Doctor Who season 15 has now added an Emmy winner to face off against Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. Gatwa’s era of the long-running BBC sci-fi series kicked off with 2023’s seasonal special “The Church on Ruby Road,” where he first joined forces with Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday. The Doctor and Ruby’s adventures took them to deep-space warzones, alternate timelines, the Beatlemania of the 1960s, and Regency-era England before life would lead to them parting ways with one another after an emotional Doctor Who season 14 finale.
While season 15 wrapped filming in May, Deadline has reported that The Good Wife star Archie Panjabi will appear in the series when it returns to Disney Plus and BBC One in 2025. It is unknown who Panjabi will play and how many episodes she will appear since the BBC keeps details under tight wraps. However, it is confirmed the role is a villainous character.
What Panjabi’s Casting Means For Doctor Who Season 15
While Many Familiar Faces Return, Little Is Known About The Season’s New Additions.
While season 14 announced many of its guest stars and supporting cast members as filming progressed in 2023, Gatwa’s second season has been more secretive with its casting, even after various actors were seen on set. Alongside Panjabi and Sethu, The Little Mermaid’s Jonah Hauer-King has also been cast in a key role in Ruby’s story. While details are scant, the secrecy could hint at them playing major roles.
Recognizable faces from past seasons will also return. Jemma Redgrave, Bonnie Langford, Ruth Madeley, and Alexander Devrient will return as UNIT’s Kate Stewart, Mel Bush, Shirley Ann Bingham, and Colonel Ibrahim, while Michelle Greenidge and Angela Winter will reprise their roles as Carla and Cherry Sunday. Anita Dobson will also return as the mysterious Mrs Flood, taking on a larger role after playing minor roles across season 14.
Our Take On Archie Panjabi’s New Doctor Who Villain
Could Panjabi Play A Returning Character?
With Doctor Who’s 60-plus-year history of adventures, I assume that Panjabi is playing a returning villain, which could explain the secrecy. Season 14’s returning endgame villain Sutekh (Gabriel Woolf) was first hinted at in the show’s 60th-anniversary special as “The One Who Waits,” alongside an ominous sound emitted from the TARDIS. As such, viewers familiar with showrunner Russell T Davies’ long-term storytelling style may be creating short lists of past foes, or theorizing that Panjabi may play the Meep’s (Miriam Margolyes) unseen “Boss.”
However, Jinx Monsoon, Anneurin Barnard, and Indira Varma were announced ahead of season 14’s airing as they first appeared on set in costume. While little was revealed about their characters ahead of time, their villains were single-episode foes, ultimately playing memorable but small roles in Gatwa’s first season. Regardless of how large her role may be, Panjabi’s celebrated status makes her one more all-star casting addition to Davies and Gatwa’s new era in Doctor Who season 15.