Entertainment
What time does Doctor Who actually air in the UK?-Joel Harley-Entertainment – Metro
Making sense of Doctor Who’s time-travelling release.
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The Doctor and Ruby Sunday are back! (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon)
British sci-fi institution Doctor Who returns to television this week, marking the debut series of Ncuti Gatwa’s Timelord.
Gatwa took the leading role in the long-running series last year, claiming the mantle from David Tennant in the show’s first ever bi-generation.
His Doctor then returned on Christmas Day for his first solo episode, titled The Church on Ruby Road, opposite new companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.
The Doctor and Millie return for a full series this weekend, making it the show’s fourteenth series since its revival in 2005.
The series marks its return with a special double-bill, broadcast simultaneously around the world to celebrate the Doctor’s latest adventures.
But what time is Doctor Who on tonight?
Space Babies airs on BBC One tonight (Picture: James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
What time is Doctor Who on TV tonight?
The first two episodes of Doctor Who landed on BBC iPlayer at midnight last night, coinciding with its global release.
The first episode, Space Babies, will air at 18:20 on BBC One today. It will then be followed by the second, titled The Devil’s Chord at 19:05.
The first episode will see Ruby learn more about the Doctor when he takes her on a trip to the future, where she meets the titular space babies and a mysterious boogeyman.
Meanwhile, The Devil’s Chord follows Ruby and the Doctor as they are distracted from a trip to meet The Beatles when they encounter a being known as The Maestro.
Ruby and the Doctor travel back to the ’60s for episode two (Picture: Natalie Seery/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
Is it on Disney Plus in the UK?
A collaboration between the BBC and Disney, season fourteen of Doctor Who is out on Disney+ in all regions except for the UK and Ireland.
Because it is a BBC property, it will air exclusively on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with repeats on BBC Three and BBC Two throughout the week.
This means that it will not be available on Disney+ in the UK for the timey-wimey being.
Viewers can catch episodes early on iPlayer (Picture: James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
When is it next on?
Although Doctor Who returns with a double bill, fans don’t have to wait an extra week for the show’s schedule to catch up – episode three is still set to air next Saturday.
Titled Boom, episode three will air on Saturday 18 May at 18:50 in the UK. In this episode, time – and the Doctor – stands still when he steps on a landmine. Can the Doctor save the world without moving?
In keeping with the show’s simultaneous worldwide release, season thirteen episodes will continue to drop on BBC iPlayer at midnight every Saturday.
Fans will have to try harder than ever to avoid spoilers (Picture: James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
Season fourteen will consist of eight episodes in total, airing on a weekly basis up until Saturday 22 June.
Unfortunately, this all-new release schedule means fans run an increased risk of having episodes spoiled for them before they can tune in.
‘I’m not making light of this,’ showrunner Russell T Davies told Doctor Who magazine. ‘I can hear the worries. It’s easy to say “stay offline” when your health or job or nature might make that impossible. And I’m sorry, because then, yes, spoilers will fly.
‘Unfortunately, there’s always been a subset of viewers hitting the spoiler problem, like the tons of people who work Saturdays and on night shifts. They’ve had to negotiate this for years. So there has never been a transmission pattern in the digital age that’s perfect for everyone.
‘And to be honest. If you’re that online, and cannot change… folks, you stand a high chance of getting spoiled anyway. Before transmission. That’s the modern world. Beyond my control,’ he added.
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