Doctor Who is well and truly about to enter its Russell T Davies era for the second time, and it looks like there’ll be plenty of callbacks along the way.
The incoming 15th Doctor, who will make his first appearance in next month’s Christmas special, has let slip one of the surprising cameos coming up in the BBC sci-fi show.
Speaking at GQ’s Men of the Year ceremony, he said (via The Mirror): “It has been a crazy year. I shouldn’t say this but I shot a scene, somehow, with the first-ever Doctor, William Hartnell. We end up in the same scene together at some point.”
Reflecting on the history between his and William’s Doctors, Ncuti added: “To see that history – now a Black man as the Doctor! It was just very wild.”
William portrayed the very first pilot of the TARDIS in 1963 to 1966 (and in a tenth anniversary special in 1970), and it looks like, through the magic of technology, he’ll be beamed straight into the 21st Century opposite Ncuti.
The first Doctor passed away in 1975 at the age of 65, so a cameo by his actor is certainly unexpected.
Ncuti’s first appearance as The Doctor will be proceeded by a series of three specials to celebrate the show’s 60th anniversary, which will see David Tennant reprise his role as the titular Time Lord alongside Catherine Tate, Neil Patrick Harris, Yasmin Finney and Miriam Margolyes.
These specials will serve as a bridge into the fourteenth season of the show, which will see Ncuti take over the TARDIS, accompanied by new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and more.
These will all be under the watchful eye of showrunner Russell T Davies, who last worked on the show in 2010.
Fans also have a theory that Matt Smith may be getting his sonic screwdriver out again, too, thanks to a minor detail in a poster teasing the specials.
Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials will air on 25 November, 2 December and 9 December on BBC One and iPlayer.