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Whew!  Now that the last stunning episode of Season 2 is over, the BBC has released its first trailer for the UNIT spinoff series, The War Between the Land and the Sea.

The War Between The Land and the Sea – Barclay (RUSSELL TOVEY) – BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Samuel Dore

Jemma Redgrave (Kate Lethbridge-Stewart), Ruth Madeley (Shirley Bingham) and Alexander Devrient (Colonel Ibriham) all return for the six-episode series. However, they’re not the only ones. The Sea Devils, amphibious cousins to the Silurians and ancient rulers of the Earth, rise once more. They went into hibernation millions of years ago but are ready to reclaim their planet. But while previous Doctor Who stories have featured small numbers of Silurians and Sea Devils awakening, this time a whole civilisation is coming back to life. The Earth will never be the same again.

 

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(Spoilers are below.  So don’t read any further unless you have seen the episode.) Doctor Who S2E8 – The Reality War -The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA) BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon The Fifteenth Doctor Says Goodbye (And Hello to a Familiar Face!)

Well, Whovians, tonight’s episode was an absolute rollercoaster! We’ve just witnessed Ncuti Gatwa’s final bow as the Fifteenth Doctor, and honestly, we’re still processing what just happened.  An episode where not one, not two but three Doctor’s appears as the 13th Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) helps her future self.

Doctor Who S2E8 – The Reality War – The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA) The Doctor (JODIE WHITTAKER) – BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon

The epic finale was mad, brilliant, and unexpected. (Yes – we know about the leaks, ignoring that.) The Doctor went head-to-head with the Rani in a battle to save Earth and made the ultimate sacrifice to save one life again.  This time, it was the life of one little girl, not an old man trapped in a glass box.

Doctor Who S2E8 – The Reality War -The Doctor (JODIE WHITTAKER) BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon From Bi-Generation to Regeneration

It feels like yesterday when Ncuti burst onto our screens in that mind-blowing bi-generation scene with the 14th Doctor (David Tennant).   In his two seasons of Doctor Who, he has had mad adventures with Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), from battling Goblins and meeting the Beatles to finding Ruby’s mother.  And when Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) joined the TARDIS crew in series two, things stepped up another notch. Miami time travel? The 803rd Interstellar Song Contest? Pure Doctor Who!

Ncuti’s Emotional Farewell

Here’s what Ncuti had to say about hanging up his sonic screwdriver:

“You know, when you get cast, at some point you are going to have to hand back that sonic screwdriver, and it is all going to come to an end, but nothing quite prepares you for it. This journey has been one that I will never forget, and a role that will be part of me forever. There are no words to describe what it feels like to be cast as the Doctor, nor are there words to explain what it feels like to be accepted into this iconic role that has existed for over 60 years and is truly loved by so many across the globe.”

He went on to thank the fans of Doctor Who: “The fans are truly the final character and beating heart of this show, and I can’t thank the Whoniverse, and the Whovians, enough for welcoming me in, and making this such a touching experience. I’ve loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have. I’ll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor.”

The Showrunners Weigh In

Russell T Davies couldn’t hold back his praise: “What a Doctor! Thank you, Ncuti! As his final words say, this has been an absolute joy, and the team in Cardiff and everyone who has worked on this show for the past few years are so lucky to have been part of Ncuti’s great adventure as he shoots off to stratospheric new heights.”

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, added her thoughts: “When Ncuti Gatwa first stepped foot on the TARDIS, we instantly knew he was going to be an iconic Doctor, and it wasn’t long before his dazzling performances captured the hearts of so many around the globe. The role of the Doctor is like no other, and Ncuti’s dedication, charisma and magnetism have taken the Doctor into unchartered territory which we have never experienced before. As Ncuti himself said at the start of this journey – unlike the Doctor, he may only have one heart, but he is giving it all to this role – I think we can all agree that he did that, and more. Thanks, Ncuti, for being such a special part of the Whoniverse.”

BUT WAIT… BILLIE PIPER IS BACK?! Doctor Who S2E8 – The Reality War – Billie Piper – BBC Studios / Bad Wolf Studios

Just when we thought we couldn’t handle any more surprises, the regeneration scene hit us with the biggest shock of all – BILLIE PIPER! Our beloved Rose Tyler is somehow back, and we have approximately a million questions.

Russell T Davies has continued teasing what is next with the new Doctor. “Billie once changed the whole of television, back in 2005, and now she’s done it again! It’s an honour and a hoot to welcome her back to the TARDIS, but quite how and why and who is a story yet to be told. After 62 years, the Doctor’s adventures are only just beginning!”

And here’s what Billie herself had to say: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there, so to be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse, but who, how, why and when, you’ll just have to wait and see”

What Does This Mean?

Is Billie the new Doctor? Is she Rose? Is she something else entirely? The speculation is going to drive us mad until we get answers!

One thing’s for certain – Ncuti Gatwa has left his mark on Doctor Who. His energy, his style, and his pure joy in the role have been lovely to watch. He took on the role of the Doctor and gave us a fresh take on our favourite Time Lord.

As for what comes next? Well, with Billie Piper somehow involved, we’re in for one hell of a ride. The TARDIS doors might be closing on one chapter, but they’re opening on something completely unexpected.

So here’s to Ncuti – thanks for the memories, the adventures, and for being the Fifteenth Doctor. And Billie? Welcome back to the madness. We can’t wait to see what happens next!

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The Fifteenth Doctor’s wardrobe is every changing and evolving, but two brands have remained near constants: Madcap and Grenson

Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor’s signature look has been his lack of a signature look. Almost every episode of the past two seasons of Doctor Who has introduced a brand new outfit for the Time Lord. However, there are a few key brands that have been synonymous with the Fifteenth Doctor. Both Madcap England and Grenson have become staples of the TARDIS The Fifteenth Doctor’s wardrobe is every changing and evolving, but two brands have remained near constants: Madcap and Grenson – wardrobe. Here’s your quick guide to the Madcap Doctor.

Madcap England’s range of classic mod looks has featured heavily in the current era. In all, six of the eighteen episodes, a solid third, features items from their brand.

 

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) blow the roof off in The Church on Ruby Road,BBC Studios 2023,James Pardon The Capitol Mod polo shirt has become a core part of the Doctor’s look in different colours

The most iconic of these is their Capitol Mod polo shirt with zip. With it’s distinctive vertical stripes and zip fastening (which actually does go all the way to the top, not that you’d know the wear the Doctor wears it!) it’s one of the most recognizable elements of the Fifteenth Doctor’s wardrobe.

