Doctor Who season 15 release date speculation, cast and latest news
It's a long way off – but Ncuti Gatwa's second season is already shaping up.
Warning - contains spoilers for Doctor Who season 14.
As Doctor Who fans look forward to this year's Christmas special, Joy to the World, they can also look ahead to the next full season of the show, which has already been filmed.
After the epic 14th season aired earlier this year, the next run will reunite fans with Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, while he will be joined by a brand new companion - Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu.
Millie Gibson will also be back as Ruby Sunday, even after that tearful farewell, with the three actors forming a TARDIS trio.
Of course, much is being kept under wraps, but with plenty of pictures from the set and clues from showrunner Russell T Davies, we do know a fair bit about what we can look forward to.
Here's everything we know about Doctor Who season 15!
Doctor Who season 15 release date speculation
We're expecting Doctor Who season 15 to air in May 2025.
Russell T Davies previously made reference to that release window in The Big Issue, saying: "If I sound a bit hyper, it's because I just this morning delivered a Doctor Who script that will be on air in May 2025."
That would mean season 15 airs pretty much exactly a year after season 14.
Earlier in May, Davies confirmed that production on season 15 has wrapped.
"That’s season 2 complete, well done everyone!" he wrote on Instagram, confirming the wrap party had taken place with a photo of himself and recurring star Michelle Greenidge, who plays Ruby Sunday's adoptive mother Carla.
In October 2023, it was announced that filming had started on Gatwa's second season.
Filming went on to conclude on 26th May 2024.
Speaking to Deadline in August 2024, executive producer Jane Tranter said that production company Bad Wolf is still in the "very early days of the edit" for the new season, adding that it "obviously won’t go out for another year or so".
Who will star in Doctor Who season 15?
Here are the cast members we currently know will be starring in Doctor Who season 15.
- Ncuti Gatwa as The Fifteenth Doctor
- Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday
- Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra
- Jonah Hauer-King as TBC
- Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
- Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush
- Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham
- Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim
- Michelle Greenidge as Carla Sunday
- Angela Wynter as Cherry Sunday
- Anita Dobson as Mrs Flood
Gatwa previously confirmed he would be staying for at least two seasons of Doctor Who, telling Rolling Stone: "[Theatre] kept me warm and it held me all night, even if I was broke. But I’m planning on getting back to it next year, after I finish season 2 of Doctor Who."
It's also been confirmed that Andor star Sethu has been cast as the Doctor's new companion, Belinda Chandra. We don't know much about her just yet, but she has been spotted filming with Gatwa for what looks like a Las Vegas adventure!
Sethu made her Doctor Who debut as Mundy Flynn in a guest role in the Steven Moffat-penned episode Boom - it has yet to be confirmed if her new role has any connection to Mundy.
Asked about the significance of the character's name, Mundy (similar to "Monday"), Moffat teased to The Hollywood Reporter: "And I think I’m going to say nothing about that. I’m going to say nothing about what’s going on there. You’re not going to get nothing. It’s Russell’s plan and he will release the details of how that works in his own time, I’m certain."
It's also been reported that Gibson will take on a smaller role in season 15 - something that could prove exciting as we'll get to see more of Ruby's life beyond her adventures with the Doctor.
This makes sense, given the ending of season 14 finale, Empire of Death. That episode's culmination saw Ruby find her biological mother, Louise, and on the brink of finding her biological father, William.
She decided to stay behind to get to know them and live her life back on Earth, but we know that she will be returning at some point in season 15, with Russell T Davies teasing more stories for Ruby and her family.
At San Diego Comic-Con, Davies subsequently confirmed that Ruby won't be settling down in season 15, and that she'll be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder in the new episodes, following her adventures in season 14.
Gibson and Jonah Hauer-King have also been spotted together filming on set, with the actor appearing to play a love interest of Ruby's. At Comic-Con, it was confirmed that Hauer-King's character would be a part of Ruby's season 2 storyline.
There have been more teases about who we can expect, too, including a familiar face from an anniversary episode.
Script editor Scott Handcock previously wrote in Doctor Who Magazine: "A busy day for Block 2 as Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson meet with writers for a Block 2 page turn ahead of an afternoon readthrough - that features an actor who might be familiar to Doctor Who fans having appeared in a previous anniversary adventure."
Plus, plenty of characters from season 14 will be carried through to the next season, including Ruby's family - adoptive mum Carla (played by Michelle Greenidge) and nan Cherry (played by Angela Wynter).
One person we will also see again is Ruby's mysterious and all-knowing neighbour Mrs Flood, played by Anita Dobson. We didn't get answers about her last season but we suspect more will come now.
Classic Doctor Who companion Bonnie Langford is also expected to return alongside other UNIT supporting players including Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim.
Ruth Madeley has also been spotted filming as UNIT scientific advisor Shirley Anne Bingham, having been introduced in the 60th-anniversary episodes but being absent from season 14.
