Doctor Who season 14 confirms returning character as 1899 star joins

A familiar face will be returning to the series.

By Brenna Cooper

9 Jan 2023

BBC

Doctor Who has confirmed the return of a familiar face in its latest casting announcement.

Confirming the news via Twitter, the BBC announced that Jemma Redgrave will be returning as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. Her character is the head of security organisation UNIT, first appearing in 2010 episode 'The Power of Three' before making multiple appearances alongside Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker's Doctors.

Alongside the news of Redgrave reprising her role, the tweet confirmed that UNIT itself – the secret world-saving organisation – would also be appearing in season 14.

Elsewhere, Aneurin Barnard (Peaky Blinders, Dunkirk) has been cast as as the "mysterious" Roger ap Gwilliam. Further details of the character are yet to be revealed, although fans recently spotted set photos which featured Roger ap Gwilliam on campaign posters.

Barnard most recently starred in cancelled Netflix series 1899.

The actors will be joining Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa and Coronation Street star Millie Gibson, who will be starring as the Fifteenth Doctor and companion Ruby Sunday.

BBC

Corrie boss Iain MacLeod recently spoke to Digital Spy about Gibson's casting, revealing that he'd known she'd been auditioning for a while.

"I'm thrilled for her. I was aware some time ago that she was in the running for it. I'm pretty sure she wasn't supposed to tell me but she did! I kept waiting for a BBC lawyer to say, 'Sign this so you don't reveal it to anyone'," he said.

Gibson played Kelly Neelan in the cobbles from 2019 to 2022, leaving the soap during a dramatic revenge storyline late last year.

Doctor Who returns in 2023 on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere. Meanwhile, in the US, the show airs on BBC America, with series 1-12 available on HBO Max. Classic Doctor Who streams on BritBox in the UK.