The Doctor wears two different versions of this on his adventures. The Picante version is a deep red, with stripes in shades of blue and red. This version featured in the episodes The Church on Ruby Road, Empire of Death, and Lucky Day. The Gold version has the same cut and pattern, but this time on a bright yellow background, with stripes in various shades of white, brown, and yellow. This has appeared just the once, in last Christmas’ special Joy to the World. It’s also been used in many of the publicity images for the current season, including the posters for The Reality War. So possibly we may see it again tonight.

 

The Devil’s Chord swaps an actual Madcap top for a Madcap inspired suit, though the retailer have since released their own version

Our hero opts for a completely different Madcap look for The Devil’s Chord. Although only appearing in one scene, before he and Ruby change for a 1960s glam up, he wears the Crawdaddy Micro Dash Polo in True Red.

The rest of that episode also features a Madcap fit, but via a somewhat roundabout route. The cut and style of the Doctor’s double breasted mod suit is so similar to the key Madcap Backbeat suit that was available in various colours that it’s difficult to believe it wasn’t inspired by them. It’s entirely possible the Bad Wolf team took apart the Madcap pattern to assemble their own version in the very specific colour combination they needed. If so, it all circled back to the source eventually. In recent months, Madcap have added a new Backbeat suit option to their site. It’s now in the exact same colours as the onscreen version, sold separately as jacket and trousers.

So while we can’t say that Ncuti Gatwa wore an actual Madcap suit in The Devil’s Chord, they do provide the most accurate, fully tailored match to what he wore.

 

Doctor Who S2E5 The Story and The Engine – The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA) – BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Dan Fearon Madcap’s Farlowe top featured in The Story & the Engine

For The Story & the Engine, Madcap again provide the Doctor’s TARDIS outfit for before he changes into his location specific gear. This time he wears the Farlowe polo shirt in Pine. It features a similar striped pattern to the Capitol, but distinguishes itself by a contrasting collar, buttons rather than zip fastening, and a a central red stripe that leads right down front of the top.

Despite appearing in so many episodes, it’s actually a shame more use wasn’t made of Madcap in the Doctor’s wardrobe. With such strong designs available in so many colour variants, they provide variety even as they help solidify the Fifteenth Doctor’s style in an identifiable silhouette, especially when teamed with his leather coat.

 

Belinda Chandra (VARADA SETHU) and the Doctor (NCUTI GATWA in Doctor Who Season 2),BBC Public Service,Danny Kasirye Grenson’s 51 style trainers also play a key role in keeping this Doctor running

The Doctor almost always teams his Madcap looks with one of three pairs of Grenson 51 trainers. They also appear in numerous other episodes too. The Red/White/Green appear in The Church in Ruby Road, The Devil’s Chord, Empire of Death, and Lucky Day. He hears the Beige, meanwhile, in The Church in Ruby Road, Space Babies, The Story & the Engine, and The Interstellar Song Contest. Finally, the White/Yellow combination (apparently currently out of stock) make their only appearance so far in the opening 2007 sequence of Lucky Day.

We still don’t know any details for when, where, or how, Doctor Who might next return. But future adventures for Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor will almost certainly once again features a whirlwind of different of looks, but a strong component of Madcap and Grenson clothes in even more colour combinations.

 

 

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) (c) BBC Studios Doctor Who concludes with The Reality War at 6.50pm GMT tonight on BBC One in the UK and Ireland, and on Disney+ everywhere else. It will also be in cinemas in a double bill with Wish World starting at 6pm in most locations (find your local screening here)

 

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Full of unsettlingly weird images and ideas alongside crisp storytelling and razor sharp satire, Wish World is a classic start to the finale

 

Questions, questions, questions. Blogtor Who, like most of the audience, entered Wish World with lots of outstanding questions. For some we got at least partial answers. However, as if par for the course for the first part of a Doctor Who two part finale, last week’s episode concentrated on throwing even more questions at us.

Giant kaiju skeletons stalk the world, while a bone palace sits like a spider in the sky above London. The Seekers, with skin like cracked porcelain and eyes like an optician’s exam in hell, probe the souls of the populace from desks of oil and bone. Everyone lives a seemingly happy, but desperately tense, life of total conformity with the status quo. The Doctor and Belinda think they’re married, and somehow, impossibly, parents to Poppy the space baby. And tables? Tables are doing what tables don’t do.

It all looks fantastic, with some of the best design work all season. It’s also surprisingly straightforward, given all the strangeness.

 

The Seeker, COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon This time, for the Doctor, to lose is to win, as his usual path to victory leads only to destruction

Even by Doctor Who standards, Wish World is an episode full of weird ideas and even weirder imagery. It fits perfectly, though, for this story of a world where nothing making sense is the actual point. This is far from the first time we’ve seen this type of story in science fiction. In fact, everybody being trapped in a more mundane dreamworld is a pretty standard trope at this stage. Naturally enough, such plots usually involve our hero or heroes slowly piecing together all the things don’t make sense about the world, and all the things that just are, with no memory of how they got that way.

Wish World raises the game on such cliches with the lovely idea of making it all a trap. The Rani, architect of this Wish World, wants the populace to doubt. It’s their shattering of this reality that she needs to tear a hole between all realities. The fact that she simply mentions in passing early on that she wants the Doctor to work it out creates a unique tension as the episode unfolds. We the audience know that the Doctor’s normal path to victory is suddenly a path to defeat. Of course, we want him to escape this illusion, and we love to see his galaxy sized brain making deductions to expose the villains’ plan. But we also know that with every step he takes in seeing the truth, the Earth comes closer to destruction.

It’s an appropriate concept for this episode and the Rani’s end goal. After all the proverb “to lose is to win and he who wins shall lose,” has a long association with the founding triad of Gallifrey…

 

Colonel Ibrahim (ALEXANDER DEVRIENT) takes his place in the new world order of Wish World COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon Wish World is a masterpiece of doublethink, with Conrad the perfect choice to tell it

The particular nature of this Wish World has more to say than that and is probably among the most satisfying social commentary this season. It speaks to the fragility of any authoritarian state founded on the populace buying into a big lie. The lie itself becomes the thing that the state must protect at all costs. Even the most loyal of citizens here have ‘slips’ where they momentarily doubt the system before catching themselves. Mel has an entire wheelie bin bursting with them. But everyone lives in a permanent state of terror just under the mask of blissful happiness. Terrified of everyone else’s doubts, and terrified of the exposure of their own.

