Next Doctor Who: Showrunner Russell T. Davies confirms they have "just started auditions"

(Image credit: BBC)

Returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies has given an update on the next season of the hit sci-fi show.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Davies would be taking over as showrunner, replacing current helmer Chris Chibnall. Davies was previously head writer and showrunner between 2005 and 2009, overseeing the show's reboot after it had been off-air for 16 years.

"I’ve already written some of the episodes," he said in a recent interview with The Guardian. "The first will go out in November 2023 – that’s the 60th anniversary of the show."

Jodie Whittaker currently plays the Doctor, following in the footsteps of actors like Matt Smith and David Tennant. Season 13, which aired earlier this year, was her last, although she'll also appear in three special episodes in 2022. As for who will replace her, that's being kept tightly under wraps.

"Behave! Stop it!" was Davies' response when pressed about casting. "We have genuinely not cast anyone yet. We’re just starting auditions."

However, Davies has previously said that he thinks Olly Alexander would make a good Doctor. "Yes, Olly would make a marvelous Doctor Who," he told sister publication SFX. "You tart! You enormous tart! The trouble this causes! They’ll be banging his door, his agent will be saying, 'What have you done now…' On your own head be it."

Since stepping down for Doctor Who, Davies has helmed shows like the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, A Very English Scandal, Years and Years, and It's a Sin – which Alexander helms.

While we wait for the new season of Doctor Who to arrive on our screens, fill out your watch list with our picks of the best TV shows of 2021.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.