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Returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies has confirmed when season 14 of the series will premiere. The long-running BBC show about a regenerating Time Lord who travels through space and time with a series of companions is currently airing its latest season, which is subtitled Doctor Who: Flux. This is season 13 of the reboot series, which was created by Davies in 2005, though he hasn't been showrunner since 2010. Over the course of the Doctor Who revival series, five different actors have played the Doctor, including Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and the current Time Lord, Jodie Whittaker.
Both the current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall and Whittaker were announced to be stepping down at the end of Doctor Who: Flux, which aired its finale on December 5. Both will officially end their time on the show after several special episodes in 2022. Davies will be stepping into Chibnall's shoes in his previous showrunner role, though there have been many rumors swirling around who be taking on the part of the Fourteenth Doctor. The role has not yet been cast, though the speculation has swirled far and wide, with favorites for the role including Lydia West and Olly Alexander from Davies' most recent show, It's a Sin.
During an interview with The Guardian about It's a Sin, which was voted the publication's number one show of the year, Davies also let slip some important information about his upcoming Doctor Who season. The showrunner still refuses to concede any ground on who will be playing the Doctor, but he did happily reveal when that Doctor will be gracing TV screens. Davies confirmed that Doctor Who season 14 will premiere "in November 2023," which is also "the 60th anniversary of the show." Read the full quote below:
“I’ve already written some of the episodes. The first will go out in November 2023 – that’s the 60th anniversary of the show.”
Considering that Davies will have all of 2022 and most of 2023 to prepare for the new Doctor Who season, fans likely won't be hearing about who the next Doctor will be for quite some time. However, on the other hand, Davies also confirmed that several scripts for the new Doctor Who season have already been written. With this phase of pre-production looking to conclude early, the next step is likely to be final casting decisions, as the showrunner also revealed that auditions for the next Time Lord are currently underway.
With all the shake-ups both in front of and behind the camera, Doctor Who season 14 is completely up in the air. Flux took the franchise in a totally different direction, focusing on a more truncated season with a tighter storyline (without completely disregarding the "monster of the week" feel of previous seasons). Whether the next Doctor Who installment will right the ship or carve an entirely new path remains to be seen, but with Davies at the helm it is surely back in the safest of hands.
Source: The Guardian