1984 is an overused touchstone for modern dystopia stories. Nevertheless, Wish World plugs directly into one of its lesser referenced ideas. It’s not obedience that’s key to the power of a fascist state, but the ability of its citizens to truly, deeply, believe the lie at its heart, even while being aware of the contradictions. After all, you don’t need to repress dissent when people willingly repress themselves.

It’s this which makes the return of Conrad from Lucky Day fits perfectly into this story. His first appearance established him as a master of double think and that’s solidified here as a kind of rare superpower. It never did quite seem to be an act with the militant podcaster. It was more like he could genuinely move effortlessly from believing UNIT were lying, to accepting the Shreek about to eat him was real, to thinking they’d “improved their special effects.” When he tells the Doctor he “rejects [his] reality,” he means it. And Wish World represents the ultimate expression of Conrad leaving in a world of his own where he’s always right, whatever the facts.

Conrad’s wish world is a cishet normative paradise full of people living quietly desperate lives COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Maxine Howells Wish World exposes the hollowness of the model society some would build, wishing away or overlooking those who don’t fit

The details of the world Conrad’s created say a lot about him, and our world too. At a most basic level the Wish World is a fantasy of the type of lost ‘golden age’ Doctor Who has kicked out against for at least 50 years. Women only work until marriage, then become dutiful wives and doting mothers. Perhaps, somewhere out there, even Conrad’s own mother finally loves him. Every man has a job and everyone is at their desk by 9am to be a good provider for their family.

It goes deeper than that, though. The doublethink extends to issues like the existence of homosexuality. Cristofer’s confusion when John describes him as ‘beautiful’ is genuine. Both men have no framework for even describing homosexuality while simultaneously feeling panicked by it.

 

 

Brian (JOSHUA J PARKER), and Shirley (RUTH MADELEY) plot to bring down god COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Samuel Dore hjjhkjlkjlkj

Meanwhile, in one of the episode’s most powerful subplots, we discover Conrad just doesn’t think about the disabled at all. The result is them suffering the least effect of his changes to reality. Shirley’s band of homeless rebels may have been exiled from a society that doesn’t even acknowledge them and their needs, but they’re at least the closest to being able to see the world as wrong. It’s a strong metaphor for how, even today, people designing buildings and services will, somehow, simply forget people with other needs exist, as if designing for a Wish World where they don’t.

Which is probably as uncomfortably close to real life as the episode gets.

Shirley’s subplot brings home the depth of Davies’ storytelling, putting flesh on one of the recurring, and most tiresome, complaints about modern media. Whenever someone like Shirley appears on screen some will be fast to complain she’s a ‘token’ character. That disabled characters, and often LGBT or other minorities, should only be included in a story if there’s a plot need for them to be. As if ‘Chekov’s wheelchair’ was a thing. Wish World highlights the stupidity of that.

Along similar lines, Mel is nobody’s daughter, wife, or mother. So she sits outside Conrad’s conception of the world and has nothing to fill her days but sitting at home alone, staring at the walls. Probably most disturbing is that there are some who really would view Conrad’s vision as a paradise.

 

Conrad (JONAH HAUER-KING) keeps the public afraid and compliant with daily readings from beloved childrens classic Doctor Who and the Deadly Wish by IM Foreman BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon Doctor Who and the Deadly Wish

The way in which the Ranis and Conrad have brought this reality into existence is probably about as far into the realms of magic as even this era has ever gone. It does tie in, though, to the power of coincidence and improbability first introduced in Ruby Road. The third in their ‘Unholy Trinity’ is a baby: the seventh son of a seventh son of a seventh son. It brings old folklore about seventh sons of seventh sons to a whole new level. (And no, it’s not an idea invented by Orson Scott Card: it’s been around for centuries.)

Meanwhile the focal lens for its power is the novel Doctor Who and the Deadly Wish by IM Foreman (an ambiguously gendered pseudonym for the Rani, no doubt.) The book cover design looks suspiciously like a certain best selling children’s fantasy novel, too. You can almost imagine Russell T Davies looking over his glasses with an impish ‘if you know you know’ expression. The Rani takes the Doctor’s story, which should be inspiring and hopeful, about justice and fighting prejudice, and perverts it into a platform to spread intolerance, fear, and the policing of rigid gender roles. As criticism, it cuts with the sharpness of a scalpel, even as it maintains plausible deniability.

There’s also something strangely familiar in the dynamic of Conrad plainly fawning over the Rani while lightly complaining she doesn’t pay him any attention. (“It’s been ages” since ‘the Mistress’ granted him an audience he says.)

Blogtor would almost feel sorry for Conrad, in this form rather pathetically needy and plainly doomed to be thrown under a bus at the Rani’s first convenience. He would, that is, if Conrad wasn’t still so completely odious in any form.

 

:Ruby Sunday (MILLIE GIBSON) is back to save the world once more, when even the Doctor is caught in the trap COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon The episode struggles to balance its two companions, with Ruby’s return leaving Belinda out of much of the plot, despite Varada Sethu’s powerhouse performance

Varada Sethu gets some tremendous material to get her teeth into this week. There aren’t that many parts that let you run into the woods into your pyjamas and deliver a primal scream, after all. Belinda’s torn between doubts that any of this is real, and a fierce, and very real, protectiveness of her family. In expressing this anguish, even as she informs on her husband John to the secret police, Sethu provides the episode’s best performance. (Though Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps runs her a close second as the returning Poppy. The toddler radiates more pure charisma than most movie stars.)

All the same, it’s hard not to think the script slightly sidelined Varada Sethu’s Belinda this week, and not for the first time. In her first three episodes, a wonderful, sparky, chemistry developed between her and Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor. Belinda herself was a force to be reckoned with in her own right too. Yet, once Lucky Day pulled the focus onto her predecessor Ruby, Belinda never quite got it back. Both The Story & the Engine and The Interstellar Song Contest gave her little to do but look at the Doctor saving the day. Meanwhile, in Wish World Millie Gibson’s Ruby gets to do all the investigating and fermenting rebellion. But though Belinda does get those heavy scenes of character drama, for the third week in a row she doesn’t have much to actually do beyond standing a room while people around her explain the plot.

In large part this is an unfortunate side effect of having much shorter seasons now. Episodes like Father’s Day or Turn Left would likely never have happened in 2000s Doctor Who only had eight episodes to work with. But it does leave Blogtor Who fervently hoping Sethu is back again for another season. Not only is Belinda a great foil for the Doctor, but she deserves more time to shine.

