Doctor Who Fans Catch Recurring Easter Egg in New Series

Doctor Who fans are wondering about a recurring actress in the new season and what her appearances could mean for the show’s plot. BBC and Disney+’s new season of Doctor Who has officially started, with two episodes debuting on the streaming platform this week. While most of the buzz involved new Doctor Ncuti Gutwa and his companion Ruby Sunday (played by Millie Gibson), fans also quickly spotted one other actress who appeared in both episodes, seemingly as a background character. British actress Susan Twist appeared in both episodes that debuted this week, bringing her tally of appearances in Doctor Who up to four.

Twist first appeared in Wild Blue Yonder, one of the David Tennant and Catherine Tate specials as a maid who accompanied Sir Isaac Newton ahead of his brief encounter with the Doctor and Donna Noble. She then appeared in The Church on Ruby Road as an attendee of Ruby’s concert. In the most recent episodes, she appeared as “Comms Officer Gina,” an officer of a space station creating babies in space, and as a Tea Lady who brusquely served the Doctor tea in a cafeteria. 

While none of Twist’s appearances have impacted the plot or had any major consequence, her recurring appearance has many fans buzzing about whether she’s some kind of easter egg in the vein of others planted in Russell T. Davies-helmed seasons of Doctor Who. Davies notably included “Bad Wolf” in every episode of Season 1 of Doctor Who and also threaded Torchwood mentions throughout the second season of the show. The third season featured multiple mentions of Saxon, a politician revealed to be The Master. 

Speculation about Twist’s appearances range from her appearing as another time traveler (The Rani, a fellow Time Lord, is a common guess) to some sort of meta-tease about the reappearance of Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter, given that her real name is “Susan Twist.” We’ll also note that Doctor Who’s most recent number featured a musical number called “There’s Always a Twist at the End” which could be more evidence of a literal play on words. 

Doctor Who airs on BBC and Disney+, with new episodes debuting at 7 PM ET on Fridays.