‘Doctor Who’ Returns April 12; Alan Cumming To Voice Mysterious Cartoon
by Erik Amaya
Although the date selected for the launch of the new season of Doctor Who seemingly leaked last week, Disney is now confirming the second year of Ncuti Gatwa‘s tenure as the time traveling alien begins April 12th.
Timed again to coincide with its premiere in the UK, the series will be available in North America at 3am ET/12am PT each week — which we imagine will delight the UK fans as episodes will now debut on BBC iPlayer at 8am instead of midnight, as occurred last year. But those who prefer to watch it via television can still see it air on BBC One later on Saturday evenings.
This season sees The Doctor meeting a new companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), as he attempts to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force prevents the TARDIS from landing in the right place and the right time. Does it have anything to do with the Pantheon described last season or the mysterious Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson)? Time will tell, of course, it always does. Other actors also appearing this season include Rose Ayling-Ellis, Christopher Chung, Michelle Greenidge, and Jonah Hauer-King. Millie Gibson, Ruth Madeley, and Jemma Redgrave return in their respective roles, with Gibson’s Ruby Sunday seemingly working for Redgrave’s Kate Lethbridge-Stewart at UNIT. And, because there’s always a twist, Susan Twist is also scheduled to return.
Additionally, Disney and the BBC announced Alan Cumming will lend his voice to Mr Ring-a-Ding, the cartoon glimpsed in the trailers. Per the press release, the character, a staple of movie houses for decades, become envious of the real world in 1952 and “the consequences are terrifying.” In a statement, showrunner Russell T Davies said, “Only Alan Cumming could give a runaway cartoon so much wit, malice, danger and fun. He makes the whole universe of Doctor Who wilder and madder than ever, and it’s an absolute honour to welcome him on board the TARDIS.”
The hows and whys of Mr Ring-a-Ding’s new existence are, of course, plot elements for viewers to discover when the episode airs. The eight-episode second season of Doctor Who on Disney+ (outside the UK and Ireland) begins on April 12th.
