New Doctor Who Series Announced, But There's a Catch

The Doctor Who franchise has continued on for decades now, not only spanning countless episodes of television, but spinning off into comics, radio plays, and more. A new era for the show on the horizon later this fall with the return of David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and the debut of Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, and it looks like that will branch off even further. On Monday, it was announced that the BBC will be launching Tales of the TARDIS, a new series that reunites classic combinations of Doctors and companions. The six episodes of Tales of the TARDIS will only be available online through BBC iPlayer, and will be part of the newly-branded "Whoniverse" hub on the platform.

"The word Whoniverse was invented by fans, so it's time to give it official status," showrunner Russell T. Davies said in a statement. "And Tales of the TARDIS is one of the greatest delights of my career – to see old Doctors and companions reunited, still fighting the good fight, is a perfect way to celebrate the Doctor's 60th birthday!"

"I'm delighted to welcome Tales of the TARDIS exclusively to BBC iPlayer, the home of Doctor Who, which is consistently one of our most popular programmes every single week of the year," Dan McGolpin, Director of iPlayer and Channels added. "Tales of the TARDIS will sit within The Whoniverse and features brand new and incredibly moving scenes with well-loved characters; it will be a fantastic starting point for a new generation to discover some of the most classic episodes and a joyous way for longstanding fans to catch up with old friends."

What Is Tales of the TARDIS About?

Tales of the TARDIS will be using its premise to unite a number of beloved Doctor Who duos, including Maureen O'Brien and Peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury, Katy Manning and Daniel Anthony, Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant, and Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred. These Doctor Who legends step back into character to reflect on their adventures and in the process they discover something new, leaving viewers with a new insight into the story of each timeless pair.

Each episode of Tales of the TARDIS will feature a mix of new scenes and classic episodes, ultimately creating a feature-length omnibus episode.

Who Will Be the Next Doctor Who?

Sex Education and Barbie star Ncuti Gatwa is set to play the Fifteenth Doctor in the upcoming 60th anniversary season of Doctor Who, which will be showrun by returning series alum Russell T. Davies. 

"Oh God, what a force of nature," Tennant exclaimed in a recent interview. "I've caught a little bit of him at work and it's pretty exciting. I mean, what advice would you give someone? You can see Ncuti has so much talent and energy. He's so inspired and charismatic. The thing about something like this is: it's the peripherals, it's not the job. It's the other stuff that comes with it, that I didn't see coming. It's a show that has so much focus and enthusiasm on it. It's not like Ncuti hasn't been in a massive Netflix series [Sex Education,] but Doctor Who is on a slightly different level. It's cross-generational, international, and has so much history, that it feels like it belongs to everyone. To be at the center of the show is wonderful and humbling, but also a bit overwhelming and terrifying. It doesn't come without some difficulties, such as the immediate loss of anonymity. It takes a bit of getting used to if that's not been your life up to that point. I was very lucky that when I joined, Billie Piper [who portrayed on-screen companion, Rose] was still there. She'd lived in a glare of publicity since she was 14, so she was a great guide for how to live life under that kind of scrutiny. I owe a degree of sanity to Billie."

Tales of the TARDIS and The Whoniverse are set to launch on BBC iPlayer on Wednesday, November 1st.