Doctor Who adds Jonathan Groff in "key role"

Mindhunter actor Jonathan Groff is joining the fourteenth season of Doctor Who in a "key role."

While details of Groff's character are being kept under wraps, the BBC has announced that he will appear in Ncuti Gatwa's first series as the Doctor in 2024.

"I am so thrilled to jump into the extraordinary mind of Russell T Davies and watch the incredible Ncuti Gatwa soar in this iconic role!" Groff said in a statement.

Davies, who is back as showrunner for the new era of the long-running sci-fi series, added, "This is an incredible coup, and a great honour, to get such a huge star striding on to our set. So strap on your space boots, this is going to be a blast!"

Groff's arrival continues the recent trend of exciting Doctor Who news as we get set to step into the TARDIS once more. David Tennant is back – confusingly, as the Fourteenth Doctor – in a series of three specials in November 2022. Previous companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) is also returning to mark the 60th anniversary celebrations.

Gatwa is then set to take the reins full-time, starting with a special episode to be broadcast over the festive period, which will be followed by a full new season in 2024. New images from filming show the Fifteenth Doctor heading back to the '60s with his companion Ruby Tuesday (Millie Gibson).

Groff's Matrix Resurrections co-star Neil Patrick Harris is also heading into the Doctor's orbit very soon as part of David Tennant's Time Lord return. He will play the "greatest villain the Doctor has ever faced", which sounds very ominous indeed…

The new season of Doctor Who will air on BBC in the UK and on Disney Plus in other territories worldwide. For more from the streamer, check out the best Disney Plus movies you could be watching right now.