Ncuti Gatwa is back as the Doctor for a new season of time travelling adventures – and so is our list of Doctor Who Easter Eggs. On this page you'll find every deep cut reference and call back that we spot this season. Doctor Who has an incredible 62 year history to pull from, and we'll be noting the tiny details that call back to the past, as well as hints about the show's ongoing story arc right here.
We'll also be tracking every appearance of the enigmatic Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson), who may yet end up as one of the best Doctor Who characters. We know that she's set to appear in every episode this season, so we'll be keeping a close eye on her movements.
If you're wondering what we made of the first episode, you can read our spoiler free review here. Now, let's get to the Easter Eggs – though be warned, there are major spoilers ahead...
Episode 1 - The Robot Revolution
"Transmat initiated": Star Trek has transporters, but Doctor Who has Transmats, or "Particle Matter Transmitters" in full. They're basically the same thing, but with a cooler name. Transmats first appeared in 1975's 'The Ark in Space' and have popped up many times ever since.
Flood Watch: Welcome to a regular segment where we keep track of what Mrs Flood is up to. Here she appears fleetingly as Belinda's neighbor – just as she was with Ruby last season. Which begs the question, is she doing this with all of the Doctor's companions, or just the Fifteenth's? "You ain't seen me," she confides, once again breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the audience.
Cyberwoman: The scene where Belinda is confronted with the prospect of becoming a robot bride strongly recalls a famously terrifying moment from the end of 1983's Superman 3. In that (not especially good) film, an evil supercomputer transforms Annie Ross's Vera Webster into a silver-skinned cyborg, visibly bolting metal plates to her face. That doesn't happen to Belinda, thankfully, but the animated graphic showing the procedure is so similar it feels like a nod to the scene.
X-ray death rays: The choice to give the robot weapons an x-ray effect as they kill people sure is a choice. It looks cool, but it's also very specifically an effect that is associated with Dalek weaponry. There's no clear connection to the sons of Skaro this episode, but we can't help but feel this may turn out to be relevant later on.
Sasha 55's death: It became a bit of a cliche last season to notice that Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor seemingly tears up at the drop of a hat. He does so again this episode, but it's a full 17 minutes and 20 seconds before the first tears start to flow.
"Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey": Belinda has a bracing response when the Doctor wheels out his most irksome catchphrase again. "Timey-wimey? Am I six?!"
Mundy Flynn: As the Doctor and Belinda get acquainted she mentions starting a new shift on Monday. That triggers a memory in the Doctor, of Mundy Flynn – the "ordained Anglican marine" who he met in last season's 'Boom.' That character was, of course, also played by Varada Sethu. The Doctor says later in the episode that Mundy will be one of Belinda's descendants – but could there be something more bringing the two together?
"Padam Padam!" The Doctor references Kylie Minogue's 2023 pop hit when he reveals to Belinda that he has two hearts. There's an added layer of metatextual fun here, of course, given that Kylie has previously appeared in Doctor Who – she played one-time companion Astrid Peth in the 2007 Christmas special, 'Voyage of the Damned.' It's also known that either Kylie, or someone on her team, is a pretty big Who fan – she was inexplicably photographed napping next to a Doctor Who novel (2002's Eighth Doctor adventure Camera Obscura by Lloyd Rose – it's a good 'un!) and some of her backing dancers on her 2006 tour were styled as Cybermen.
Two hearts: The Doctor's hearts beat with the rhythm of the show's theme tune.
Who tipped the Doctor off about Belinda? The Doctor says that someone – specifically a he – told the Doctor Belinda's name and that she would be important. So who could this mysterious person be? Now, it could be that I'm accidentally wearing a tinfoil hat, but listen to Murray Gold's score as the Doctor is saying this and... isn't that a hint of the Face of Boe's theme from the David Tennant episode 'Gridlock'? He's helped the Doctor out before, so might we be about to get another glimpse at that big old face?
"I thought you moved to Margate?" "Stargate!" This isn't an Easter Egg, it just makes me laugh with how nonsensical it is.
"It's bigger on the inside." A new companion seeing the TARDIS interior for the first time is always a special moment. This time around it's the Doctor who says the classic line.
The Cloister Bell: As the Doctor discovers that he can't get back to Earth in May 2025, you can hear the TARDIS's Cloister Bell. This is a warning that the ship is facing a catastrophic situation, and has recurred throughout the show since the Fourth Doctor's final story, 1981's 'Logopolis.'
The end of the world: In the episode's closing moments we start to see the pieces of the season's big arc fall into place. The TARDIS dematerialises, and we cut to a starfield, only to see the ruins of the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, a taxi cab, Belinda's certificate and – most ominously – a calendar showing the month of May with the days crossed out, leaving eight days (for eight episodes, perhaps) all pointing towards May 31...
Doctor Who streams new episodes every Saturday on Disney Plus and BBC iPlayer, so check back in weekly for the rundown on the latest instalments. For more TV, why not check out our lists of the best new shows headed your way, and the best Disney Plus shows to find out what else is on the streamer.
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