Doctor Who's Russell T Davies addresses season 15 release date leak
He had a light-hearted response to the accidental reveal.
Russell T Davies has addressed the release date for the new season of Doctor Who accidentally being announced early, describing it as an example of a "lovely, mad glitch".
The 12th April launch date was initially revealed in a bizarre way - during BBC Sport coverage of Under-20s Six Nations rugby - before later being officially confirmed by the BBC.
In a light-hearted update for Doctor Who Magazine, Davies wrote: "We were intending to announce our transmission date of 12 April to the world at the beginning of March... until Saturday 22 February, when the entire production team awoke to the news that the date had been leaked during, incredibly, (consults notes) half-time of the Under-20s Six Nations England vs Scotland match available on the BBC iPlayer via the Red Button. Okay! It becomes an exciting morning.
"Texts fly. People scramble to fix it. At one point, the whole match is pulled off the iPlayer. I send an email, 'Bit tough on the rugby mums?' The match is restored."
Davies added: "But why and how?! Oh, glitches, systems, endboards, etc, it was an honest mistake. But I think this is fun. Remember last year, when a trailer was dropped on Facebook on the wrong morning? For about 20 minutes? Seen by absolutely no one?
"What this proves is, you now have to watch every single second of any BBC transmission anywhere in case you catch a lucky break. What a great strategy!"
With the official launch date announcement, the BBC also confirmed that episodes of Doctor Who will be available to stream at 8am on BBC iPlayer on Saturday mornings (before airing on BBC One later that day), marking a move away from the controversial midnight release.
Read more:
- Vikings and Doctor Who stars' fantasy film The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising is on TV this weekend
- Doctor Who season 15 episode plots unveiled – with AI intrigue and alien horror
The episode titles for Ncuti Gatwa's new season have also been confirmed, from The Robot Revolution and Lux to Wish World and The Reality War.
Fans were also recently treated to a dazzling trailer for the new season, which will introduce new companion Belinda Chandra (played by Varada Sethu), and see the return of Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday.
Guest stars confirmed for the season include the returning Anita Dobson as Mrs Flood, Alan Cumming as cartoon character Mr Ring-a-Ding, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Christopher Chung, Kadiff Kirwan, and more.
Doctor Who Magazine 615 is on sale now.
Doctor Who season 15 will be released on 12th April 2025, coming to BBC iPlayer at 8am and later that day on BBC One.
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.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
