Regeneration episodes are always tough to sit through in Doctor Who, but at least Jodie Whittaker’s will be a feature-length outing full of surprises and twist reveals. That’s according to returning showrunner Russell T. Davies, who’ll be setting about a new run with Ncuti Gatwa’s 14th Doctor.
Discussing the forthcoming 60th-anniversary special, slated for release in November 2023, Davies recently talked to BBC One (per RadioTimes) about Gatwa, Neil Patrick Harris’ new villain, David Tennant’s return, and even Whittaker’s final episode, which is set to air this October.
The acclaimed British producer noted that he won’t try to upstage Whittaker’s swan song by talking about Ncuti Gatwa, and that the upcoming Centenary special will solely revolve around the 13th Doctor’s final adventure.
“I can’t say [any spoilers] honestly, because what is coming up in October this year is Jodie Whittaker’s farewell, so I feel like I’m upstaging her slightly. I just saw the finished version of that two days ago. It’s a 90-minute epic, it’s fantastic, [it] is gorgeous. Lots of surprises.”
The first trailer for the as-of-yet untitled regeneration episode teases the return of Sacha Dhawan’s Master alongside the Daleks and even the Lone Cyberman Ashad. The story might round out the narrative thread weaved at the controversial season 12 finale, which revealed that the Doctor was not originally a Gallifreyan Time Lord.
Personally, we’re hoping that the revelation turns out to be nothing but another twisted lie from the Master, aimed to disorient the Doctor and bring about her defeat. It wouldn’t be the first time, after all, and knowing Russell T. Davies, he’d probably want to start fresh and retcon divisive development.
Jodie Whittaker’s final Doctor Who episode airs this October on BBC One.