Doctor Who Season 2? Two companions, one TARDIS, and no idea what’s going on (article).

Hold onto your sonic screwdrivers and polish your fez collection because Doctor Who is back for another round of timey-wimey chaos, now entering what the PR boffins are cheerfully calling “Season Two” (although, by classic Whovian maths, this is actually Season 41 and the Doctor is approximately 1,400 years old, give or take a few paradoxes).

The BBC’s press release has landed with all the dazzle of a supernova and about as much useful detail as a TARDIS user manual written by the Rani. But fear not—here at SFcrowsnest, we’ve bravely stared into the swirling maw of BBC marketing fluff, watched the new trailer more times than is strictly healthy, and are here to tell you what’s what in the continuing adventures of Ncuti Gatwa’s glitter-drenched, dimension-hopping fashion icon of a Doctor.

First up: companions! Because what’s better than one traumatised Earthling stumbling into cosmic horrors every Saturday night? Why, two of course! Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday returns with her trademark earnestness and fabulous coat budget, and now she’s joined by Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra, a newcomer whose job appears to be looking vaguely concerned in promo stills while standing next to glowing alien artifacts. She’s trying to get back to Earth, but naturally some “mysterious force” (translation: the plot) is stopping her. Possibly budget cuts. Possibly Daleks. Possibly Freddie Fox in a latex horned wig.

Speaking of which—Freddie Fox. That’s right. The actor most often found playing caddish aristocrats is now playing a “fearsome villain from another planet,” which, judging by his press photo, may be the first Doctor Who baddie to arrive directly from the pages of a GQ shoot. We’re not saying he looks like a glam-rock satyr on his way to a cyberpunk renaissance fair, but… actually, we are saying that.

And who else is aboard this interstellar clown car? Rylan is playing himself—because of course he is—in an episode centred around the Interstellar Song Contest. Yes. That’s canon now. Somewhere out there, the Doctor will be saving a planet via the power of televised talent judging while Alan Cumming voices a villainous animated character called Mr Ring-a-Ding. This is either Russell T Davies at his most joyously unhinged, or a warning from the future that Eurovision is about to achieve sentience.

Meanwhile, a whole parade of guest stars marches through the trailer like the BBC’s pension plan depends on it: Anita Dobson, Bonnie Langford, Jemma Redgrave (as ever clutching a clipboard and looking like she just smelled something bad in the timeline), and a suspiciously large number of people who look like they’re about to be either zapped, possessed, or turned into space mulch.

Behind the scenes, Russell T Davies continues to steer the ship like a gleeful madman at the helm of a glitter cannon, joined by a crack team of new writers including Juno Dawson and Inua Ellams. Episode titles are being teased, themes hinted, and genres flung about like confetti at a Gallifreyan wedding.

And let’s not forget the promise of “great dangers, ferocious enemies, and wilder terrors than ever before.” Which, if past seasons are anything to go by, probably means one or more of the following: haunted dolls, clockwork monks, slightly too-charming AI, and an alien who turns out to be your nan.

So—will it be good? Will it be ridiculous? Will it be quintessential Doctor Who, meaning a chaotic blend of both, with occasional moments of tear-jerking brilliance wedged between a CGI moon and a villain made of cardboard? Almost certainly.

The new season begins Saturday 12 April 2025, launching on BBC iPlayer at 8am (because nothing says “family viewing” like trauma before breakfast) and on BBC One later that evening. For those across the pond, Disney+ has the international rights, so you too can experience the giddy confusion of wondering why UNIT is now managed by what looks like a cross between MI5 and a very aggressive yoga studio.