Beware of Spoilers if you haven't yet seen The Interstellar Song Contest

This week’s journey to the 803rd Interstellar Song Contest took a shocking twist when Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) bi-generated and revealed her true identity to be the Rani. Originally played by Kate O’Mara, the Rani is a Renegade Time Lord and enemy of the Doctor who first appeared back in the 1985 classic serial ‘The Mark of the Rani’. 

Now, alongside Anita Dobson, the Emmy Award-winning Archie Panjabi joins Doctor Who as the Rani, who has been hiding in secret as Mrs Flood and meticulously waiting for her time to face the Doctor.

Archie Panjabi is known for her roles as Zahra Gahfoor in Hijack, Kendra Malley in Departure, and Kalinda Sharma in The Good Wife, for which she earned critical acclaim and a Primetime Emmy Award. Her impressive career spans both film and television with roles in films including Bend It Like Beckham, Yasmin, and San Andreas.

Archie Panjabi and Anita Dobson will appear in the two-part finale ‘Wish World’ and ‘The Reality War’, which will see the Doctor and the Rani go head-to-head in a monumental battle that will send shockwaves through the Whoniverse.

On joining Doctor Who, Archie Panjabi said:

Russell T Davies, Showrunner, said: 

Doctor Who continues with the first episode of the epic two-part finale, ‘Wish World’, on Saturday 24th May, launching exclusively on BBC iPlayer at 8am and Disney+ outside of the UK (where available).

The season two finale of Doctor Who, ‘The Reality War’, will premiere simultaneously on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in a primetime evening slot on Saturday 31st May, and Disney+ outside of the UK (where available), as well as in over 450 cinemas across the UK & Ireland.

A special edition of Doctor Who: Unleashed is set to air on BBC Three, BBC iPlayer and BBC Wales.

Steffan Powell is once again set to take a trip through the time vortex as he invites viewers on a journey celebrating the last twenty years since Doctor Who returned, and he will be joined by a host of cast and creatives that have played a part in bringing the show back into the Whoniverse.

Joining Powell for the ride are some of the show’s most recognisable faces, including past Doctors David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker, former companions Billie Piper, Pearl Mackie, and Mandip Gill, ex-showrunners Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall, the current Doctor Ncuti Gatwa alongside his newest companion Varada Sethu, as well as the current showrunner and the man who brought the show back in 2005, Russell T Davies.

As well as chatting with the stars about what Doctor Who means to them, Powell will be revealing secrets from behind the scenes with interviews with those who work behind the cameras to bring Doctor Who to life.

Speaking of the special episode, Russell T Davies said:

Steffan Powell adds

The special episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed will air on BBC Three, BBC iPlayer and BBC Wales next month. Previous episodes of Doctor Who: Unleashed are available to watch now in the Whoniverse on BBC iPlayer.

The BBC has confirmed that this year's Doctor Who Finale will have its premiere on BBC One rather than being available earlier on BBC iPlayer. 

Following a cosmic journey of twists and turns as the Doctor attempts to get Belinda home, the season two/41 finale of Doctor Who will premiere in a primetime evening slot on Saturday, 31st May, and in over 450 cinemas across the UK & Ireland.

Titled ‘The Reality War’, fans across the globe will be able to all watch together as the Doctor faces one of his most terrifying and monumental battles to date in an extra-special-length episode.

The season two finale will air exclusively on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, with the exact transmission time to be confirmed in due course, and simultaneously on Disney+ outside of the UK (where available).

Russell T Davies, Showrunner said:

Doctor Who is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television.

The finale of the current series of Doctor Who is to be screened in cinemas across the UK and Ireland

As the season draws to a close, fans across the UK and Ireland will have the opportunity to come together in cinemas to watch the epic two-part finale on 31st May, starting with the penultimate episode Wish World / The Reality War and ending with the last of the season The Reality War.

Both episodes are written by Russell T Davies and directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai.

Natasha Spence, Events Director, BBC Studios commented:

John Travers, Head of Acquisitions & Distribution for CinemaLive said:

Tickets go on sale at 10am on 1st May. For more information, visit doctorwho.tv

Issue 616 of Doctor Who Magazine is published today. 

