Doctor Who hasn’t made a SDCC panel appearance since 2018 (but their booth game has never dwindled). Six years later, they came back bigger than ever when it took up Hall H at San Diego Comic Con on Friday, July 26th, 2024. The panel featured Russell T. Davis (showrunner), Ncuti Gatwa (15th Doctor), and Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday)—and was moderated by Josh Horowitz, the host of the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
The showrunner and cast delved into Season 1 (or, Series 14, if you
will) of the show, discussing Ncuti and Millie’s first season, RTD’s return, and answering fan questions. We got fun little tidbits, like how there will be more musical numbers to come, more gods from the Pantheon, and some cool BTS stories!
We also got spinoff news!
Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are set to lead the new series. Many might remember them as playing Alonso Frame and Tish Jones during the first RTD era—but they will actually be playing brand new characters. Joining them will be Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim.
It will be directed by Dylan Holmes-Williams, who also directed “73 Yards” and “Dot and Bubble” in the most recent season of Doctor Who.
It is set to begin filming in August.
We also got a lovely message from Nicola Coughlan, who is playing Joy in this year’s Christmas special, as well as a sneak peek for what’s to come.
RTD also mentioned that Varada Sethu will be playing a new character called Belinda Chandra, joining Ruby as a companion in Season 2.
And, finally, Millie Gibson got to announce that Jonah Hauer-King will be joining the cast and be an integral part of Ruby’s story—Millie joked about getting to be around Prince Eric.
All in all, a panel full of fun and twists!
As mentioned previously, the Doctor Who booths in the exhibition hall never disappoint. Dead center of the floor, right next to Disney+/Hulu/ABC’s, the booth really stood out. This year was especially fun, where they rebuilt a partial TARDIS set for fans to have a professional video taken of them posing with the TARDIS doors. The merch line was also upgraded, with a virtual queue so attendees don’t have to wait in yet another long line!
They also had a Doctor Who x Star Trek offsite and a live podcast recording, but unfortunately, I was unable to preview either of those events—heard amazing things about them, though!
Overall, a wonderful year for the Whoniverse fans who attended this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Can’t wait to see what next year brings!