 

The Rani (Archie Panjabi) Mrs Flood /Aka The Rani (Anita Dobson) – BBC Studios / Bad Wolf Archie Panjabi takes Kate O’Mara’s classic role and makes it effortlessly her own. (Well, hers and the no less superb Anita Flood’s)

After her surprise reveal in last episode’s mid-credits scene, Wish World gives us our first good look at the Rani. Resplendent in red, whether 18th century riding clothes or 21st century biker leathers, she’s a villain with ice in her heart. The new evil Time Lord was introduced in 1985’s Mark of the Rani. Back then her creators Pip and Jane Baker worked hard to distinguish her from existing evil Time Lord the Master. Russell T Davies has much the same task this week, and succeeds in no small part thanks to Archie Panjabi’s cool, calculating performance. If anything, his is the greater challenge since the introduction of Missy means the Rani’s not even the only female malign Time Lord.

Where the Master seeks power, the Rani seeks knowledge. Where the Master paradoxically craves both the Doctor’s humiliation and approval, the Rani barely thinks about them at all. It’s reflected in Wish World in a number of ways. People living under her rule barely know who she is, happy to let Conrad be her front man because she doesn’t have the Master’s need to attention. She uses the Doctor as a cog in her plan and as soon as his part is done she slips away and sends him to his death. He’ll survive, of course, but the point is that there’s no gloating or prolonging the agony. There’s definitely none of the inner conflict the Master has usually shown whenever it’s looked like their old friend is actually dead. With the Rani, there’s no fuss, and no drama. Just the clinical extraction of a problem.

For the moment, Panjabi’s Rani lacks the seething irritation that made Kate O’Mara’s turn so memorable. But then, everything is going to plan so far. It will be next week we hopefully see all her plans under threat and her reaction to it.

 

The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA), falls into the Underverse:,COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf Like Sutekh before him, Omega’s return was met by a mix of delight and confusion

Of course, the Rani’s not the only classic villain making a comeback in this story. Her scheme to tear a hole in the universe is to let something back in to the universe. Omega. Last seen briefly in 2020’s The Timeless Children, Omega first appeared in 1973’s The Three Doctors, when even three Doctors barely stopped him. There’s always a risk this sort of fan service for old school fans will alienate new viewers. Certainly, with the BBC now seemingly factoring in bumps in iPlayer views of classic Doctor Who to the show’s success, there’s possibly an ulterior motive for bringing back old foes.

However, Omega’s re-introduction here isn’t actually that different from that original story, or require any additional knowledge. Back then, the name “Omega” is uttered, the Doctors react with horror, and then fill their companions in on the back story of the Time Lord legend. To an extent, there’s only a difference between the return of an old villain and the introduction of a new one, if the audience know there is.

Blogtor Who has already given you all you could possibly want to know about Omega. There will be even more answers tonight, and hopefully not too many unanswered questions. Hopefully we’ll find out more about Susan’s return for one. What Poppy is doing in the present day for another. And just how much longer can Mrs. Flood put up with the other Rani before sparks fly?

But, in truth, all you need to know is this. Sit back, and enjoy the ride.

 

When is a cliffhanger not a cliffhanger? When they’re already falling off. The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA), in Wish World COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf Doctor Who concludes with The Reality War at 6.50pm GMT on Saturday on BBC One in the UK and Ireland, and on Disney+ everywhere else. It will also be in cinemas in a double bill with Wish World starting at 6pm in most locations (find your local screening here)

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The Target Books range continues in January with three new Doctor Who novelisations

Listings have appeared for three new Target Books for next year. All three are out on the 29th of January, though details other than the three authors are still to come.

The past two years of Target Books releases have focused on the current era. Indeed Ncuti Gatwa has set a record for 21st century Doctors, with eight of his sixteen television stories adapted for the range. However, despite the lack of details, there’s already a hint that the 2026 selection will spread a wider net. With Doctor Who filming not resuming until January at the earliest, even if renewal news follows quick on the heels of the season finale, that’s perhaps not a surprise.

The three authors for the new set are Matt Jones, Joseph Lidster, and Jenny Colgan. Matt Jones inclusion is potentially the most interesting. The scriptwriter contributed one story to Doctor Who on television, the well regarded two-parter The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. It seems reasonable, then, to guess that his Target Book will be a novelisation of that 2006 Tenth Doctor story.

 

Writers for the new selection are Matt Jones, Joseph Lidster, and Jenny Colgan

It will be fascinating, however, to see how close to the television scripts it remains. Targets will often vary from the original scripts; restoring scenes of idea cut for time on screen, or expanding backstories beyond the original. The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit is a rare case, though, where the script was almost entirely reworked from Jones’ original by Russell T Davies. So it remains to be seen if we’re in for an entirely alternative version of the Torchwood Archive’s expedition to an impossible planet orbiting a black hole.

Meanwhile, Joseph Lidster wrote episodes of Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as several Doctor Who audio dramas. However, he’s still to write a television episode of Doctor Who so it’s unclear which story he’ll be novelising. Jenny Colgan likewise has never written for the show on television. However, she’s a best selling novelist in her own right, and in the Whoniverse has provided several novels and audio dramas, including the Target Book of The Christmas Invasion. It’s quite possible that she’s again adapting a Russell T Davies script.

Blogtor Who will keep you updated as more details emerge. In the meantime, this year’s set of Target novelisations arrive on the 10th of July. Titles include Empire of Death, The Robot Revolution, Lux, and The Well.

 

The post New Doctor Who Target Books for 2026 appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The Interstellar Song Contest, The Story & the Engine, and Wish World feature on new Forbidden Planet merchandise

Forbidden Planet have added more items to the Doctor Who collection celebrating the current season starring Ncuti Gatwa, Varada Sethu and Millie Gibson. You can choose between a whole new set of t-shirts and pin badges. This time, they’re based on recent episodes The Story & the Engine, The Interstellar Song Contest and Wish World. Plus there are sonic screwdriver badge blind boxes and also blind boxes featuring all the recent Doctors.

The Story & the Engine t-shirt features the TARDIS as drawn by artist Bunmi Agusto. It’s part of the imagery that appeared in the Barbershop’s window. In this case it’s linked to Omo’s story of first meeting the Doctor as a child. There’s also a re-issue of the Fugitive Doctor pin-badge to mark her surprise cameo in the episode.

The Interstellar Song Contest, of course, featured ISC super-fan Gary Gabbastone wearing his official 803rd Interstellar Song Contest t-shirt. So it was also an obvious choice for Forbidden Planet to bring that piece of in-universe merchandise out into the real world.

