Doctor Who season 2: Release date speculation, cast, and everything we know about Ncuti Gatwa’s next season

Doctor Who
(Image credit: BBC)

Doctor Who season 2 – or Doctor Who series 15 in old money – is the next port of call for Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor alongside the 2024 Christmas special.

With the Mrs. Flood mystery still unresolved and a new, yet familiar, companion jumping on board the TARDIS, there’s plenty of reasons to be excited for the next season of Doctor Who on BBC and Disney Plus.

What else is there to look forward to? Well, below, we’ll give you a glimpse of what to expect. From release date speculation to quotes from showrunner Russell T Davies, here’s everything we know so far about Doctor Who season 2.

Doctor Who season 2 release date speculation

Doctor Who

(Image credit: BBC)

Doctor Who season 2 is a lock for 2025. Why? Well, we know for a fact that the Doctor will next return (alongside Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan) in a 2024 festive special penned by Steven Moffat.

From there, a full season will likely air in early 2025. It’s already been filmed, too, with production on season 2 wrapping as early as May 2024. Expect more news later this year.

Doctor Who season 2 cast

Doctor Who

(Image credit: BBC)

Ncuti Gatwa is back as the Doctor for a second full season, meaning that Christopher Eccleston is the only post-reboot Doctor to only stick around for one year.

Despite leaving the TARDIS during the Empire of Death ending, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) will also appear in the second season – at least for a handful of episodes.

The Doctor is also getting a new companion: Varada Sethu is back, having already played Mundy Flynn in season 1 episode ‘Boom.’ It’s not yet known if she’ll reprise the role or play someone else entirely. 

Doctor Who, of course, has history with both: Clara Oswald arrived ‘early’ before getting official companion status, while Peter Capaldi showed up in ‘The Fires of Pompeii’ as Lucius Caecilius before playing the Twelfth Doctor.

Outside of that, nothing has officially been confirmed when it comes to the Doctor Who season 2 cast. However, given her tease at season 1’s end, we would expect Anita Dobson to appear once more as Mrs. Flood – something that she confirmed herself in an interview with Radio Times.

Doctor Who season 2 trailer

A sneak peek at Doctor Who season 2 was revealed in June 2024. In it, Ruby is seen telling a large group in a pub to stay indoors, and to instruct their friends and family to do the same. You can watch it for yourself above.

We wouldn’t expect a full Doctor Who season 2 trailer until late 2024, potentially bolted on to the credits of the upcoming festive special.

Doctor Who season 2 story: what’s been said by showrunner Russell T Davies?

Doctor Who

(Image credit: BBC)

Doctor Who’s first season ended with the Doctor bringing ‘death to death’ and returning the entire universe back to life after Sutekh’s grand plans were undone. That means plenty of potential (including worlds and enemies long thought dead), but there’s been no concrete info about what exactly season 2’s plot will consist of.

But there have been crumbs. In a talk at a recent BAFTA event (H/T Radio Times), showrunner Russell T Davies teased that one upcoming episode will be a "riot."

"There's one next year where I very specifically said, 'I want this film crossed with that thing,' and that's the best episode ever! Episode 6 next year, watch episode 6 next year – it's a riot. My God, it's a riot. It's hilarious."

And what of Ruby Sunday? "The story of that family hasn’t finished yet," Davies said of the Sunday family during an episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed. The first season reveals that Ruby Sunday’s mother is Louise Miller, a typically ordinary NHS worker. 

Fans have since theorized that Ruby’s unseen dad, William, may have ties to future Prime Minister – and all-round evildoer – Roger ap Gwilliam, literally meaning ‘son of William’. What’s in a name, eh?

Speaking of theories, Mrs. Flood has sparked plenty of them – though we’re partial to the idea that she’s the God of Stories, especially since she’s been mimicking so many costumes from past companions. After the Toymaker, Sutekh, and Maestro, there may yet be one more of the pantheon still to emerge.

Mrs. Flood actor Anita Dobson told Radio Times that we’ll "find out a lot about her" next year. On the aforementioned episode of Unleashed, Davies also promised "astonishing reveals."

So answers, it seems, are coming. Alongside that, expect the whizzing adventures across history to continue. Where might the Doctor end up next? Only time will tell...


For more, check out our guide to 2024's biggest new TV shows.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.