Doctor Who just confirmed return of spinoff series, but there’s a catch

As Doctor Who Season 14 approaches the finale, a new episode of Tales of the TARDIS has been confirmed for a special adventure.

Tales of the TARDIS is a spinoff series that released in 2023 to celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary. Now, a new episode will be released at 8pm BST on Thursday, June 20, and will star Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as Fifteen and Ruby Sunday.

The June release date is for the BBC Four and BBC iPlayer drop — at the time of writing, there’s no Disney Plus release date confirmed. Details and plot are sparse for now, with only the date and Gatwa and Gibson’s casting being announced. However, fans should hold off from getting too excited — it seems that it’s just the one new episode for now, rather than another string of previous Doctors.

Showrunner Russell T Davies has previously spoken about the return of Tales of the TARDIS, and even made it clear that the events of the spinoff are very much canon to the wider Whoniverse.

BBC

For those who are unfamiliar, Tales of the TARDIS was a spinoff consisting of six episodes (or serials), that saw returning Doctors and their companions recount their tales in a “remembered TARDIS.” Doctors included were the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 7th, with Ncuti Gatwa serving as the most modern iteration of the Doctor when the new episode comes out in June.

Already, theories are starting to circulate over what the new episode could entail. One such idea is that Sutekh will return — a Doctor Who villain who first appeared in 1975’s The Pyramids of Mars. However, another theory (that has more of a connection to Doctor Who Season 14) is that it’ll feature the Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan Foreman.

Fans have theorized that Foreman’s appearance has been teased from the beginning, with the Doctor mentioning her outright in ‘The Devil’s Chord‘. What’s more, the repetitive use of Susan Twist has led some viewers to believe that there will be a literal Susan-based narrative twist.

An even bigger Easter egg is that the “remembered TARDIS” (otherwise known as the Memory TARDIS) has appeared in the Season 14 promotional material, so it’s clear that it’ll make an appearance one way or another.

Tales of the TARDIS will air on Thursday, June 20, at 8pm on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. For more, check out our guide on how to watch Doctor Who Season 14 so you don’t miss a thing. You can also check out our ‘Rogue’ review and ‘Rogue’ ending explained for more on the newest episode.