Ncuti Gatwa promises more Doctor Who is coming, despite no official renewal

Earlier this year, Doctor Who aired its first full season with Disney money ballooning the budget to heights never seen before. With former showrunner Russell T. Davies back at the helm, and a new Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa, the franchise looked to be reaching an all-time high. But the latest season received mixed reviews and didn't quite hit the meteoric viewership we all hoped it would.

The new season of Doctor Who had terrific installments like "23 Yards" and "Dot & Bubble," balanced with more disappointing entries such as "Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord." In terms of numbers, it failed to dominate on Disney+, although it did exceed expectations in its target demographic. The British sci-fi series will return in 2025 for a new season, as well as an all-new spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, which is filming now.

Of course, these upcoming seasons remain under the investment of Disney, which is currently in something of a precarious state. According to Ncuti Gatwa, a third season (or season 16 if we're sticking to the New Who format) is apparently being filmed next year, despite not being formally renewed yet. "It is all going well," Gatwa said during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, per RadioTimes. "We did the second series this year, the Christmas special is coming up, and we are filming a third series next year."

Doctor Who will return for its traditional Christmas Special this year on Christmas Day. The upcoming episode, titled "Joy to the World," features Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan as Joy, who's life is changed forever after an encounter with the Doctor. Check out our first look at the special here:

If you're desperate to see the Christmas Special a little earlier this year, as a sneaky Christmas present, a competition is actually being held for you and 30 others to get an early screening. Enter here!

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