Doctor Who secret companion auditions tease when new character will arrive

Has the newest plucky young woman who helps out been cast?

By Joe Anderton

11 Nov 2022

Doctor Who is undergoing some major changes at the moment. Russell T Davies is back, David Tennant and Catherine Tate are starring in a trio of specials that will lead into Ncuti Gatwa's tenure, and Disney+ has come onboard as international distributor which might mean a huge budget increase.

We've already seen a bit of footage of Ncuti as the Fifteenth Doctor, confirming his inclusion in the specials to some extent, but don't expect to see his new companion in them.

In the latest Doctor Who Magazine, there's a production diary from Big Finish writer-turned-new main show script editor Scott Handcock detailing everything that went down in September.

The entry for September 25? Secret auditions for the new companion.

BBC

Filming for the specials has already wrapped – in fact, production company Bad Wolf delivered rough edits of the specials to the BBC and Disney in September – so it's highly likely that the new companion will be introduced in the first episode of Ncuti's first proper series. Since companions are there to ease the audience into the show, that also makes the most sense.

The latest issue of the magazine also featured RTD explaining why The Doctor's outfit changed when Jodie Whittaker's Thirteen regenerated.

"I guarantee you it's the only photograph some of the papers would print for the rest of time," he said.

doctor who, david tennant as the fourteenth doctor

BBC

"If they can play with gender in a sarcastic or critical way, they will. The only photo they'd print would be of David in what they considered to be women's clothes. Then it becomes weaponised – as a mockery of feminine traits, a mockery of drag, of that culture. So that was never going to happen."

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.