Wish World features on a t-shirt of its own. This one recreates one of the old school propaganda posters featuring Conrad Clark as the public face of the Rani’s regime. Are you ready for May Day?

A new blind box collection highlights the Fifteenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, in all its colour variants. Each box contains one of five sonic screwdriver badges, but you won’t know which one until you open it. There’s all the screen used versions: grey, red, pink, and yellow. Plus, you might also get one of the exclusive gold sonic screwdriver badges, original to the collection and never seen on screen.

Finally for now, the Fifteenth Doctor also features in the Kawaii blind box badge set. As with the sonics, you don’t know which Doctor you’ve got until you open your purchase. But each box contains an adorable cartoon badge of either the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth or Fugitive incarnations of the Time Lord.

 

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) (c) BBC Studios Doctor Who concludes with The Reality War at 6.50pm GMT next Saturday on BBC One in the UK and Ireland, and on Disney+ everywhere else. It will also be in cinemas in a double bill with Wish World starting at 6pm in most locations (find your local screening here)

The post Doctor Who Merchandise Update appeared first on Blogtor Who.

The last of the Time Lords battles the first of the Time Lords once again! But who, or what, is Omega!?

Omega lives! The resounding climax of Wish World revealed the purpose of the Rani’s reality bending scheme: the resurrection of Omega! If the Doctor often regards himself as the Last of the Time Lords, then Omega is one who can credibly claim the title the First of the Time Lords. To many viewers, there’s a thrill of excitement to know that one of Doctor Who’s most powerful villains is returning this week. For others, though, the name alone means very little. Fortunately, ahead of this weekend’s The Reality War Blogtor Who is here with everything you need know about the Time Lords’ ancient hero, who insists he should have been a god.

As it happens, the show introduced viewers to Omega in much the same way as Wish World. He first appeared in 1973’s The Three Doctors, celebrating the shows 10th anniversary by pitting all the first three Doctors against a suitably epic foe. But it’s not until Episode 3, more than halfway through the story, that we learn the mysterious, helmeted villain’s name.

JO: Yes, but who brought us here, and why?
OMEGA [entering]: I did! I am the one who brought you here!
DOCTOR: Who are you?
OMEGA: In the legends of your people, I am called Omega.
DOCTOR: Omega?! But that’s impossible! Omega was destroyed!
OMEGA: No, brother Time Lord, I was not destroyed, as you can see. [to his guards] Take the man and the girl.
DOCTOR: Where are you taking them?
OMEGA: They will not be harmed, Doctor. They have no part in my revenge. I have been grievously wronged, Doctor, and now it is time for my vengeance!

 

Omega is the master, and prisoner, of his universe in The Three Doctors (c) BBC Studios It was Omega who devised the ‘Hand of Omega’ which created the source of the Time Lords’ incredible power

In the above introduction, the scripts communicates Omega’s importance simply by the Doctor’s reaction to his name. It, and the exposition which follows, establishes Omega as an ancient Time Lord. One who has lost and abandoned in another universe, and craves a return to ours at any cost. Even if his arrival will tear down worlds around him. So viewers in 2025 actually have about the same information about him as the ones in 1973 did.

Nevertheless, even though Wish World tells you everything about Omega you need to know at this stage, there’s no harm in recapping his previous appearances.

That first story also reveals that Omega had been Gallifrey’s leading stellar engineer, inventing the power source that made time travel possible. When the Tenth Doctor in The Satan Pit says “My people practically invented black holes,” he means Omega.

Devising a way to control the stars themselves, and collapse them into Black Holes, he creates the Black Hole that provides the Time Lords with the raw energy to become the most powerful civilization in the galaxy. However, while conducting his experiment at close range, his fellow Time Lords abandon him. He falls through the new Black Hole and into a universe of anti-matter.

Trapped there for millions of years, Omega both plots his own escape and grows ever more bitter that no rescuers have come looking for him.

 

(l-r) Omega, Tecteun and Rassilon: the three founders of Time Lord society as seen in The Timeless Children (c) BBC Studios Omega was co-ruler of the Time Lords alongside The End of Time’s Rassilon and The Timeless Children’s Tecteun

Later television episodes add more information and context to Omega’s origins. Omega believes his exile was no accident, but sabotage by his rivals to get him out of the way. The Doctor refuses to believe it, but the more we see of the Time Lords the more likely it seems. They’re conniving and manipulative, and certainly ruthless enough. Especially Rassilon, introduced a few years later as one of Omega’s contemporary founders. By the time we meet Rassilon in person, played by Timothy Dalton in 2009’s The End of Time, he seems exactly the sort to stage an ‘accident’ for his greatest political rival.

Meanwhile, in 1988’s 25th anniversary adventure we learn the name of Omega’s great invention: the suitably grandiose ‘Hand of Omega.’ Davros and the Daleks seek to use it to create their own Black Hole power source to rival the Time Lords’. Instead, the Doctor tricks themselves into destroying their own homeworld Skaro and its entire star system with it. The same story also gives our first hint that the Doctor is ‘more than just a Time Lord.’ He lets slip that he was present in Omega’s era and played a part in the Hand of Omega’s development. Something that we can now see as an event from their Timeless Child days.

Indeed, we even briefly glimpse Omega during the episode The Timeless Children, as he establishes Time Lord society alongside Rassilon and Tecteun.

 

Omega’s recurring obsession in all his appearances has been a way to escape his anti-matter prison

In each of Omega’s appearances, he attempt to escape his anti-matter universe and he always ultimately fails. Each time presents a slightly different challenge, though. In The Three Doctors, he’s caught in a classic Catch-22. He’s created an entire world inside the Black Hole through sheer force of will. This includes a machine that can bridge the gap between universes. However, the moment he leaves the Anti-Matter universe, the bridge will cease to exist with him on it, along with the rest of the world he’s created. Omega seeks to force the Doctor to take his place, but is horrified to discover that his own body is also now merely an expression of his will. His armoured suit is empty and he can never leave.

When Omega returns ten years later for Arc of Infinity, he thinks he has a solution. He entangles himself with the Doctor at a quantum level, creating a new body for himself out of normal matter. A new body that’s an exact copy of the Doctor’s. However, the process is flawed and unstable, and Omega’s new form begins to regress into anti-matter. Knowing that the result will be a matter/anti-matter explosion that will rip the Earth apart, the Doctor sadly exiles Omega back to his own realm once more.

 

Doctor Who: Omega. Cover by Clayton Hickman (c) Big Finish Omega has been sparingly used on audio too, but many consider his first Big Finish appearance an early classic

The those two episodes, along with that Timeless Children cameo, have been Omega’s only previous television appearances. But he’s also had a substantial life on audio, and in print.

