Doctor Who Season 14 News & Updates: Everything We Know
What do we know about Doctor Who season 14, now that Jodie Whittaker's Flux storyline has concluded? Since returning in 2005, Doctor Who has enjoyed immense success under three different showrunners (Russell T. Davies, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall) across five very different regenerations of the Doctor. The current tandem of Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker is now part of the TARDIS furniture, clocking up two full-length seasons between 2018 and 2020, and more recently, the 6-part Doctor Who: Flux in late 2021.
Doctor Who: Flux picked up from season 12's shocking Timeless Child reveal, and introduced The Doctor's latest/oldest threat, the Ravagers. Released by Division, the Ravagers begin...er, ravaging the universe, taking advantage of the Flux event as it rips through time and space decimating galaxies at a time. Doctor Who: Flux concludes with "The Vanquishers," in which The Doctor effortlessly halts the Flux, commits genocide against her enemies, flirts with Yaz, and receives an ominous warning from the physical manifestation of Time.
That's a long night's work, but Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor won't be out of action for long. Now Doctor Who: Flux (a.k.a. Doctor Who season 13) is over, what does the future hold for Doctor Who season 14?
In July 2021, months before Doctor Who: Flux premiered, Jodie Whittaker announced she'd be leaving the TARDIS in 2022. The BBC has since provided a clearer picture of what her final adventures will look like. Following Doctor Who: Flux's "The Vanquishers," Whittaker returns on January 1, 2022 in "Eve of the Daleks" - the now-traditional New Year's Day special. A second, as-yet-untitled, Doctor Who special episode is then scheduled for spring. Jodie Whittaker's regeneration story will air in Fall 2022 as part of the BBC's centenary celebrations, clearing a path for the Fourteenth Doctor. The Doctor Who: Flux finale strongly teased The Master as Whittaker's final villain.
Doctor Who continues with "Eve of the Daleks" on New Year's Day, featuring the returning core trio of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, Mandip Gill as Yaz, and John Bishop as Dan, now officially inducted into the TARDIS crew with his own bedroom and everything. Guest stars include Adjani Salmon and comedian Aisling Bea. As per the previous two New Year's Day specials, Whittaker will face the Daleks, with Chris Chibnall apparently contract-bound to reuse the same villains every festive season.
"Eve of the Daleks" employs a time loop plot, with Bea and Salmon's characters destined to relive the same Dalek encounter over and over again until The Doctor and her companions intervene.
Alongside Jodie Whittaker's departure announcement in July 2021, Chris Chibnall confirmed his own exit as Doctor Who showrunner. Chibnall will stick around for 2022's trio of special episodes, before Russell T. Davies reclaims his old gig for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary in 2023. According to the BBC's announcement, Davies will remain as showrunner for at least Doctor Who season 14 - possibly beyond. Davies masterminded Doctor Who's comeback in 2005 and held the showrunner position through the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant regenerations, handing over to Steven Moffat in 2009.
Russell T. Davies has typically cast actors he's already familiar with for Doctor Who's lead role. Davies worked with Christopher Eccleston on Second Coming and David Tennant on Casanova, so many predict the Fourteenth Doctor will be someone already on RTD's contacts list. It's A Sin's Olly Alexander and Lydia West both sit high as favorites, while other high-ranking names include T'Nia Miller (The Haunting of Bly Manor), Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You) and Michael Sheen (Good Omens). Paterson Joseph and Kris Marshall are also considered contenders... as they have the past four Doctor Who regenerations.
The wording of the BBC's official announcement implies Russell T. Davies' first task upon returning to Doctor Who is the 60th anniversary special, which would fall on November 2023. Those celebrations could comprise a single episode or a mini-run similar to Doctor Who: Flux (though probably the former, given the 50th), and would inevitably lead into a festive special for December 2023. That would suggest a Fall 2024 premiere date for Doctor Who season 14 proper. Doctor Who premiere dates have been notoriously erratic, but 5 of the past 7 seasons started between August and October, suggesting a lengthy gap between the Fourteenth Doctor's debut and Doctor Who season 14.