Russell T Davies teases Doctor Who Seasons 3 and 4

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies recently confirmed he’s already developing Seasons 3 and 4 ahead of Season 1’s 2024 premiere.

Originally known as Series 14, Doctor Who Season 1 will see Ncuti Gatwa take over from current leading man David Tennant as the latest incarnation of the Doctor. The actual transition from Gatwa to Tennant is expected to take place during the final Doctor Who 60th anniversary special, which airs on December 9, 2023, or in the Christmas special slated for later that same month.

Filming on Doctor Who Season 1 wrapped in mid-2023, and Gatwa has since publicly revealed that he’s locked in to film Season 2 sometime in 2024. This was the first unofficial confirmation that the Sex Education star would return for a second batch of episodes shepherded by Davies, rather than passing the torch to another actor at the end of his initial run.

The news that Davies and Gatwa would both be back for Doctor Who Season 2 sparked speculation that the duo’s run on the BBC series could extend even further, and it now appears this is indeed the case.

Russell T Davies teases Doctor Who Seasons 3 and 4

In a recent interview with SFX, Davies declared that work is currently underway on Doctor Who Seasons 3 and 4. “I’m planning Season 3 now, there’s plans for Season 4,” he said. The showrunner also indicated he was “absolutely” open to steering the franchise beyond the fourth season, although he conceded that he’s “not getting any younger.”

Davies’ comments track with previous hints he’s dropped that he intends to remain in post as Doctor Who’s showrunner for four seasons. It’s worth noting, however, that Davies has yet to divulge whether Gatwa will headline Doctor Who for the entirety of this four-season run, or if he’ll exit the show at the end of Season 2.

What’s less of a mystery is why Davies returned to the series in the first place, having previously spearheaded the show’s hugely successful 2005 revival. Davies unpacked the motivation behind his second stint as Doctor Who showrunner in the SFX interview, claiming that he accepted the BBC’s invitation out of the desire to protect the franchise.

“At the risk of sounding sanctimonious, but I really, really mean this – they were going to do this to the show anyway and I genuinely thought, ‘It needs looking after,'” he explained.

Tales of the TARDIS expands the Doctor Who canon

As part of Davies’ mission to ensure Doctor Who’s ongoing popularity, he’s masterminded several side projects set within the same continuity as the main series. The first of these spinoffs, Tales of the TARDIS, premiered on November 1 to coincide with the launch of BBC iPlayer’s Whoniverse portal.

A six-part series, Tales of the TARDIS reunites several legacy Doctor Who cast members and is “absolutely” part of the show’s official canon, according to Davies. The showrunner further stated that the full significance of Tales of the TARDIS won’t become apparent until Doctor Who Season 1 airs.

Already primed to watch Doctor Who Season 1 when it drops in 2024? Check out our guide on where to stream all the episodes in the series.