The Big Finish audio play Omega takes many twists and turns as the Doctor has another rematch with the first of the Time Lords. In the end, it turns out that Omega actually escaped at the end of the Arc of Infinity but has now gone insane. Still in his duplicate body, he believes himself to be both the Doctor and Omega, his two personalities struggling with each other as they return to where his fatal experiment originally took place. His sense of identity slips further when the real Doctor actually does show up. The villain flips back and forth from wanting to just go ‘home’ to his Anti-Matter prison, overwhelmed by the modern world, and, like the proverbial scorpion and the frog, betraying the Doctor who’s just trying to help him.

By the end, of course, the ancient Time Lord is back in his Anti-Matter universe, starting from scratch.

The story also adds some more details. Omega’s real name is Peylix, “Omega” being a cruel nickname from his college days his frenemy Rassilon coins in reference to Peylix receiving a failing ‘omega’ grade for his thesis. However, he reclaimed the name in defiance as he set out to prove his theories correct. Meanwhile, Vandekirian was Omega’s assistant who actually does the deed of exiling him to the other universe. Omega also learns that once he was safely out of the way, Rassilon spread the story of Omega as a legendary hero in order to bask in the reflected glory as his best friend. At least until he was ready to declare himself Gallifrey’s greatest ever hero.

 

Brian Blessed as Omega in Cutaway Comics’ audio adaptation of their own comic Omega (c) Cutaway Comics Brian Blessed is the most recent to join the ranks of very loud actors to play the giant of Doctor Who mythology

Another officially licenced audio story, this time from Cutaway Comics is, rather unhelpfully, also called simply Omega. This is actually a prequel to his first appearance, telling the story of his earliest escape attempt. For good measure it’s also a prequel to Underworld, another television Doctor Who story by his creators Bob Baker and Dave Martin. The ancient Time Lords attempted to uplift the planet Minyas, setting themselves up as ‘gods’ and transforming it from a technologically primitive world into an extremely advanced civilization. The result is a disaster, leading to the Time Lords’ same policy of strict non-intervention that they Doctor’s repeatedly broken.

But this story reveals that it was Omega who fermented the rebellion that kicked his fellow Gallifreyans off Minyas. It was also him, it turns out, who gave them the Minyans the secret of regeneration and who wiped out the planet as part of his scheme to be reborn. This leads directly into Underworld, where the survivors of Minyas spend thousands of years looking for their lost gene library to rebuild their race, and into The Three Doctors with Omega’s failure to escape.

 

Gallifrey: Intervention Earth. Cover by Tom Webster (c) Big Finish Original Omega Stephen Thorne returned for Intervention Earth as his cult of worshipers finally threatened to succeed in freeing him

The later Big Finish story Gallifrey: Intervention Earth focuses not on the Doctor, but Time Lord President Romana, played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Juliet Landau. Romana, Ace, and the Time Lord Narvin uncover a conspiracy involving the Adherents of Ohm. The secret society hidden on Gallifrey worship Omega and seek his return to rule the planet. The story finally gives Omega a way out as he succeeds both in stealing one of the Adherent’s bodies for his own, and forcing another Time Lord to take his place in the Anti-Matter universe.

And that’s where Omega is the last time we hear of him. Somewhere out there, free in the universe, biding his time, ready for revenge. However, that was before the Time War; before the return of Rassilon. It’s probably no surprise that by the end of his old enemy’s reign, Omega was once again banished to his anti-matter prison.

And it certainly seems that, as ever, he wants out…

 

When is a cliffhanger not a cliffhanger? When they’re already falling off. The Doctor (NCUTI GATWA), in Wish World COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf Who will be next to play Omega for The Reality War?

Some fantastic actors have played Omega over the years. Stephen Thorne leant his looming 6’4″ frame and booming voice to the Time Lord in the original Three Doctors, before returning to voice him again for Intervention Earth. Ian Collier took over for Arc of Infinity, both playing Omega is his armoured and mutated forms, and dubbing over Peter Davison’s Omega with his rumbling roar of a voice. He too returned for Big Finish, this time for Omega. For Cutaway Comics, Brian Blessed (Yes! BRIAN BLESSED!) played the younger Omega, keeping to the traditional of gigantic voices for a gigantic part.

For that uncharacteristically speechless Timeless Children cameo, meanwhile, Doctor Who 2nd Assistant Director Mark Corden took on the collar and skullcap of the Time Lord leader.

Archive audio of the late Stephen Thorne, both from The Three Doctors and Intervention Earth, was used in Wish World. The cast list for The Reality War doesn’t say who’s playing Omega. Hopefully it’s not all a giant tease and he actually does show up. So assuming there’s someone ready in the wings to step into Omega’s considerable shows, let’s hope they’ve got the required volume. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even get the return of Brian Blessed!

 

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) in The Reality War (c) BBC Studios Doctor Who concludes with The Reality War at 6.50pm GMT next Saturday on BBC One in the UK and Ireland, and on Disney+ everywhere else. It will also be in cinemas in a double bill with Wish World starting at 6pm in most locations (find your local screening here)

 

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Doctor Who Unleashed celebrates 20 years since the return of Doctor Who with an hour long special filled with star guests

Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are the latest additions to the hour long episode of Doctor Who Unleashed. Broadcast details have also been confirmed. Celebrating twenty years since Doctor Who’s Cardiff-based revival, this special episode is full of special guests from the show’s past and present.

Steffan Powell will take a journey through the time vortex alongside an intergalactic lineup of previously announced Doctors, companions, and showrunners.

 

Unleashed – Celebrating 20 years of revival with:Billie Piper and David Tennant COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bright Branch Those confirmed to be taking part include:

• Russell T Davies (showrunner, 2005-10, 2022-present)
• Steven Moffat (showrunner, 2010-17)
• Chris Chibnall (showrunner, 2018-22)
• David Tennant (The Doctor, 2005-10, 2013, 2023)
• Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor, 2018-22)
• Ncuti Gatwa (The Doctor, 2023-present)
• Billie Piper (Rose Tyler/The Moment, 2005-6, 2008, 2010, 2013)
• Karen Gillan (Amy Pond, 2010-13)
• Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams, 2010-12)
• Pearl Mackie (Bill Potts, 2017)
• Mandip Gill (Yaz Khan, 2018-22)
• Varada Sethu (Belinda Chandra, 2025-present)
• Edward Thomas (Production Designer, 2005-10)
• Ray Holman (Costume Designer, 2007-10, 2015-22)

Powell will be revealing the secrets from behind the scenes and unpacking the magic Welsh gold dust that has seen the show become one of the biggest and most recognisable brands on television since its 2005 regeneration.

