Alan Cumming joins Ncuti Gatwa in new ‘Doctor Who’ role

The BBC has revealed the release date for the second season of ‘Doctor Who’ and confirmed that the esteemed Alan Cumming will make an exciting guest appearance.

According to ‘Gay Times’, on February 26, it was confirmed that Ncuti Gatwa will return as the iconic Time-Lord on Saturday, April 12, with episodes available on BBC iPlayer and later that day on BBC One in the UK. Viewers outside the UK can catch the series on Disney Plus.

This season, Gatwa will have a new companion, Belinda Chandra, portrayed by Varada Sethu. Sethu is best known for her roles as Detective Sergeant Mishal Ali in the BBC crime drama ‘Hard Sun' (2018) and Cinta Kaz in the Star Wars series ‘Andor’ (2022–present).

Moreover, Cumming will appear as a guest star playing a character named Mr. Ring-a-Ding, described as a “happy, funny, singalong cartoon” residing in Sunny Town alongside his friend Sunshine Sally.

"However, in 1952, after years of repeats in cinemas across the land, Mr Ring-a-Ding suddenly looks beyond the screen and sees the real world outside – and the consequences are terrifying.”

Cumming, a recipient of BAFTA, Emmy, and Tony awards, boasts a distinguished career with notable credits including GoldenEye (1995), Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997), Spice World (1997), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), X2 (2003), The Good Wife (2010–2016), and Schmigadoon (2021–2023).

Since 2023, Cumming has gained significant critical acclaim as the host of ‘The Traitors US’. Last year, he earned the award for Outstanding Host in a Reality or Competition Program, breaking RuPaul’s eight-year winning streak for ‘Drag Race’.

Russell T Davies, the showrunner of ‘Doctor Who’, complimented Cumming as the only actor capable of “giving 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.”

In addition to Gatwa, Sethu, and Cumming, the new season will feature Rose Ayling-Ellis, Anita Dobson, Christopher Chung, Michelle Greenidge, Jonah Hauer-King, Ruth Madeley, Jemma Redgrave, and Susan Twist.

Millie Gibson will also reprise her role as Ruby Sunday.