We’re here! The new series of Doctor Who is now only days away. The first season, starring Ncuti Gatwa as The Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, premieres this weekend. This time around, however, watching the show has become even more accessible. Gone are the days of needing to watch live on a Saturday or Sunday evening. So, we’re telling you How To Watch The NEW Doctor Who Series! No more cancelling plans or worrying about missing an episode. Doctor Who is now following in the footsteps of other BBC shows, Casualty and EastEnders, and keeping up with new watching habits.
How To Watch The New Series In The UK…
For the first time, the new episodes will be dropping on BBC iPlayer at midnight on Saturdays! So, if you’re a night owl, you can stay up late on Friday evening and watch a new episode as soon as midnight hits. Also, another first for the show: the season will premiere with TWO episodes being released simultaneously! Episode 1, “Space Babies“, and Episode 2 “The Devil’s Chord” will drop together on iPlayer at midnight. Then, from episode 3 onwards, one episode will be released every Saturday.
No need to worry, though. Doctor Who will also continue its primetime Saturday evening slot on BBC One. The new season will premiere on Saturday, May 11th, at 6:20 pm on BBC One, with a double bill if you like watching on transmission!
Speaking about the new schedule in the Doctor Who Magazine, Russell T Davies said:
“You’re not having to change your habits to fit the show, the show is changing to fit you. And it’s changing to adopt the patterns of all modern TV shows. Yes, I think all of them, very soon. This is the future, and it’s here, right now”.
Russell T Davies via Doctor Who Magazine
What About Spoilers?
Now that we know how to watch the new Doctor Who series in the UK, let’s discuss the elephant in the room…spoilers. With new episodes dropping at midnight, there’s no doubt fans will watch as soon as they are released, and inevitably, social media will be flooded with spoilers before transmission on BBC One. Unfortunately, that’s something we’ll have to deal with.
Speaking about spoilers in the DWM, Russell T Davies said:
“Unfortunately, there’s always been a subset of viewers hitting the spoiler problem, like the tons of people who work Saturdays and on night-shifts. They’ve had to negotiate this for years. So there has never been a transmission pattern in the digital age that’s perfect for everyone”.
Russell T Davies via Doctor Who Magazine
Speaking about avoiding spoilers in the DWM, Davies said:
“If you want to stay spoiler-free before the Saturday night transmission, I honestly believe it can be done. I stayed spoiler-free when Game of Thrones would drop in the UK in the early hours of the morning. I’d happily watch it at 9pm that night, in blissful ignorance. And okay, maybe I’m not as online as you are, but that’s the key. Manage your online activity for, what, 18 hours? And it’s a Saturday too, have a day off!”.
Russell T Davies via Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Goes Global On Disney+
In October 2022, it was announced that Doctor Who will have a new global home on Disney+. The show will be broadcast in over 150 countries and translated into 39 languages! New episodes will drop simultaneously with the UK. When they drop at midnight for us, they will drop at the same time globally on Disney+. This means some countries will have the episodes from Friday, May 10th, where available.
Speaking about the partnership, Russell T Davies said:
“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”
Russell T Davies via BBC
Doctor Who kicked off its new era on Christmas Day 2023 with “The Church on Ruby Road.” The episode saw Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson debut as the 15th Doctor and Ruby Sunday. Doctor Who premieres at midnight on Saturday, May 11th, on BBC iPlayer with a double-episode bill. The episodes will stream internationally on Disney+, Doctor Who‘s exclusive home outside the UK and Ireland, giving audiences a simultaneous global launch. Episodes will also air on BBC One each week in a primetime slot on Saturday evening.
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