The special hour-long episode of Unleashed will land on Saturday 7th June at 6am on BBC iPlayer. It will also air on BBC One Wales at 6.20pm and BBC Three at 7pm later that day. This is exactly a week after Doctor Who’s epic season two finale The Reality War. Previous episodes are available to watch now in the Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer.

 

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) (c) BBC Studios Doctor Who concludes with The Reality War at 6.50pm GMT next Saturday on BBC One in the UK and Ireland, and on Disney+ everywhere else. It will also be in cinemas in a double bill with Wish World starting at 6pm in most locations (find your local screening here)

 

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The Seventh Doctor and Ace finally visit Alixion, 35 year late…

The Lost Stories ,the range which brings unproduced Doctor Who television stories to life in audio format – returns later this year with Alixion, a new adventure for the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred).

The new Alixion is an adaption of a serial the Doctor Who production office commissioned in 1989. However, it never came to pass due to the show’s cancellation. Its original writer, Robin Mukherjee, went on to have a successful career as a film and TV screenwriter. He now returns to the world of Doctor Who to adapt his story into an audio drama.

The adventure begins in an opulent spa but any holiday the Doctor takes is never as relaxing as hoped. He and Ace have their dreams used against them by an alien menace, as they uncover a mystery revolving around missing people and the nightmares they leave behind…

The Doctor and Ace checked in for a little rest and recreation. But they find themselves at the mercy of a malign entity that craves the conquest of time and space.

The queen of the hive hides behind the polished walls of the spa. She exploits their memories and regrets, forcing them to confront their deepest fears. As she does so, she steals the Doctor’s life force to spread her powers across the universe.

 

The cast of Doctor Who: Alixion (l-r) Beverly Longhurst, Jon Edgley Bond, Sylvester McCoy, Shri Patel, Sophie Aldred, Mathew McQuinn Lost due to the show’s 1989 cancellation, Alixion is a story finally ready to be told in 2025

Shri Patel (This England) guest stars as Colin, a ‘Time Gribble’ who comes to the aid of the Doctor and Ace, and Beverly Longhurst (I May Destroy You) plays spa hostess Mathilda. The cast list also includes Jon Edgley Bond, Ali Bastian, David O’Mahony, and Mathew McQuinn.

Writer Robin Mukherjee said: “The story of Alixion came out of conversations with Andrew Cartmel, supported by John Nathan-Turner, the first producer to offer me a television commission. Up to that point I’d written for theatre and radio, and was just finding my feet in the industry.

“I can vividly remember those cramped rooms in a drab office block on Shepherds Bush Green which became an oasis of creativity, seething with ideas in the company of John, Andrew, Ben [Aaronovitch], Ian [Briggs], Graeme [Curry], Rona [Munro] and others. I felt in awe of these writers and their imagination. We danced through space and time spinning strange and wonderful tales for – in my view – one of the show’s greatest ever Doctor/partner pairings.

“The cancellation of the next series put an end to my commission. But the story has always hovered in the corners of my imagination. Between then and now, I’ve mostly written grounded, realistic dramas, from medical series to arthouse cinema. Being able to launch my creative molecules into the stratosphere has been an immeasurable joy. What surprised me most about writing this was how much story, from all of those conversations, was simply waiting to be told. It feels as if something begun in the tender days of my early work has at last been fulfilled.”

 

You can pre-order Doctor Who: Alixion now

Doctor Who – The Lost Stories: Alixion is now available to pre-order for just £13.99 (download to own) or £16.99 (download to own + collector’s edition 2-disc CD), exclusively here. Please note: the collector’s edition CD is strictly limited to 1,750 copies and will not be repressed. 

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Doctor Who may be almost over for another season, but UNIT will soon return with a trailer for their new spin-off coming this Saturday

 

The current season of Doctor Who ends this weekend with the dramatic Reality War. But the next war for the Whoniverse is already about to begin. When the Doctor Who finale airs on Saturday, fans will also get their first look at the upcoming UNIT spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea. Jemma Redgrave (Kate Lethbridge-Stewart), Ruth Madeley (Shirley Bingham) and Alexander Devrient (Colonel Ibriham) all return for the six episode series. However, they’re not the only ones. The Sea Devils, amphibious cousins to the Silurians and ancient rulers of the Earth rise once more. They went into hibernation millions of years ago but are ready to reclaim their planet. But while previous Doctor Who stories have featured small numbers of Silurians and Sea Devils awakening, this time a whole civilization is coming back to life. The Earth will never be the same again.

If it survives.

 

Cast of The War Between The Land and the Sea Photo by Alistair Heap CC Bad Wolf / BBC Studios The War Between the Land and the Sea “will shake the Whoniverse to its foundations”

The series also stars Russell Tovey, previously Midshipman Alonzo Frame in Voyage of the Damned, as a new character. Gugu Mbatha-Raw also plays a new character after being Martha’s sister Tish in Doctor Who Series Three. Mbatha-Raw’s role is understood to be one of the Sea Devils, as she and Tovey’s characters wind up the best hope for peace between two worlds. The War Between the Land and the Sea featured extensive international filming earlier this year. The result is likely to be a UNIT story on a larger canvas than ever before.

Colin MacFarlane also returns for the new series, reprising his Torchwood role as a UNIT general.

Russell T Davies is showrunner and co-writer on the new series. “I’m so lucky to work with such a magnificent cast,” he says. “And this is a huge, muscular, thrilling drama which will shake the Whoniverse to its foundations.  When the Doctor’s not in town, the whole of humanity is in trouble.” 

Davies’ co-writer on the new show is Pete Tighe. Tighe also recently wrote the Doctor Who episode Lucky Day. It’s likely that the interpersonal dynamics and hints of tension with Geneva in that UNIT heavy story helps set the ground for The War Between.

 

UNIT’s Colonel Ibrahim (ALEXANDER DEVRIENT), in The Reality War ,COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon Broadcast details for the new Whoniverse spin-off are still unknown for now

The new Sea Devil design has yet to be revealed, and we might get our first peek this weekend. Blogtor Who understands it will be radically different from the one introduced in 1972’s The Sea Devils and most recently seen in 2022’s Legend of the Sea Devils. The change will apparently bring them more in line with the Silurian redesign first seen in 2010’s The Hungry Earth.

