The BBC and Disney+ confirmed the release schedule for 2024's new Doctor Who episodes which are set to premiere next month.
After four 2023 specials to celebrate the show's 60th anniversary and the festive season, Doctor Who will begin a new era this year led by Barbie's Ncuti Gatwa.
This new era will see episodes simultaneously released worldwide for the first time, streaming on BBC iPlayer in the UK & Ireland and Disney+ elsewhere.
Doctor Who's 2024 Release Schedule & Episode Details Confirmed
A press release from the BBC confirmed the official release schedule for Doctor Who's 2024 season across iPlayer and Disney+, along with all eight episode titles.
Doctor Who will see its 2024 Disney+ premiere on Friday, May 10 with a two-episode release of "Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord."
Episodes will be released at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Disney+ every Friday and at midnight on Saturdays on BBC iPlayer in the UK & Ireland. Audiences in the latter will also be able to enjoy each week's episode on live TV on Saturday in a primetime slot on BBC One, just as Doctor Who usually does.
Doctor Who will debut the eight episodes of its freshly-renumbered Season 1 across seven weeks from May 10 to June 21.
The British sci-fi drama is expected to return later this year to continue its long-running tradition of festive specials releasing on Christmas Day (December 25).
The full release schedule for Doctor Who's 2024 season along with details on all eight Season 1 episodes and the Christmas Special are explored below:
Episode 1 - "Space Babies" - May 10
Writer: Russell T Davies
Director: Julie Anne Robinson
The first TARDIS adventure for Ruby Sunday with the 15th Doctor is "Space Babies," which will pit them against the terrifying Boogeyman. The story will even see the time-traveling team finding a large group of the titular space babies.
Episode 2 - "The Devil's Chord" - May 10
Writer: Russell T Davies
Director: Ben Chessell
The Doctor and Ruby will take a stroll down Abbey Road in 1960s England as they encounter the iconic Beatles and go toe-to-toe with the Time Lord's "most powerful enemy yet," who will be played by Jinkx Monsoon.
Episode 3 - "Boom" - May 17
Writer: Steven Moffat
Director: Julie Anne Robinson
Former showrunner Steven Moffat will return to write his first Doctor Who episode in over ten years with "Boom," a story that will seemingly place the Doctor and Ruby at the center of a massive battlefield.
Episode 4 - "73 Yards" - May 24
Writer: Russell T Davies
Director: Dylan Holmes Williams
Another tale in Doctor Who's 2024 season comes with "73 Yards," which is said to be a modern-day Earthbound story. Aneurin Barnard will appear as Roger ap Gwilliam, a British politician affiliated with the Albion party, who, in classic sci-fi fashion, is bound to be hiding some more sinister secrets.
Episode 5 - "Dot and Bubble" - May 31
Writer: Russell T Davies
Director: Dylan Holmes Williams
The Doctor and Ruby's next adventure is "Dot and Bubble," which will seemingly throw them into an encounter with giant alien slugs.
Episode 6 - "Rogue" - June 7
Writer: Kate Herron and Briony Redman
Director: Ben Chessell
Loki director Kate Herron will team with Briony Redman to write "Rogue," a tale set in England in a Bridgerton-esque era. The story will introduce a mysterious character played by Jonathan Groff amid a warning to, "Beware the Duchess," who will be played by Obi-Wan Kenobi's Indira Varma.
Episode 7 - "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" - June 14
Writer: Russell T Davies
Director: Jamie Donoughue
"The Church on Ruby Road" introduced Doctor Who fans to Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday and the mystery of her birth mother who abandoned her as a baby. That mystery ought to come to a head in the first half of a two-part finale.
Episode 8 - "Empire of Death" - June 21
Writer: Russell T Davies
Director: Jamie Donoughue
The two-part finale will continue into "Empire of Death," with these episodes expected to involve U.N.I.T., Yasmin Finney's Rose Noble, Bonnie Langford's Mel Bush, and more, as the Season 1 story arc closes out.
XMAS Special - December 25
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Alex Pillai
Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor will be joined this Christmas by a new character played by Bridgerton, Derry Girls, and Barbie star Nicola Coughlan. Story details are vague for now but many are expecting Coughlan to serve as a one-off companion to the Doctor for his 2024 festive adventure.
Doctor Who's Full 2024 Release Schedule
The full release schedule for Doctor Who's 2024 season including the next Christmas special can be seen below:
- Episode 1 - "Space Babies" - May 10
- Episode 2 - "The Devil's Chord" - May 10
- Episode 3 - "Boom" - May 17
- Episode 4 - "73 Yards" - May 24
- Episode 5 - "Dot and Bubble" - May 31
- Episode 6 - "Rogue" - June 7
- Episode 7 - "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" - June 14
- Episode 8 - "Empire of Death" - June 21
- XMAS Special - December 25
Doctor Who will return with a two-episode premiere on May 10 on Disney+ in the United States and May 11 on BBC iPlayer in the UK & Ireland.
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