Doctor Who Recap: 7 Things To Know Before Season 14

Summary Doctor Who season 14 brings back familiar faces and introduces new characters for a thrilling new era.

The Timeless Child storyline shakes up the Doctor's past and connection to Gallifrey.

Ruby Sunday's mysterious origin and Donna's meta-crisis connection promise exciting developments in season 14.

With the upcoming season of Doctor Who nearly here, it's worth considering what details from the show need recapping in preparation. The first episode of Doctor Who season 14 is dropping on May 11 and will launch the first full season of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday. The Doctor Who season 14 cast will see the return of several familiar faces, such as Gemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Bonnie Langford as Mel Bush, as well as some new ones, like Jonathan Groff's unnamed character and Jinkx Monsoon as Maestro.

Doctor Who season 14, or the brand new season 1, is also the first entire season for returning showrunner Russell T. Davies, who is coming back to the show for the first time since 2010. However, Davies’ three Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials, “The Star Beast,” "Wild Blue Yonder," and “The Giggle,” have set up some fascinating new lore for the show that will be relevant and important to the upcoming season. With Doctor Who season 14 rapidly approaching on BBC iPlayer and Disney+, many crucial plot points need recapping before episode 1 airs.

Related All 8 Doctor Who Season 1 Episodes Titles Explained The full episode title list for Doctor Who season 1 has been confirmed, and both the titles and the announcement itself offer salient story clues.

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Discussed Doctor Who Episodes Season/Episode/Air Date School Reunion Season 2, Episode 3 - 2006 Journey's End Season 4, Episode 13 - 2008 Spyfall: Part Two Season 12, Episode 2 - 2020 The Timeless Children Season 12, Episode 10 - 2020 The Star Beast 60th Anniversary Special, Episode 1 - 2023 The Giggle 60th Anniversary Special, Episode 3 - 2023 The Church on Ruby Road 2023 Christmas Special

7 The Doctor Is Not Actually A Time Lord (Because Of The Timeless Child)

The Doctor's Past And Connection To Gallifrey Is Murky

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Doctor Who's game-changing Timeless Child storyline is a huge part of the Thirteenth Doctor's (Jodie Whittaker) character arc. In the season 12 finale, "The Timeless Children," the Master (Sacha Dhawan) reveals to the Doctor that their past isn't what they believe. Using the Time Lord's Matrix, the Doctor learns about their many forgotten lives before they were William Hartnell's first Doctor and discovers they are the template for the Time Lord race after being found as a child on Gallifrey. However, Doctor Who's 60th-anniversary specials retcon parts of the Timeless Child.

While it's still unclear how much of the Timeless Child will be relevant in Russell T. Davies' new era, it'll likely receive a few mentions as it's unavoidable. Doctor Who famously retcons parts of its lore, but these changes are explainable because of the power of time travel and the Time Lord's ability to meld time and space to their will. For example, Doctor Who's 2005 reboot introduces the Time War and the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) as the only survivor. However, in the 50th-anniversary special, every incarnation of the Doctor works together and saves Gallifrey by freezing it.

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6 The Master Destroyed Gallifrey & The Time Lords

The Doctor's Greatest Frenemy Once Again Eradicated Their Home Planet

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In "Spyfall: Part Two," the Master reveals that he has obliterated Gallifrey. Gallifrey is destroyed several times in Doctor Who, so it's not a big surprise, although the Master's reasoning behind his actions is. It isn't until "The Timeless Children" that it starts to make sense, and the Master's decision to eradicate their home planet and species is because of their feelings about the Doctor being the Timeless Child. Discovering the truth, the Master is horrified that the narrative of the Doctor being "special" is accurate and so unleashes hell on the Time Lords as revenge.

While this is a drastic response, it's also very on-brand for the Master's character.

While this is a drastic response, it's also very on-brand for the Master's character. However, audiences know that the Time Lords are never gone for long and will eventually appear in Doctor Who after a period of absence. Even if the Time Lords and Gallifrey don't return, the Master certainly will in season 14, as the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) teases their presence. The Toymaker's gold tooth contains the Master, and in "The Giggle," a mysterious hand retrieves it and disappears. It's currently unknown who will portray the Master, although it may be new cast member Jinkx Monsoon as Maestro.

5 The Fifteenth Doctor Bi-Generated After David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor "Died"

Doctor Who's Bi-Generation Is A Game Changer

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Russell T. Davies shook up the lore of Doctor Who with the Doctor's bi-generation. In "The Giggle," the Toymaker shoots the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) with a Galvanic beam, triggering their regeneration. However, rather than the Doctor transforming into a new incarnation, the Fifteenth Doctor separates, creating two individual but active Doctors for the first time in Doctor Who history. When a Doctor regenerates, their previous incarnation "dies," but for Fourteen, they get to have their own life on Earth with Donna (Catherine Tate) and her family on "the slow path."

The Fifteenth Doctor is a unique incarnation and the first of their kind, so there's a possibility that the after-effects of bi-generation may also be a subplot in Doctor Who season 14.

Tennant is not returning to Doctor Who, although it's hard to ignore that the Fourteenth Doctor is still around and finally rehabilitating. However, it's likely that mentions of Fourteen will still crop up in season 14 for a few reasons. It'll be difficult for Doctor Who not to acknowledge the bi-generation in Gatwa's first full season, but also because Rose Noble (Yasmin Finney) is coming back. The Fifteenth Doctor is a unique incarnation and the first of their kind, so there's a possibility that the after-effects of bi-generation may also be a subplot in Doctor Who season 14.

