Summary
Doctor Who: Tales of the TARDISreturns, with a surprising Doctor and companion duo set to lead the one-off episode of the returning 2023 spinoff ahead of season 14’s finale. Released on BBC iPlayer in November 2023 as part of the series' 60th-anniversary celebrations,Tales of the TARDISreunited fan-favorite classic Doctors and companions to look back on older, influential serials of the classic era. Currently, Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson are piloting the TARDIS as the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday acrossDoctor Whoseason 14of the revived series.
AsDoctor Whoseason 14 nears its close,RadioTimesconfirms thatTales of the TARDISwill return ahead of the finale. Theone-off episode will air on June 20thon BBC 4 and BBC iPlayer. While its classic story hasn’t been confirmed likely due to its connections to the finale,Gatwa and Gibson will appear as the Fifteenth Doctor and Rubyrespectively.
How Will Tales of the TARDIS Tie Into Doctor Who’s Season 14 Finale?
Will The Doctor Be Reunited With A Family Member?
Whileprevious episodes ofTales of the TARDISfocused on classicDoctor Whostories that were either celebrated or influential for either in-universe or represent a significant time for the show,the new one-off episode will probably have closer ties to season 14’s story. Gatwa’s Doctor has been seen in the spinoff’s Memory TARDIS vessel in promotional material for the ongoing series, proving the setting will play an essential role in the finale. And while the new episode’s classic story has been hidden, several clues may indicate which tale Gatwa will reflect on.
10 Doctor Who Pairings We Want To See In Tales Of The TARDIS Season 2
With old Doctors and companions returning for Tales of the TARDIS, other pairings could come back for the Doctor Who spinoff in future episodes.
With the subject of the Doctor’s family being brought up with mentions ofCarole Ann Ford’s original companion Susan in “The Devil’s Chord”, the newTales of the TARDISepisode may focus on “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” to explain her departure to newcomers in more detail, while also allowing the star to return on-screen. However, Gatwa’s first two-part finale has also been confirmed to have ties toJon Pertwee’sDoctor Whotenureas the Third Doctor. As such, if the finale features a returning villain from the 1970’s stories,Tales of the TARDISmay recap their first encounter.
ThoughTales of the TARDIS' new episode may tie into the upcoming finale, it is unlikely that the spinoff will be must-watch programming to understandDoctor Who’s season 14 ending. The series' global release is still undetermined, and it remains exclusive to the UK on the BBC iPlayer platform due to how it was funded, with no legal way to view it outside the country. However, even if it is only an additional side-story toDoctor Who’s season finale, viewers are sure to be left pleased to see the classic series play into the new era.
Doctor Whoreleases new episodes every Friday simultaneously on Disney+ for international audiences and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.
Doctor Who
Cast
Doctor Who: Released on June 27, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
