BBC Books has announced that three new Doctor Who novels will be published this year, featuring Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. Each book is an original, stand-alone adventure and will be published simultaneously in hardback and audiobook. The books are:
 

Georgia Cook is an illustrator and writer from London. She has written for several sets in the Big Finish Doctor Who Audio range, including The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles, Gallifrey: War Room, and the Interludes. She has also contributed short stories to publications such as Baffling Magazine and Flame Tree Press, and is a frequent contributor to various horror anthology podcasts as a writer and voice over artist.

The audiobook edition of Doctor Who: Ruby Red will be narrated by Millie Gibson, who plays companion Ruby Sunday in the TV series

Una McCormack is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She has written many Doctor Who articles, scripts and novels, including The King's Dragon, The Way Through the Woods, Royal Blood, Molten Heart and Time Lord Victorious: All Flesh is Grass, all from BBC Books.

Abi Falase is a Black British writer and director, reimagining fundamental societal concepts in inventive new worlds. Creating what they like to call “feel-good social realism”, wrapping big discussions about everything from race and gender to capitalism in little pockets of humour – because if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.

Ruby Red by Georgia Cook (BBC Books, £14.99) is out in hardback and audiobook on 13th June

Caged by Una McCormack (BBC Books, £14.99) is out in hardback and audiobook on 27th June

Eden Rebellion by Abi Falase (BBC Books, £14.99) is out in hardback and audiobook on 24th November

BBC Studios have released images of Varada Sethu who will join the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday in Ncuti Gatwa's second season of Doctor Who which will air in 2025.

The pictures released today show the cast together at a read-through for an episode in the series currently being filmed. 

Like many Doctors who have come before him, one companion is not enough for the Fifteenth Doctor and in season two, he will have two by his side as Varada Sethu steps aboard the TARDIS joining Mille Gibson playing Ruby Sunday

Sethu is best known for her  role as Cinta Kaz in the Disney+ Original series “Andor.” Her additional credits include “Jurassic World Dominion,” “Annika” and “Strike Back.”

Sethu says:

Showrunner, executive producer and writer Russell T Davies says:

Currently in production, the second season of Doctor Who, the fifteenth since the revival in 2005 and the 41st since the series started in 1963, is set to debut in 2025 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ in the U.S. and around the world (where available).

Issue 602 of Doctor Who Magazine is out today

Inside this issue!

• In the run-up to the new series, Millie Gibson talks to DWM about playing companion Ruby Sunday – her most in-depth interview yet!

• We examine a long-lost interview that First Doctor William Hartnell gave to the Scottish press – including some forthright opinions!

• Davina McCall shares her love of Doctor Who and reflects on her role in last year’s Christmas Special. 

• Script to screen: find out what processes went into bringing creepy puppet Stooky Bill and his family to life in The Giggle.

• To tie-in with the release of Season 15 on Blu-ray, we present an interview with model-maker Bill Pearson.

• We visit the set of Henry House – a new series starring many familiar faces....

• A report from from LA super convention Gallifrey One!

• Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies on celebrating milestones out of sequence!

• Time-Space Visualiser – this month: the Trods! 

• Who & Me – DWM contributor Beth Axford on how she became hooked on Doctor Who.

• Loose Ends – exploring the mysteries of the Sixth Doctor!

• The Fact of Fiction – a deep dive into the plot of Twelfth Doctor story The Woman Who Lived.

• The adventures of the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday continue in the comic strip!

PLUS!

• Gallifrey Guardian – packed with all the latest news about the upcoming series!

• Reviewed – the new Season 15 Blu-ray Collection and all the latest audio releases.

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

• Win Blu-rays and the latest audio releases!

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 602 is on sale Thursday 28 March 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 is set to make a return to screens worldwide on Saturday 11th May 2024.

Viewers inside the UK will be able to access two episodes from midnight on the BBC iPlayer, the first time episodes have made their premier on the 'on demand' service.  The episodes will be shown on BBC One later that day just before the annual Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final.

For those outside of the UK the episodes will be available on Disney+ from midnight UK time, 2300 GMT.

The new season of Doctor Who will see Ncuti Gatwa return as the Fifteenth Doctor, alongside Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, it comes after they made their highly acclaimed debut on Christmas Day in The Church on Ruby Road. 

Within the upcoming series, audiences will see the Doctor and Ruby travel through time and space on adventures to unknown lands, to the Regency era in England, to outer space worlds and the sixties.

This season will also see the return of Michelle Greenidge as Carla Sunday, Angela Wynter as Cherry Sunday and Anita Dobson as Mrs Flood as well as featuring an array of special guest stars including Jinkx Monsoon, Aneurin Barnard, Yasmin Finney, Jonathan Groff, Bonnie Langford, Jemma Redgrave, Lenny Rush and Indira Varma with more to be announced soon. 

Russell T Davies, Showrunner said: 

The new 116-page bookazine from the makers of Doctor Who Magazine celebrates an unforgettable era in the show’s history.

