Doctor Who has cast Varada Sethu (Andor) for Season 2 as the Doctor’s new companion, alongside current companion Ruby Sunday. The series is currently in production and slated to debut in 2025 on Disney+ and the BBC in the UK.
“I feel like the luckiest person in the world,” shared Sethu in a statement. “It is such an honor to be a part of the Whoniverse, and I’m so grateful to the whole Doctor Who family – because that is what they are – for welcoming me with open arms and making me feel so at home. I couldn’t ask for a better team than Ncuti and Millie to be on this adventure with. This is SO much fun!”
Most recently, she portrayed Cinta Kaz in the Disney+ Original series Andor. Her additional credits include Jurassic World Dominion, Annika and Strike Back.
“I first worked with Varada on a BBC production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and it’s a joy to welcome her on board the TARDIS. Right now in the studio, shooting for 2025, we’ve got Ncuti, Millie and Varada fighting side by side–we need all three because the stakes are higher than ever,” exclaimed Russell T Davies, showrunner, executive producer and writer.
L to R: Varada Sethu, Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson
James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios
Doctor Who Season 1 premieres Friday, May 10 at 7 p.m. EDT on Disney+ with The Church on Ruby Road, which premiered last December, as well as two all-new episodes. In the U.K., The series begins streaming on May 11 at midnight on BBC iPlayer, before airing on BBC One later that day, giving audiences a simultaneous global launch.
New episodes will then drop weekly on Fridays on Disney+, where available, and on Saturdays on the BBC and BBC iPlayer in the UK.
In addition to Davies, Phil Collinson, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter also executive produce. Doctor Who is produced by Bad Wolf, with BBC Studios for Disney Branded Television and BBC.