Ncuti Gatwa (bio) made his first appearance as the Doctor in The Giggle (December 2023).

A foundling of unknown parentage, Ruby Sunday joined forces with the Doctor to rescue her adoptive mother's foster child from the wicked Goblins.

Millie Gibson (bio) made her first appearance as Ruby in The Church On Ruby Road (December 2023).

2023 saw Doctor Who return to BBC One's Christmas Day schedule after a seven-year absence. The Church On Ruby Road also marked the first time since the original Doctor Who holiday special -- 2005's The Christmas Invasion -- that the festive broadcast showcased the first full adventure for the newest Doctor.

Production on Ncuti Gatwa's episodes began on December 5th, 2022. Around the same time, Russell T Davies confirmed that Season Forty will consist of eight episodes. While this is shorter than Doctor Who's pre-pandemic norm, it is part of a plan to ensure that the programme will not have to skip years, as has happened routinely since its return to television in 2005. Furthermore, Davies announced that there will be Christmas specials in both 2023 and 2024. Production on Season Forty and the 2023 Christmas special concluded on July 14th, 2023.

The following directors have been confirmed for Gatwa's initial year:

• Ben Chessell (bio) (Block Four, consisting of episode two and episode six)
• Jamie Donoughue (bio) (Block Five, consisting of episode seven and episode eight)
• Julie Anne Robinson (bio) (Block Three, consisting of episode one and episode three)
• Mark Tonderai (bio) (Block Two, consisting of the 2023 Christmas special), who previously directed 2018's The Ghost Monument and Rosa
• Dylan Holmes Williams (bio) (Block One, consisting of episode four and episode five)

In addition to Davies, who will be writing six out of the eight episodes, the following writers have been announced for Season Forty:

• Kate Herron (bio) and Briony Redman (bio), who will be co-writing episode six
• Steven Moffat (bio), with episode three marking his return to Doctor Who, seven years after stepping down as its showrunner

On January 9th, 2023, the BBC announced that UNIT would be returning during the new season, with Jemma Redgrave reprising her role as Kate Stewart. Alexander Devrient will also return as Colonel Ibrahim, a character first introduced in The Giggle. On June 7th, it was revealed that Bonnie Langford would be appearing as Melanie Bush, who accompanied the Sixth and Seventh Doctors in 1986 and 1987. Furthermore, the season trailer suggested that Yasmin Finney would be back as Rose Noble, the daughter of former companion Donna Noble who was introduced in The Star Beast.

Following the broadcast of The Church On Ruby Road on Christmas Day 2023, the BBC confirmed that Season Forty will premiere in May 2024.

Production on Season Forty-One began on October 23rd, 2023. The episodes will air in Spring 2025, and the recording block will also include the 2024 Christmas special.

After months of rumours, the BBC confirmed on April 12th that Varada Sethu (bio) will be joining the cast as a new companion. Millie Gibson will also continue to appear in episodes during 2025.

The following directors have been confirmed for Gatwa's second year:

• Amanda Brotchie (bio) (Block Three, consisting of episodes two and three)
• Peter Hoar (bio) (Block Two, consisting of episodes one and four), who previously directed 2011's A Good Man Goes To War
• Alex Pillai (bio) (Block One, consisting of the 2024 Christmas special)

It's also believed that Ben A Williams (whose credits include the 2021 version of War Of The Worlds) is directing a recording block, which appears to include the season's sixth episode, while another is being directed by Makalla McPherson (whose credits include Doctors and Apple Tree House).