‘Doctor Who’ returns with a new Doctor, a new home and a new slant

There’s a new Doctor in the house! A new season of Doctor Who debuts Friday on Disney+, the first time the show has ever been on the streaming service and the first time new episodes of Doctor Who will air on the same day around the world. Russell T. Davies returns as showrunner after a 14-year absence, and he tells ABC Audio the Doctor and his companion Ruby wind up in “a new place, a new time, a new energy.”

“Sometimes they land in a new genre. It could be comedy, it could be a thriller. It could be a haunted house film. It could be a scary movie,” he reveals.

Davies says he wanted the new season to be “mad” and “bonkers.” “I look at the other science fiction shows, which are marvelous. I’m a huge fan of those Marvel shows, the Star Wars shows … but there’s a certain amount of testosterone in the shows. They carry guns. You’re basically dealing with a military or some form of military or even fighting the dictatorship, and Doctor Who is free of all that.”

Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa (SHOE-tee GOT-wah), who plays the new Doctor, invites newcomers to the long-running series to “come with us.”

“We’re going to take you on loads of adventures. We’re going to take you through time and space, and you’re going to meet things that you’ve never met before. And I’m going to face monsters that I’ve never faced before, and I have more power than I’ve ever seen before.”

Gatwa is the first Black man to play the Doctor and says he’s gotten a lovely welcoming from fans so far, adding, “The Whovians have welcomed me in with open arms.”

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