Doctor Who Image & Video Gives First Look At Bridgerton Star’s Upcoming Appearance
A new Doctor Who image and video gives a first official look at Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan's upcoming appearance in Ncuti Gatwa's era.
A newly released Doctor Who image and video gives audiences their first official look at Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan’s upcoming appearance in Ncuti Gatwa’s second special set to air in 2024. The Fifteenth Doctor actor’s first full adventure will be 2023’s special “The Church on Ruby Road”, set to air on Christmas Day. “The Church on Ruby Road” will not only mark the first adventure for Gatwa’s new incarnation but introduce audiences to Millie Gibson’s new companion Ruby Sunday ahead of their new adventures in 2024’s newly renumbered season 1.
Following Coughlan’s Doctor Who casting announcement, the official Doctor Who Twitter account has unveiled a new image and video of the Bridgerton star from the set of Gatwa’s currently filming second seasonal special.
In both the image and the video, Coughlan is sporting the red hat and coat that had first been seen during the location filming of the 2024 special. Coughlan also commented on her casting in the video, stating her excitement about joining Gatwa’s adventures in the TARDIS as a guest star in his second season.
Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who Adventures Have An All-Star Cast And Crew
With Coughlan rising to prominence through her role of Penelope Featherington in Netflix’s period romance Bridgerton and Clare Delvin in Channel 4’s comedy Derry Girls, the star’s casting in Doctor Who continues an exciting trend. Gatwa is celebrated for his roles in Sex Education and Barbie, and Gibson earned acclaim for her prior role in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street, Coughlan is another rising star who has earned acclaim in her career, making her highly recognizable to audiences outside the Doctor Who universe. As such, casting these up-and-coming stars can attract audiences who may be unfamiliar with prior seasons to Gatwa’s upcoming adventures.
This strategy of seeking talent from voices behind recent celebrated hits can also be seen behind the camera, as showrunner Russell T Davies enlisted Loki season 1 and Sex Education season 1 director Kate Herron to pen an episode of Gatwa’s first Doctor Who season. The showrunner has also confirmed Gatwa’s second season will see the return of Peter Hoar to the Whoniverse following his critically acclaimed contribution to The Last of Us season 1, “Long Long Time”, as well as Davies’ celebrated drama It’s A Sin. With acclaimed artists both on-screen and behind the camera, Doctor Who’s new era is reigniting interest in the franchise.
While Gatwa’s Doctor Who 60th-anniversary special debut has yet to even air, early work on his second season has helped build on the already incredible amount of anticipation for his new era. With it becoming clearer that Davies has set out to recruit talent from recent hits for his new era, many viewers may wonder who may step onboard the TARDIS next. However, with Coughlan stating that she had a guest role in Gatwa’s second season rather than just specifying the special, many may wonder if it may not be the last we see of her character.
Gatwa’s Doctor Who adventures beginning with the upcoming 60th-anniversary specials will be available to stream on Disney+ for international audiences, and on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK.
