Whovians, it’s almost time for new adventures in the TARDIS. As we gear up for the Fifteenth Doctor’s sophomore season, THS sat down with returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies to dive into the latest episodes.

Davies opened our conversation with effusive praise for his lead, Ncuti Gatwa.

“The great thing about someone like Ncuti is that they’re limitless,” Davies said. “There are moments [in the new season] where I’ve said, can you make the Doctor angrier than we’ve ever seen him? Let’s have more of a laugh than we’ve ever seen. Or let’s just get wilder here, so he’s more off-kilter.”

Though Gatwa’s first season as the Doctor saw him travelling with Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday), the finale saw the duo part ways. (At least temporarily – Gibson is confirmed to appear at some point in the new episodes.) Now, the Doctor is joined by a new companion, Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu.

Interestingly, the trailer teases that Belinda isn’t exactly enthused with the prospect of traveling in the TARDIS.

“Ruby was a bit more wide-eyed… she kinda soaked up everything with happiness. Belinda’s been a nurse, so she’s a little bit tougher. And she’s very quick to realize everyone, wherever you land, is pointing a gun at you, and that’s something you wanna get out of,” Davies said of the shifting Doctor-companion dynamic this season. 

But that doesn’t mean Belinda stays entirely malcontent with her time on the TARDIS, accidental kidnapping and initial reluctance – like Ian, Barbara, and Tegan before her – aside. 

“As with Tegan, as with Belinda’s predecessors, they also very quickly realized how wonderful this life is and how fantastic it is… I really want to impress the fact that she very quickly thinks the Doctor is wonderful as well, because how could you not?” Davies added.

While we kept our chat about Doctor Who’s upcoming episodes largely spoiler-free, Davies did toss fans a quick tease.

“If you’re online, and you want to watch episodes unspoiled as soon as they drop, I would watch episodes 3 and 6,” Davies told us. “Lots of other things happen in lots of other episodes as well. But those two – especially for fans – your heads will explode in those two.”

So, according to Davies himself, you’ll want to make sure you tune in live for “The Well” and “The Interstellar Song Contest”!

Until then, make sure you watch our full conversation with Davies below for more insight into Doctor Who, including lovely praise for season 2’s new writers and how Davies has developed his “Doctor Who sense” over time (“There’s some writers I would never ask.”).

Doctor Who returns April 12, and will stream on Disney+ in the US.

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