Doctor Who, the historically long-running BBC series, made its celebrated debut on Disney+ in 2024—bringing its timey-wimey adventure to a whole new audience and introducing Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education, Barbie) as the Doctor.
Allow us to explain (a bit) for those Doctor Who novices still out there: The Doctor is an alien—from a planet called Gallifrey—who’s lived for hundreds of years thanks to a process known as “regeneration.” With a spaceship called the TARDIS (“Time And Relative Dimension in Space”) that can take its occupants anywhere, to any universe, in any era, they want to go, the Doctor often befriends humans from Earth—who join up for untold fantastical events… and often saving whole planets (and species) along the way.
Now, as the series’ second Disney+ season is set to kick off on April 12, the Doctor has all new exploits up his sleeve: namely, meeting London nurse Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu, Andor) and beginning an epic quest to get her back to Earth. However, a mysterious force seems to be stopping their return… and this new TARDIS team must face great dangers, bigger enemies, and wilder terrors than ever before.
D23 was lucky enough to chat recently with Gatwa and Sethu about the upcoming season—what fans can expect, and even about their dream Doctor Who/Disney crossovers.
“I’m very ready for fans to get to meet Belinda,” Gatwa tells D23, “and for them to see that partnership [with the Doctor], that relationship—the way that they show up for each other how they challenge each other. And the relationship forces them to relinquish control in some shape or form. They really see each other as equals, which is a beautiful thing to watch throughout the season.”
Adds Sethu, “There’s so much love between them. I loved that. I loved that there’s these two team players that are on a roller-coaster ride and they’ve got the same goal—which is to get Belinda home. But they’re learning so much about each other, and about the world, and relationships—and traveling through time and space!”
Something the pair is especially excited for is an early-in-the-season episode that features animation, a unique facet they think Disney fans will particularly enjoy. “They are going to love the animated elements,” explains Sethu. “In Episode 2, the bad guy is Mr Ring-a-Ding—a cartoon who goes out of control and is voiced by Alan Cumming, who is spectacular. But there’s truly something to look forward to in every episode.”
Adds Gatwa, “The whole season has so many universal themes. But the [Interstellar] Song Contest is another fun one.” Sethu concurs: “It’s so vibrant and so spectacular, visually—I think that is another good one.”
Considering the TARDIS can literally go anywhere in space and time, we had to ask Gatwa and Sethu where across the worlds of Disney they would take it and travel, if given the chance… and both answered with little hesitation: “Moana’s island,” admits Sethu. Says Gatwa, “I think I’d take it to [Tanzania] to see all the animals from The Lion King. I think I’d go see baby Simba… to see him being crowned, like when he’s lifted up by Rafiki—which, by the way, is my name in Swahili. Rafiki means ‘friend.’”
And what about someone from the worlds of Disney who would make a great companion for the Doctor? (Or for Belinda, for that matter.) “Across the whole Disney canon?” asks Gatwa, before considering a bit longer… Sethu has a quicker answer: “I would say the Genie from Aladdin, because he’s just so much fun. It’d be very entertaining!” Gatwa chuckles and winds up sticking with his previous answer, admitting, “I’d say Rafiki—he’d keep me on the straight and narrow!”
Don’t miss the new season of Doctor Who when it debuts on Disney+ beginning April 12, with episodes streaming weekly!
