Doctor Who season 15 has shared new images that might leave fans with more questions than answers, debuting a mysterious new robot design and companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) in an eerie location.

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The new stills came from the latest issue of Radio Times magazine, which celebrates the 20-year anniversary of so-called New Who; the revival which began with Russell T Davies and Christopher Eccleston's early episodes in 2005.

Just next month, fans will be going on more adventures in time and space with The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), with these new images suggesting a darker outing than some of the previous season's romps.

Above, we see the Doctor falling into line at what could be a hospital, a prison, a military base or something else entirely, with a formidable, hulking robot with an impersonal facial expression standing guard.

It takes an awful lot to get the Doctor to submit to any kind of authority, so it's both surprising and alarming to see him disappear into the crowd so uncharacteristically.

So, what on earth (or elsewhere) is going on here?

Adding to the mystery, we have an additional photo from the episode depicting incoming companion Belinda Chandra hooked up to some kind of drip in a dim, rusty and altogether unpleasant-looking passageway. Talk about trial by fire!

Belinda Chandra (played by Varada Sethu) in Doctor Who season 15
Belinda Chandra (played by Varada Sethu) in Doctor Who season 15 BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon

For now, we can only speculate as to what trouble the Doctor and Belinda have gotten themselves into this time, but Gatwa has been busy getting stuck into another important mission for any Time Lord – comic conventions!

"I've just done my first Comic-Con and as much as it was intense, it was a really nice way to finally get close and personal with the fans," he told Radio Times magazine. "A big, beautiful family of all kinds of people."

Gatwa continued: "It's really special to have a character like the Doctor on our screens. He tries to leave everyone happier than when he first meets them and that's a beautiful trait.

"He inspires and represents a sense of curiosity, courage and compassion in all of us."

The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here.

Radio Times cover featuring Ncuti Gatwa as Doctor Who from 2023 - present.
James Pardon/BBC Studios

Doctor Who returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 12th April 2025.

Dive into our Doctor Who story guide: reviews of every episode since 1963, plus cast & crew listings, production trivia, and exclusive material from the Radio Times archive.

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Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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