The success of the first episodes starring Jon Pertwee saved the series from the threat of cancellation. A year later, the next phase of its reinvention introduced a new assistant for the Doctor and a debonair adversary to threaten him during his exile on Earth. The colourful formula for some of Doctor Who’s best-loved adventures was complete. 

This issue covers all the stories from 1971: Terror of the Autons, The Mind of Evil, The Claws of Axos, Colony in Space and The Dæmons. All-new content includes exclusive features, insightful commentary and rare behind-the-scenes images.

Contents include articles on:

• The year’s most significant events in the Doctor Who universe (both on and off screen)

• Stars Roger Delgado, Richard Franklin and Katy Manning

• Writers Don Houghton, Bob Baker and Dave Martin

• Doctor Who in the popular press

• Special effects and production techniques

• Classic Doctor Who comic strips and merchandise

• … plus much more!

Doctor Who: Chronicles 1971 is on sale now, RRP £11.99 from panini.co.uk 

and selected branches of WH Smith while stocks last. 

It’s also available digitally from pocketmags.com priced £10.99.

Doctor Who: The Church On Ruby Road.had an official 7-day rating of 7.49 million viewers. 

The episode was the third most-watched programme on British television for the week ending 31st December 2023.

The only programmes to beat Doctor Who was the New Year's Eve Fireworks and the Christmas Day edition of the drama Call the Midwife. 

ITV's highest-rated programme was the drama Vera with 5.71 million watching. The BBC had all 10 places in the weekly Top Ten. 

Doctor Who was watched by 41.4% of the total viewing public. It had an Audience appreciation figure of 82. 

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 599 is out today.

In this issue:

• An exclusive double interview with Ncuti Gatwa and David Tennant – talking about bi-generation.

• An access-all-areas look at the making of the Anniversary Specials finale The Giggle.

• Production designer Phil Sims takes us on a guided tour of the new TARDIS.

• Sonic disruptors! The making of the Fifteenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver.

• A profile of new companion Ruby Sunday.

• Join Blue Peter competition winner Verity on a tour of Doctor Who’s Wolf Studios.

• We talk to the people who worked on post-production on the latest episodes.

• Script editor Scott Handcock relives the anniversary month in his Production Diary.

• Crowd Sourcing – the concluding part of our feature on the life of extras on 60s Doctor Who.

• Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies explains how the Gallifrey of the Fugutive Doctor was foreshadowed in 70s episode The Hand of Fear – now available on iPlayer.

• Sophie Aldred – aka 80s companion Ace – remembers her time on the show.

• The Fact of Fiction – we scrutinise Eleventh Doctor mid-series finale A Good Man Goes To War.

• A brand-new comic strip featuring the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday!

PLUS!

• Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news.

• A new-look reviews section – covering radio, books, soundtracks, and audio dramas.

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

• Win a copy of the Anniversary Specials Blu-ray, the new Target adaptations and the latest audio releases.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 599 is on sale Thursday 4 January from panini.co.uk and WH Smith priced £7.99 (UK). 

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

After some six years Doctor Who has returned to Christmas Day, which of course makes it a candidate for being the most watched show on the day!

Though it is unlikely to make the top slot tomorrow - the King's Speech is almost certainly going to have that honour owing to its simultaneous showing across the major broadcasters - the bookies seem to generally agree that The Church On Ruby Road might well be the second-most watched programme of the day at 6-1! This is followed up by Call The Midwife at 8-1, and both Eastenders and Strictly Come Dancing at 9-1. ITV1 shows include Coronation Street at 16-1 and Emmerdale at 25-1.

Of course with six years between Christmas Specials, it's been six years since our ratings competition for Christmas Day, and this year you can win a copy of The Church On Ruby Road on Blu-ray or DVD. To enter, simply email us at comp-ratings@doctorwhonews.net with your name and the consolidated one week figure you expect the episode to achieve, as reported by BARB early next year.

Please specify the number in millions to 3 decimal places, for example 6.848m as achieved by The Giggle at the start of the month. For guidance, the highest rated non-King's speech programme last year was 7.814m achieved by Call The Midwife, who also took the 'silver crown' in 2021 with 7.831m.

The competition is open to UK residents, the closing date is Tuesday 26 December at 8:00am.

Doctor Who continues on Christmas Day with the first full story for the Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.

The Church on Ruby Road can be seen on BBC One in the United Kingdom at 5.55pm.

It will be released on Disney+ and the BBC iPlayer at the same time.

The Church on Ruby Road also features Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, Anita Dobson as Mrs Flood and Davina McCall as herself.

It is written by Russell T Davies and directed by Mark Tonderai for Bad Wolf Productions and BBC Studios.

Doctor Who: The Giggle had an official 7-day rating of 6.85 million viewers according to the research board BARB.

The official rating includes those who recorded the programme and watched it within a week.

The rating made the episode the 10th most-watched programme on British television for the week. All three of the 60th Anniversary specials appeared in the Top Ten for the week.

The top-rated show was the Saturday broadcast of Strictly Come Dancing with the Sunday results show taking second position. 

I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here occupied positions 3-9 in the top ten. 

The Appreciation Index, a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the episode, was 85.