
Doctor Who fans have a lot to look forward to in the next season, which will premiere in 2024, including the return of a cherished character.
The 60th anniversary specials introduced viewers to Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor, while the Christmas Day special introduced them to new companion Ruby Sunday, portrayed by Millie Gibson.
Already demonstrating Ruby and the Doctor’s quick connection and fizzing chemistry, viewers were then treated to a preview of what to anticipate in the new season, including new alien threats, time travel (of course), and the return of some famous friends.
The Doctor may be seen gleefully reconnecting with Yasmin Finney’s Rose Noble, daughter of Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble, in a brief, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment.
He scoops her up and spins her around while she laughs, and the scene appears to take place in the Unit building, where Donna obtained a job in the last anniversary episode.
And while showrunnner Russell T Davies casually dropped before that he would be working with Yasmin again ‘because I adore working with her,’ this was the first real confirmation that Rose would be back for the upcoming season – and fans reacted as you’d expect.


On Twitter, aka X, user Cameron shared the image and wrote ‘ROSE NOBLE IS BACK WE ARE SO BACK,’ garnering thousands of likes as fans went wild for the confirmed appearance.
Mr Sandman was similarly freaked as they shared the same image and screamed ‘is it just me or WAS THAT ROSE NOBLE?’
And JP said ‘ROSE NOBLE CONFIRMATION FOR SEASON 1, WE F*****G WON.’
Elizabeth said she was set to ‘bawl my eyes out’ with Rose’s return, while Ade wrote simply ‘ROSE NOBLE I LOVE YOU.’
In a more calm response, user Tadeusz wrote, ‘great news, superb character!’


David Smith said ‘she was great in the episode we’ve seen, can’t wait for her to appear again.’
And, touchingly, user Bella said ‘Y’all have no idea how happy I am to have Yasmin Finney back as Rose Noble!! Doctor Who has always been progressive but now it feels like such a safe space for Trans fans.’
Yasmin, who rose to prominence in the Netflix series Heartstopper, is trans, as is her Doctor Who character, with the first 60th anniversary special focusing largely on her gender identification – which ultimately helped rescue the planet.
The new season is still full of surprises and mysteries, including how and why the Doctor reunites with Rose – and if the 14th Doctor and Donna will be mentioned.
The Christmas special provided fans with enough to think about, with enigmatic old neighbour Mrs Flood declaring at the conclusion of the show that she recognised the Tardis, sparking floods of fan speculations as to who she may be.
There was also the subject of Ruby Sunday and her origins.
As a newborn, a hooded person dropped her off at church steps, where she was subsequently adopted but has discovered no sign of any ancestors, despite DNA and genetic tests.
Fans believe they’ve solved at least part of her riddle, with the popular view being that we witness Ruby herself leave her younger self at the chapel.
But, again, we’re all only speculating; the mystery will have to wait a bit longer.
Doctor Who returns in May 2024.