Drag Queen Jinkx Monsoon is officially joining the Doctor Who universe.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner will have a significant part in Doctor Who series 14 opposite Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor, though her character’s name wasn’t announced. “I’m honoured, thrilled, and utterly excited to join Doctor Who,” Monsoon declared in a statement, praising showrunner Russell T. Davies as, “a visionary and a brilliant writer”, adding, “I can’t wait to get into the weeds with him and the crew! I hope there’s room in the TARDIS for my luggage.”
Additionally, Davies — who marks his return to Doctor Who after more than a decade, replacing outgoing showrunner Chris Chibnall — released his own statement welcoming Monsoon to the long-running British sci-fi series. “In a galaxy of comets and supernovas, here comes the biggest star of all,” he said, adding, “Jinkx Monsoon is on a collision course with the TARDIS, and Doctor Who will never be the same again!”
The New Doctor Who Series
Alongside Monsoon, Doctor Who series 14 will give the Doctor a new companion in Ruby Sunday, played by Coronation Street’s Millie Gibson. Last December, both Gatwa and Gibson posed for an official photo-op showcasing their costumes, with the Doctor sporting a checkered coat over an orange sweater as his new de facto look. Another photo revealed Gatwa standing outside the TARDIS in different clothes, though the costume still retained his orange and brown color palette.
Despite briefly appearing in a promo for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary special, Gatwa has yet to officially regenerate into the Doctor. Originally announced as Jodie Whittaker’s successor, Whittaker’s final episode, “The Power of the Doctor,” ended with her regenerating into former Tenth Doctor actor and Broadchurch co-star David Tennant, with Davies later dubbing Gatwa the Fifteenth Doctor. This marks the second instance of a former Doctor playing two versions of the same Time Lord, the first being Tom Baker’s (i.e. the Fourth Doctor) Curator in 2013’s “The Day of the Doctor.” Joining Tennant’s new Doctor in the 60th anniversary special are Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins as returning companions Donna Noble and Wilfred Mott, plus Neil Patrick Harris as the special’s mysterious villain.
On top of its next season, multiple Doctor Who spinoffs are currently in development. These include a UNIT-themed show starring Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and the multi-platform story Doom’s Day, which follows renowned assassin Doom (Sooz Kempner) as she attempts to battle a threat known as the “ever-approaching Death.”
Doctor Who returns in November on BBC and BBC America.
Source: THR