In this issue:

• PREVIEWS OF THE LATEST EPISODES FROM THE NEW SEASON!Including contributions from writers PETE McTIGHE, INUA ELLAMS & JUNO DAWSON

and Interstellar Song Contest host RYLAN CLARK

• Director PETER HOAR discusses his work on The Robot Revolution and Lucky Day.

• RUTH MADELEY, aka UNIT’s Shirley Anne Bingham, announces a special competition!

• DWM joins the Doctor Who team on set for the recording of scenes from Lux, including chats with BRONTÉ BARBÉ, SAMIR ARRIAN & STEPH LACEY who play fans Eliie, Hassan and Robyn.

• RUSSELL T DAVIES on writing Lux.

• Script to Screen – the talented team from Framestore explain how they brought the 2D cartoon character Mr Ring-a-Ding to life!

• A tribute to SIMON FISHER-BECKER who played Dorium Maldovar alongside the Eleventh Doctor.  

• How the archives of the Radiophonic Workshop have been made available for a new generation of musicians.

• We visit Riverside Studios for a close examination of 1967’s The Tomb of the Cybermen.

• Gary Gillatt considers the use of pop music from An Unearthly Child to The Reality War…

• Back to 1966… what part did The Gunfighters have on the downfall of First Doctor William Hartnell?

• We scrutinise the schemes of DALEKS IN MANHATTAN.

• The Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda in a brand-new comic strip!

Regular features

• Gallifrey Guardian – our news round-up including new audio ranges from Big Finish.

• Shelf Life – featuring reviews of the latest DVDs, Blu-rays and audio releases.

• Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.

• Prizes to be won including The War Games Blu-ray Steelbook! 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 616 is on sale Thursday 24 April 2025  from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £7.99 (UK). 

Also available as a digital edition from pocketmags.com priced £6.99.

Doctor Who Episode Two comes to screens worldwide tomorrow withLux.

It stars Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Varanda Sethu as Belinda Chandra

Guest starts include Alan Cumming as the voice of Mr Ring-a-Ding and Linus Roache as Reginald Pye

The episode is written by Russell T Davies and directed by Amanda Brotchie.

Doctor Who can be viewed from 0800 British Summer Time (0700 GMT) on Saturday 19th April. The show will be available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Disney+ outside the UK. 

Viewers of BBC One can watch the show at 7.15 pm on Saturday. 

The latest release in the Black Archive series looks at the Fourth Doctor's swan song Logopolis. 

Logopolis (1981) is a mournful epic of cosmic destruction, obsolescence, and collapse, and marked the final serial in Tom Baker’s long run as the Doctor.

With a star unsure if he really wanted to leave, and a producer keen to explore new directions, Logopolis is a story set in the centre of a transitional space. This Black Archive investigates the changes before and behind the camera, explores the story’s themes of entropy and rebirth, and places it in the context of a specific moment in the history of both computing and Doctor Who.

The book is by Jonathan Hay the author of Science Fiction and Posthumanism in the Anthropocene. They lecture at the University of Chester.

BLACK ARCHIVE #76: LOGOPOLIS is available for pre-order now in paperback at a sale price of £5.99 and electronic formats, at a price of £3.99, direct from Obverse Books and from selected online retailers.

The actress Jean Marsh has died at the age of 90.

Jean Marsh appeared in three different roles in Doctor Who, including as short-time companion to the first Doctor, Sara Kingdom.

She is best known for co-creating and starring in the London Weekend Television series Upstairs Downstairs. 

She was the first wife of Third Doctor Jon Pertwee.  

Marsh was born in Stoke Newington, London, England. As a child, she studied acting and mime, later working as a cabaret singer and photo model.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Marsh made many appearances on British and American television including an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Lonely" (1959), in which she played Alicia, a very lifelike and attractive female robot; The Wonderful World of Disney (1961); Gideon's Way (1965); I Spy (1967); The Saint (4 episodes between 1964 and 1968); and UFO.

In 1965, she appeared in Doctor Who alongside William Hartnell in The Crusade, playing Joanna, the sister of King Richard the Lionheart. She returned later that year as companion Sara Kingdom in nine episodes of the 12-part serial The Daleks' Master Plan. He third appearance in the series came in 1989 when she played Morgaine: in the seventh Doctor story Battlefield. 

