Doctor Who Confirms Return of Another Fan-favorite, Adds Mysterious New Member To Cast

Another fan-favorite actor is reprising her role in the upcoming season of Doctor Who, and a mysterious new character will also join the series. Jemma Redgrave will return as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, as will UNIT, the organization that seeks to defend Earth from extraterrestrial threats. Aneurin Barnard joins the series Roger ap Gwilliam. The BBC offered no details about how Gwilliam is or what his role will be in the Doctor’s future. Both will appear in the fourteenth season of Doctor Who, which sees Ncuti Gatwa debuting as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson playing the Doctor’s newest companion, Ruby Sunday.

Redgrave debuted as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart in the Doctor Who episode “The Power of Three,” written by Chris Chibnall, and returned in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special “The Day of the Doctor. From then, she appeared frequently during the Twelfth and Thirteenth Doctor’s tenures, usually acting as the leader of UNIT. Kate is the daughter of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, played by Nicholas Courtney, who was one of UNIT’s founders and among the Doctor’s oldest and most frequent allies.

Gwilliam’s origin remains a mystery. Barnard has previously appeared in 1899, Peaky Blinders, Hunky Dory, The Truth About Emanuel, Cilla, Thirteen, The White Queen, Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back), Dunkirk, and The Goldfinch.

Doctor Who Season 14 will be the first new season of Doctor Who, following the anniversary specials, to stream globally on Disney+ as part of a new deal between Disney Branded Television and the BBC. Just days after Whittaker’s farewell episode, the BBC and Disney announced a plan to “transform Doctor Who into a global franchise for UK audiences and the rest of the world.” Rumor has it that Disney has some creative control over the franchise and wants to give Doctor Who a “Hollywood makeover.”

“I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds – with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK,” returning showrunner Russell T. Davies said in a press release. Davies previously expressed his belief that Doctor Who should be a franchise with multiple shows similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He achieved a measure of this during his original run as Doctor Who showrunner, reviving the core Doctor Who series and launching spinoffs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Doctor Who returns in 2023 for its 60th-anniversary specials ahead of 2024’s Season 14.