Doctor Who Showrunner RTD Teases The Final Member Of The Unholy Trinity After An Old Villain Makes A Surprising Return

Warning! Spoilers for Doctor Who season 15, episode 6 “The Interstellar Song Contest”

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has addressed the status of season 15’s “Unholy Trinity”, revealing that the final member of the group has yet to be revealed. As the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) have taken the long route home, they have encountered several villains, including the media-manipulating grifter Conrad Clarke (Jonah Hauer-King) and his smear campaign against UNIT. However, season 15, episode 6 “The Interstellar Song Contest” saw the return of the rogue Time Lord known as the Rani, as Anita Dobson’s Mrs. Flood bigenerated into a new incarnation, played by Archie Panjabi.

Following the shocking return of the Rani, Davies took to Instagram to tease what their return spells for the TARDIS team and their allies. As the showrunner stated that Conrad and the two Rani’s make up part of the frequently-teased “Unholy Trinity“, the third component has yet to be revealed. Furthermore, Davies states that this ominous foe resides exactly 160 years in the future, and will be explored in the first chapter of the two-part season finale “Wish World”.

What Davies’ Tease Means For Doctor Who Season 15’s “Unholy Trinity”

The Third Entity May Be The Doctor’s Oldest Foes

While mentions of the Pantheon bring to mind the many gods the Doctor has faced in his travels within Davies’ second showrunning tenure, Davies’ hint about the foe residing 160 years into the future places their time firmly in the 22nd Century could point to a specific villain’s return. While the 22nd Century is where former companion Susan (Carol Ann Ford) is expected to be residing, the Dalek Invasion of Earth and following conflicts between humanity and the Daleks also occured here. As such, the third part of the trinity may not be an individual, but the Dalek Empire.

Though the Daleks haven’t appeared since the Children in Need 60th-anniversary prequel “Destination: Skaro”, Gatwa has previously stated that he hopes to face the terrors from Skaro on screen. Furthermore, series producer Joe Collins and production designer Phillip Sims have also teased that the creatures would return with a new design in 2022. With these early teases and the current order of episodes under the Disney+ co-production agreement nearing its end, season 15’s finale may be the last chance to showcase the Doctor’s oldest foes.

Our Thoughts On Davies’ Final Unholy Trinity Tease

The Season 15 Finale Is Being Heralded As A Must-Watch Event

Whether deity or Dalek, Doctor Who season 15’s finale is already being established as an event. Alongside a theatrical release, the episode is being rescheduled for a simultaneous release across the globe that coincides with its UK broadcast. Whatever awaits the Doctor in the 22nd Century, it is clear that it is set to shock audiences just as much as it may shock the Time Lord.

Source: Russell T Davies/Instagram

Doctor Who

5/10

Release Date

December 25, 2023

Directors

Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie

Writers

Russell T. Davies, Dave Gibbons, Kate Herron, Steven Moffat

Franchise(s)

Doctor Who / Whoniverse