What Happened at ‘Doctor Who’s SDCC Panel?

Doctor Who has made a glorious return to San Diego Comic-Con after six years away, with showrunner Russell T. Davies descending upon Hall H alongside stars Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson. Not only did Gibson managed to make it snow in Hall H, but the trio also announced a whole new spin-off series, released a new clip from the highly anticipated Christmas special with Nicola Coughlan, and finally revealed the casting of Jonah Hauer-King in Season 2. Collider was lucky enough to grab a couple seats in the room, so without further adieu, here’s everything we learned during the Into the Whoniverse panel.

When questioned about the Doctor’s emotional vulnerability this go-round, Gatwa said his goal was to really demonstrate the weight of the Doctor’s long and traumatic past. “The Doctor has had so much loss, and joy. Every experience, to the fullest extent. I just can’t get over this fact that he has two hearts. He just feels things very deeply.” Longtime Who fans have seen the Doctor experience untold horrors, which Gatwa’s Doctor reminded David Tennant’s of when the two shared the screen together in “The Giggle,” the finale of Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary specials. From the death of Adric, Sarah Jane, and Clara to the love and loss of Rose and River, the Doctor has a lot to unpack — and with Gatwa’s Doctor, it seems that comes in the form of some well-deserved tears.

He also noted that he loves the legacy of the Doctor, especially when it comes to the actors who have portrayed the iconic time traveler. “[…] I had a long list of incredible actors to draw from, and it was like…how am I going to match up to the people who came before me? I tried to steal a little something from all of them, make it my own.”

Davies added that Gatwa’s in-depth research into the Doctor wasn’t necessary, but thanked him for it all the same. “When you’ve got 60 years behind you, that would take an awfully long time.” Davies, who noted he is a longtime fan of the show, said that he hired Ncuti and Millie to push the show forward, to be themselves, and to make the characters their own. He also watches the dailies and rushes from filming and will adjust the scripts to embrace the ever-changing dynamic between the Doctor and Ruby.

‘Doctor Who’ Is Getting a UNIT Spin-off Series

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Comic-Con panel without a few surprises. Davies announced this era of Doctor Who will be getting its first spin-off centered around the Sea Devils. “What happens when the Doctor isn’t in town, that’s what the show’s about,” Davies said, adding that the iconic Doctor Who monsters aren’t too happy with the current state of our oceans. This means war on an epic scale for humanity and the Sea Devils below our waters. Get the full rundown of The War Between the Land and the Sea here.

Nicola Coughlan Makes her ‘Doctor Who’ Debut This Christmas

Whovians were treated to a first-look at the upcoming 2024 Christmas Special, “Joy to the World,” penned by longtime Doctor Who writer and former showrunner, Steven Moffat. The special finds the Doctor dropping in on Joy, played by Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan, in the middle of a rather tricky situation with a Silurian.

When asked about working with Coughlan, Gatwa was all smiles. “Barbie and Ken, back at it again!” He enthused. Gatwa and Coughlan were last seen together in 2023’s Barbie. This time, Coughlan is joining Gatwa as his companion for the Christmas special. “Nicola is incredible. Incredible actor. [She brought] so much joy to the set. She’s an absolute star, is what I’ll say.”

What To Expect in ‘Doctor Who’ Season 2

Elsewhere in the panel, Gibson noted that Ruby also has her own trauma to contend with. On top of finding her birth mother, Ruby experienced some of the highest highs and lowest lows of the big, wide universe, including being shot, witnessing a possible apocalypse and the destruction of humanity (more than once), an entire alternate lifetime she can’t quite remember, and scariest of all: the literal Boogeyman. It’s safe to say our dear Rubes needs a bit of therapy, which Season 2 seems primed to provide her. Said Gibson, “[…] I mean, travelling with the Doctor is fun, but the PTSD [she was getting from] the travel on this journey…we’d be like ‘Oh, we nearly died! Anyway…’” Davies confirmed Ruby having a bit of PTSD, adding:

“We actually dramatize that, see some of that. Of course it’s mind-shattering, what you go through with the Doctor, and trying to build a new life after that is very hard. That’s a great source of story. So you’ll see all that.”

Both Gibson and Davies confirmed Ruby will return for Season 2, with Gibson noting she is “very excited” to continue Ruby’s story. But that’s not all — Gibson also happily announced that The Little Mermaid heartthrob Jonah Hauer-King will be joining Ruby’s story for Season 2 in a yet-unknown capacity. Given Gibson’s adorable proclamation that she’s been “hanging out with Prince Eric for a while,” it’s not much of a stretch to guess he and Ruby might have a bit of a fling. I’m already shipping it.

Also joining the show (again) is Varada Sethu, last seen in Season 1’s “Boom” as Mundy Flynn. Sethu will be portraying Belinda Chandra in Season 2, a whole new character who will be “strong and wonderful,” according to Davies.

When asked if Season 2 might include more of the wonderful, campy musical numbers audiences were treated to in Season 1, Davies answered with an emphatic “YES,” further elaborating that he believes the musical numbers are firmly part of the show now. In fact, he teased Season 2 contains something that is decidedly not a musical episode, but one that will most certainly be “packed full of songs.” He also intends to continue the cheeky little fourth wall breaks that have long been a Doctor Who tradition. Who wouldn’t want more of Ncuti Gatwa winking right at the camera?

Season 2 will also include more of the mysterious Mrs. Flood, played by Anita Dobson. Whether her water-based name is connected to Amy Pond and River Song is still up in the air, according to Davies, but audiences will most certainly be seeing more of Dobson. “She has absolutely extraordinary things ahead of her,” Davies said.

As for any future villains, all the panel was able to confirm is that we will definitely be seeing more of the Pantheon of Discord in Season 2. Classic Who fans were already well-familiar with The Toymaker, the mischievous God of Games that the Doctor encountered in the very first episode of Doctor Who dating all the way back to the show’s inception in 1963. Back then, the character was portrayed by Luke Featherston, with Neil Patrick Harris picking up the Jester Hat for the Toymaker’s return in 2023’s Anniversary specials. Throughout Season 1, we were introduced to Maestro, the God of Music, played brilliantly by actor and drag queen Jinkx Monsoon. We also met Season 2’s Big Bad (and fellow legacy Classic Who villain), Sutekh, in the two-part finale. However, there’s still a whole host of Gods we have yet to meet in this new era of Doctor Who — as Sutekh so helpfully listed in “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” — including the Trickster (last seen in The Sarah Jane Adventures), the Mara, Reprobate, Incensor, Doubt, Dread, and the deity encompassing malice, mischief, and misery, just to name a few.

Season 1 of Doctor Who is available to stream on Disney+.

Doctor Who

The show follows the adventures of a Time Lord, “The Doctor,” who is able to regenerate, and the Doctor’s human friends. The Doctor and his companions journey through time and space in the TARDIS – a time-traveling ship shaped like a police box – saving the universe with a combination of wit, bravery, and kindness.

Release Date

March 17, 2006

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

14

Studio

BBC America

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+

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Watch on Disney+