It is unknown if we can expect returns from Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble, Lenny Rush as Morris Gibbons or Susan Twist as Susan Triad.
In terms of guest stars, Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan is set to star in the 2024 Christmas special but details are scarce on her character so far.
Meanwhile, actors Joel Fry and Blake Patrick Anderson have also been spotted filming for the episodes.
Another person fans will be dying to see again is Jonathan Groff as Rogue, the Doctor's love interest who was introduced in season 14 but subsequently torn away from him. Yet, a return was teased for the bounty hunter down the line.
Groff himself certainly seemed open to reprising his role in future episodes, as he made clear on the latest episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed.
"I hope we're seeing Rogue again," he says. "Rogue tells the Doctor at the end of the episode to find him, so it's totally up to the Doctor. So, the ball is in his court, so to speak!"
Will the Doctor and Rogue be reunited? We very much suspect so!
How many episodes will be in Doctor Who season 15?
Doctor Who season 15 will consist of eight episodes, following on from the 2024 Christmas Special, Joy to the World.
Alex Pillai will be directing the first block of episodes (including the 2024 Christmas Special!), with Peter Hoar helming the second.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about The Last of Us in 2023, Hoar admitted that he "would love" to do another episode of the long-running sci-fi series – although he said that wasn't "on the cards" at the time.
He added: "I was with [Russell] last night and someone asked the exact same question, 'Oh, does this mean you're going to do Doctor Who together?' and I said, 'No,' and you could tell nobody believed a word I was saying, but it's true.
"I grew up with Doctor Who, hence why I would do it again."
Other directors for the season include Amanda Brotchie, Ben A. Williams, and Makalla McPherson.
Much like season 14, episodes will air on BBC One and will be be available internationally on Disney Plus.
Who is writing for Doctor Who season 15?
Of course, showrunner Russell T Davies, who penned all three of the 60th anniversary specials and six of the eight episodes of the fourteenth season has returned to write episodes in the 2025 run.
It is unknown how many episodes Davies himself penned, but it has been confirmed that four other writers were involved in Ncuti Gatwa's second season.
Former showrunner Steven Moffat, who returned for season 14 to pen the episode Boom, wrote the 2024 Christmas Special, titled Joy to the World.
What could Doctor Who season 15 be about?
Of course, there are very few details known about the plot of season 15 considering how far away it is, but Davies has given us some teases and tidbits in the past, and we can take some guidance from the ending of season 14.
The final episode of season 14, Empire of Death, saw the Doctor defeat Sutekh, who seemingly perished for good. He and Ruby then used DNA tracking from 2046 to find Ruby's mum, who turned out to be an ordinary woman, a nurse who, when she was a teenager, left Ruby for fear she couldn't protect her from her step-father, who was "trouble".
Armed with this knowledge, Ruby and the Doctor tracked down her mother, and she introduced herself. As they started bonding, forming a family unit with Carla and Cherry, and searching for Ruby's father William, the Doctor realised she would have to stay behind.
The two bid a tearful farewell and the Doctor went off on his own - however, Russell T Davies has already teased that the story of Ruby Sunday, and her new family unit, will continue.
It seems likely that the Doctor will meet Varada Sethu's companion at the start of season 15, after a one-off adventure with Nicola Coughlan's character in the Christmas special, before reuniting with Ruby midway through the season, in a similar fashion to his storyline with Donna and Martha in season 4.
Season 15 will also likely see questions answered surrounding the mysterious Mrs Flood, and whether further threats await from the Pantheon of Discord.
Plus, we need The Doctor to reunite with Rogue at some point!
Davies told The Big Issue of one episode in season 15: "It's brand new. It does things we've never done before. The writing really pushed me.
"It's such a mad episode, I had to deliver it with a diagram explaining what's going on! I’ve never had to do that in my entire life before."
He previously teased that one of the episodes would include the words "garden", "firmament" and "diploma" - not much to go on perhaps, but still more than enough to give fans something new to speculate about.
In addition, Steven Moffat recently declared he’s already read the season 15 finale script, prompting a number of theories about the upcoming instalment.
Moffat told TV Choice magazine that while he hasn't read the season 14 finale, "bizarrely enough, I have read the finale of the following season – for reasons that will become apparent… he said cryptically!"
With Moffat having suggested in the same interview that his 2024 Christmas episode, titled Joy to the World, could be the last time he writes for Doctor Who, why might he have read the season 15 finale?
One theory doing the rounds is that Davies wants to bring back one of Moffat's monsters. He'd certainly have a multitude to choose from, including the Weeping Angels, the Silence and Michelle Gomez’s Missy.
Alternatively, might Davies be bringing back a character created by Moffat? For now, fans will have to wait and see.
Is there a trailer for Doctor Who season 15?
Not yet! We'll keep this page updated with details when they're announced.
Doctor Who season 15 will be released in May 2025.
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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.
