2024, it was announced that Archie Panjabi would portray a villain.[12]
Development
In May 2017, it was announced that due to the terms of a deal between BBC Worldwide and SMG Pictures in China, the company has first right of refusal on the purchase for the Chinese market of future series of the programme until and including Series 15.[13][14]
Similar to the fourteenth series, the fifteenth series will consist of a Christmas special followed by eight regular episodes,[15] consisting of six one-parters and a two-part finale.[16]
Writing
Davies was writing the 2024 Christmas special by December 2022,[15] and the fifteenth series by June 2023.[17] By October 2023, five of the nine scripts had been completed.[18] In May 2024, former showrunner and head writer Steven Moffat confirmed that he had written the 2024 Christmas special instead, and that it was entitled "Joy to the World".[1] The episodes of the series itself were written by Davies and four other writers.[19]
Filming
With filming for the previous series concluding in July 2023, crew were given a four-week turnaround before pre-production started for the next series, on 14 August.[20][21] Each production block was given ten weeks of prep.[22] The first readthrough was held on 17 October 2023.[23]
Principal photography began on 23 October 2023 at Bad Wolf Studios, with the 2024 Christmas special "Joy to the World" assigned to the first block, directed by Alex Pillai.[24][18][25] The second block — containing the first and fourth episodes — began filming on 14 November 2023, directed by Peter Hoar.[18][26] Hoar had previously directed the sixth series episode "A Good Man Goes to War" (2011), and had worked with Davies on It's a Sin and Nolly. Filming for the third block — containing the second and third episodes — began in January 2024, directed by Amanda Brotchie.[27] Location filming at Penarth Pier marked the first time that Sethu was photographed on-set as the new companion.[28] Makalla McPherson and Ben A. Williams directed further blocks, with Williams directing the sixth episode, which he described as a "very big episode", and Davies described as "epic".[29][30][31][16] Production for the series wrapped on 24 May 2024.[32]
Production blocks are set to be arranged as follows:[27]
| Block | Episode(s) | Director | Writer(s) | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christmas special: "Joy to the World"[1] | Alex Pillai | Steven Moffat | TBA |
| 2 | Episode 4 | Peter Hoar | TBA | TBA |
| Episode 1 | TBA | TBA | ||
| 3 | Episode 2 | Amanda Brotchie | TBA | TBA |
| Episode 3 | TBA | TBA | ||
| TBA | Episode 6[29] | Ben A. Williams[29] | TBA | TBA |
| TBA | TBA | Makalla McPherson[30] | TBA | TBA |
The fifteenth series is expected to be released on BBC One in 2025.[18] The series will be released internationally on Disney+.[33]
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