The War Between’s premiere date is still unknown, and unlikely to be revealed in this weekend’s trailer. Early 2026 is the earliest possible filming date for new Doctor Who, even if renewal news comes quickly. Therefore, it’s quite possible the UNIT spin-off will be used to fill the Doctor Who shaped hole in the schedule next April. However, that’s not the only option. It’s equally possible the BBC will present it as one of the highlights of the Autumn schedule later this year.

Unfortunately, Blogtor also can’t tell you if the new trailer will air before The Reality War or as a special preview afterwards. There’s no word either on whether the trailer will be shown in cinemas where the finale double bill is playing. (Though you’d like to think so, what trip to the cinema is complete without trailers?)

 

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) (c) BBC Studios Doctor Who concludes with The Reality War at 6.50pm GMT next Saturday on BBC One in the UK and Ireland, and on Disney+ everywhere else. It will also be in cinemas in a double bill with Wish World starting at 6pm in most locations (find your local screening here)

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Doctor Who scores a Top 10 hit with The Interstellar Song Contest

Appropriately, Dugga Doo, Cora, Liz Lizardine and the rest of the Interstellar Song Contest have scored a Top 10 hit. BARB have released the +7 viewing figures for the sixth episode of this year’s season of Doctor Who. The Interstellar Song Contest was seen by 3.75m viewers in its first week. That’s up 1.18m (45.9%) for the initial overnight. However, while that +7 result is accurate, we still don’t have the breakdown between the pre-broadcast iPlayer number and rest of the week’s time-shift.

Regardless, that total is up 38.4% of the previous week’s The Story & the Engine, and, year-on-year, up 6.5% from last year’s Rogue. In fact, it’s the highest +7 for Doctor Who since Joy to the World last Christmas and the highest regular episode since 73 Yards.

The episode of music and terror also saw Doctor Who rocket up the weekly charts. It’s up 26 places to #9 this week. That’s Doctor Who’s highest chart position since Joy to the World’s #6 placement. It’s also the highest chart result for any regular Gatwa episode, outside of the Christmas specials. It means Gatwa’s average chart position holds steady at #17, tied with Christopher Eccleston’s chart performance 20 years ago.

The result goes to show the importance of strong scheduling. The BBC One line-up of an FA Cup final, a Eurovision themed Doctor Who, and Eurovision itself. Meanwhile ITV effectively surrendered the night, giving their biggest ratings hit Britain’s Got Talent the night off.

 

John Smith (NCUTI GATWA) and Susan the tea lady (SUSAN TWIST) in Wish World COPYRIGHT:BBC Studios,CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon We still don’t have Wish World’s pre-TX number, but it seems on course for one of the season’s highest ratings despite the post-Eurovision comedown

In contrast, last week was back to normal scheduling. BBC One once more placed Doctor Who between mid-range quiz shows The Hit List and Blankety Blank, while Britain’s Got Talent returned to its slot directly opposite Who.

Predictably, the result was a significant drop in viewing figures. The official overnight for Wish World is 1.83m, down 28.8%. However, we once again don’t have that pre-transmission iPlayer number this week. This means we still don’t know how many people actually watched the first part of the finale on Saturday. We can make an educated guess, though, based on the pre-TX numbers so far this year, that Wish World’s real number is around 2m. Despite being down on Interstellar Song Contest, it’s not back down to the level of previous weeks. Only The Robot Revolution and possibly The Well have been higher, but we’ll need to wait for next week’s update to be sure.

Doctor Who’s tough scheduling does show a certain amount of trust from the BBC in the show. Its job in its current time slot: early Summer, up against big hitter Britain’s Got Talent, seems to be that of an old reliable. A show with a dependable core audience and relatively high floor to its possible ratings, and which can stop Saturdays from being a total wash out for BBC One at this time of year. By that measure, seems to be holding its own.

The real test, however, will be once the final +28 begin to emerge. Britain’s Got Talent’s audience is almost entirely live, while Doctor Who traditionally has a long tail in time-shifting.

With the 2025 finale next week, it won’t be long before that more complete picture begins to form.

 

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) (c) BBC Studios Doctor Who concludes with The Reality War at 6.50pm GMT next Saturday on BBC One in the UK and Ireland, and on Disney+ everywhere else. It will also be in cinemas in a double bill with Wish World starting at 6pm in most locations (find your local screening here)

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Barbie Dolls of the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday are on the way from Mattel

Mattel and BBC Studios unveiled two new Doctor Who Barbie dolls at MCM Comic Con in London this weekend. The Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday are both now immortalised in plastic, and join the Thirteenth Doctor Barbie previously released in 2018.

Ncuti Gatwa has, of course, already been a Barbie doll, at least on screen. He played one of the several variant Kens in the 2023 Barbie movie starring Margot Kidder and Ryan Gosling. Surprisingly, Gatwa’s Ken never came out in toy form, so this new Doctor Who doll helps fix that wrong.

Both he and Ruby come dressed in perfect miniature recreations of their outfits from 2023 Christmas Special The Church on Ruby Road. The Doctor has his picante Capitol Mod top, Grenson 51 trainers, brown leather trenchcoat, and blue gurkha trousers. Ruby’s dressed in her faux fur lined jacket, tartan skort, and big black boots. Note, though, that they don’t include accessories like their rings or necklaces, or the sonic screwdriver.

 

Actor Ncuti Gatwa receives his very own Doctor Who Barbie doll, Credit; Isabel Infantes/PA Media Assignments Ncuti Gatwa came face to face his Barbie doll at MCM this weekend

Ncuti Gatwa got to see his Barbie for the first time at MCM Comic Con. Laughing in pleasure, the actor said “Barbie is iconic, so to see a Barbie iteration of the Doctor was emotional, surreal, incredible and I can’t wipe the smile off my face.

“I hope kids out there are able to enjoy the doll,” he continued, “and see themselves in it and think ‘I can do anything’”. 

As is typical with tie-in Barbie dolls, the designs don’t use new sculpts of the likenesses of the actors. Instead they match them with the distinctive Barbie look, featuring the “Basic Ken” and “Daisy” head sculpts.

You can see the video of Ncuti Gatwa coming face to face with his Barbie doll on the official Barbie Instagram account below.

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A post shared by Barbie (@barbie)

 

The Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday Barbies will be out in the second half of July. They should be available for pre-order on the Mattel Creations UK website soon. However, they’re already available for pre-order in the US store. Each doll is priced at £50.

Fifteenth Doctor Barbie Doll

Ruby Sunday Barbie Doll

 

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