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4 The Fourteenth & Fifteenth Doctors Banished The Toymaker

The Classic Era Villain Has Been Sent Away, But Can Still Return

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In "The Giggle," the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors banish the Toymaker from existence. After a simple game of catch, with the three bolting across UNIT's helipad, the Toymaker finally drops the ball and loses to the Time Lords. The Toymaker then folds like a piece of paper and slots inside his toy box, which UNIT then takes and securely stores away. However, earlier in the episode, the Toymaker sets up the arrival of a mysterious new Doctor Who villain – "The One Who Waits." There are theories about Doctor Who's The One Who Waits' identity,

The fact that the Toymaker is in the depths of UNIT's storage, plus the tease about The One Who Waits, implies that the Doctor's battle with the recently returning classic Doctor Who era villain isn't over.

The fact that the Toymaker is in the depths of UNIT's storage, plus the tease about The One Who Waits, implies that the Doctor's battle with the recently returning classic Doctor Who era villain isn't over. Although there is no confirmation that Neil Patrick Harris will star in Doctor Who season 14, it doesn't mean the Toymaker isn't coming back, and this detail may be under wraps to create a significant impact. Moments before he is trapped, the Toymaker warns the Doctors that his "legions are coming," implying that a threat connected to him will track the Time Lords down.

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3 Ruby Sunday's Origin Is A Mystery After Doctor Who's 2023 Christmas Special

Ruby's Parentage Will Be An Important Plot Point In Season 14

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"The Church on Ruby Road" establishes a storyline that will be prominent throughout season 14 – Ruby Sunday's parentage. In Ruby's first episode, she is left as a baby on the doorstep of a church by a mysterious hooded figure, leaving audiences wondering whether that person is one of Ruby's biological parents or someone involved in her separation from them. However, because the Goblins steal Ruby because of the "cracked timeline," it seems that Ruby's origins are somehow related to time travel or an alien threat.

However, based on the Doctor Who season 14 trailer and comments from Davies, it is probable that audiences will get answers about Ruby Sunday's parents and her perplexing origins.

Like The One Who Waits, there are multiple theories about Ruby's mother and father in Doctor Who. The enigmatic Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) is somehow linked to Ruby, although it's still unclear whether her connection is related to her parents. Ruby's unusual neighbor appears in "The Church on Ruby Road," but there are few details about the woman and what her purpose in the show is. However, based on the Doctor Who season 14 trailer and comments from Davies, it is probable that audiences will get answers about Ruby Sunday's parents and her perplexing origins.

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2 Donna's Memories Returned And The Meta-Crisis Was A Part Of Rose

The Mother And Daughter Are Unique In Doctor Who's Lore

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The Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials famously fix a heartbreaking character arc as beloved companion Donna Noble regains her memories of traveling with the Tenth Doctor (Tennant). In the season 4 finale, "Journey's End," Donna absorbs the meta crisis and is given the Doctor's intelligence. However, it proves too much for the human, and the Doctor has to wipe her mind to keep her safe. When Donna returns in "The Star Beast," the Doctor restores her memories to save her daughter, Rose. As Donna accepts her fate, embracing death, she realizes that the meta-crisis split into Rose, saving her life.

Doctor Who doesn't do anything without reason, so there is a chance that Rose's connection to the meta-crisis is still bubbling away in the background.

Rose Noble is due to return to Doctor Who in season 14, although seemingly without her mother. However, even though Donna and Rose "let go" of the residual meta crisis, it undoubtedly affected the teenager in some way. Doctor Who doesn't do anything without reason, so there is a chance that Rose's connection to the meta-crisis is still bubbling away in the background. Even though Donna isn't coming back in season 14, the fact that Rose is suggests that this storyline isn't complete yet.

1 Mel Bush Is Returning In Doctor Who Season 14

The Doctor's Classic Era Companion Now Works For UNIT

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In "The Giggle," the Doctor crosses paths with companion Mel Bush again. The Doctor meeting Mel years later is a lovely moment for the Time Lord, and it also contributes to the narrative that the Fifteenth Doctor acknowledges that all of their previous incarnations are "doing rehab out of order." The Doctor, especially the Tenth, habitually walks away from friends once they leave the TARDIS and does not look back. After the death of her husband, Mel returns to Earth and takes a job with UNIT in Doctor Who, which is how she bumps into the Time Lord once again.

Doctor Who's season 14 trailer shows that Mel will appear in future episodes.

Doctor Who's season 14 trailer shows that Mel will appear in future episodes. One notable scene shows the Fifteenth Doctor shouting at her from a motorcycle; presumably, Mel's appearance in the upcoming season is relevant to her role at UNIT. Davies has memorably combined the worlds of classic and modern-era Doctor Who before by reintroducing Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) to audiences and is hopefully trying to replicate this success with Mel. Implementing nostalgia in Doctor Who is an excellent way of ensuring season 14 is a success, and it'll be interesting to see exactly what Mel's role will be.

Sarah Jane Smith returns to Doctor Who in the season 2 episode "School Reunion."

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