In 1970, along with actress Eileen Atkins, she created the British period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. The series detailed the lives of the wealthy Bellamy family and their servants living at 165 Eaton Place, London. The series was incredibly popular on both sides of the Atlantic. Marsh played the role of the house parlourmaid Rose Buck for the duration of the series, winning the 1975 Emmy award for outstanding actress in a drama series. She reprised the role when the series was resurrected by the BBC at the end of 2010.

Her success in Upstairs Downstairs led to a period working in Hollywood in the 1970's appearing in popular TV shows such as The Waltons, Hawaii Five-O, The Love Boat and Trapper John, M.D.

In film, she had a featured role in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972) and played Mrs Grey in The Eagle Has Landed (1976), as well as the villain in the fantasy films Return to Oz (1985) and Willow (1988). Other film work included Cleopatra and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Marsh and Atkins created a second television series The House of Eliott, which was produced during 1991 and 1992. This time, Marsh did not act in the series, but she did write some of the episodes. In 1994, she starred as a villain in the Nickelodeon remake of The Tomorrow People, and appeared in the television productions of Fatherland and The Pale Horse.

From 2000 until 2002, Marsh appeared in The Ghost Hunter, and in 2007 she played in the West End stage revival of Boeing Boeing at the Comedy Theatre. She also made an appearance in the 2007 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Marsh appeared as Lizzie in Baby Cow Productions' Sensitive Skin in 2005 and 2007 alongside Joanna Lumley. She also appeared in an episode of BBC Four's Crooked House in December 2008.

Marsh was married to Jon Pertwee from 1955 until their divorce in 1960. They had no children and Marsh did not remarry. 

She was awarded an OBE for services to drama in the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Jean Marsh died from complications of dementia at her London home on 13 April 2025.

Doctor Who returns to screens worldwide tomorrow with The Robot Revolution.

The story launches the 41st series of the programme which began in November 1963.

It stars Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Varanda Sethu as Belinda Chandra

The episode is written by Russell T Davies and directed by Peter Hoar.

Doctor Who can be viewed from 0800 British Summer Time (0700 GMT) on Saturday 12th April. The show will be available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Disney+ outside the UK. 

Viewers of BBC One can watch the show at 6.50 pm on Saturday. 

Doctor Who Magazine celebrates 20 years of the Ninth Doctor, and 20 years since the show’s triumphant return to television.

The latest Special Edition is packed full of all-new content, which has been compiled in co-operation with some of the biggest names from the 2005 series. 

“This is an in-depth look of one of the most remarkable comebacks in television history,” says editor Marcus Hearn. “We’ve got some fantastic exclusives, including interviews with executive producer Mal Young and director Joe Ahearne. And there’s a very special contribution from Russell T Davies, who has written a new story relating to one of the Ninth Doctor’s adventures. The illustrations are by Martin Geraghty, and you can see some of his artwork on the front cover. It might give you a clue about the old foe Russell has revisited!”

Highlights of the new issue include:

• In his first interview for DWM, executive producer Mal Young describes how Doctor Who was finally brought back to the screen.

• In another first for the magazine, Joe Ahearne – who directed more Ninth Doctor episodes than anyone else – takes readers behind the scenes on the 2005 series.

• Christopher Eccleston explains what drew him to the role of the Doctor – and why he’s still coming back to it, 20 years on.

• Interviews with Lloyd Elis (first assistant director), Lee Sheward (stunt co-ordinator) and Lowri Thomas (location manager).

• The cast and crew of the 2005 series chose their favourite moments.

• The making of the renowned Trip of a Lifetime trailer.

• Concept artist Dan Walker reveals his original designs for the Ninth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver.

• Fans share their eyewitness accounts – and photographs – of the 2004 location filming.

• Action figures, radio-controlled Daleks and other merchandise that was available in Toys R Us, Woolworths and elsewhere.

• A guide to the Ninth Doctor’s adventures in the expanded universe.

PLUS

    A new and exclusive short story by Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies!

20 Years of the Ninth Doctor is on sale now, RRP £9.99 from panini.co.uk and selected branches of WH Smith while stocks last. 

It’s also available digitally from pocketmags.com priced £8.99.