I Think Doctor Who Just Teased Its Next Spinoff, But I'm Skeptical It'll Actually Happen

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 5, "The Story and the Engine."Doctor Who's Disney era has transformed the show beyond its glossy new aesthetic, but that may not open the door for the franchise to expand as it so obviously desires.

The only confirmed Doctor Who's new UNIT team and their clash with the Sea Devils, the project still has no solid release date but is expected to land later in 2025. Beyond that, the franchise doesn't look especially primed to add more spinoffs or related programming, despite "The Story and the Engine" and its quiet insistence to the contrary.

Jo Martin's Doctor Who Season 15 Cameo Teases A Fugitive Doctor Spinoff

The Fugitive Doctor gently taps the fourth wall in "The Story and the Engine"

Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor in Doctor Who

Jo Martin's brief return as the Fugitive Doctor in "The Story and the Engine" initially feels like a fun piece of fan service. However, after the initial moment of gasping and pointing at the screen, I realized what Martin's comeback could actually represent. Speaking through Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, the Fugitive Doctor justifies to Abena (Michelle Asante) why she was unable to rescue her from Anansi the first time they crossed paths. In short, Martin's character was living a life on the run from Division, so she was living a particularly dangerous life at the time.

Ncuti Gatwa looking confused as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who

5 Years Later, Doctor Who Drops Its Biggest Hint Yet That Your Timeless Child Questions Will Be Answered

Doctor Who season 15, episode 5, "The Story and the Engine" tells a new tale while also quietly referencing Chibnall's divisive Timeless Child twist.

Posts

It's the Fugitive Doctor's final line in "The Story and the Engine" that suggests she could return in her own show. She tells Abena, "I was busy in a different story that might be finished one day." The statement is a self-aware acknowledgment that the tale for which this version of the Doctor was introduced, Chris Chibnall's Timeless child arc, was pretty much abandoned when Russell T. Davies took back over as the Doctor Who showrunner. Although the twist was divisive at the time, it does open up a whole new era of the Doctor's life.

Alternatively, Martin could come back for another run of Doctor Who episodes alongside Ncuti Gatwa or a future lead actor.

Martin's Doctor isn't the only pre-William Hartnell version of the character, but she is the narrative figurehead for that part of the Time Lord's existence. So, it would make perfect sense, if a spinoff set during this period were to get the green light, that Jo Martin would play the starring role. Alternatively, Martin could come back for another run of Doctor Who episodes alongside Ncuti Gatwa or a future lead actor, so the audience can learn more about her life on the run.

Why A Fugitive Doctor Spinoff Looks Unlikely For Doctor Who

Doctor Who's future doesn't look as bright as it probably should

Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor putting on a pair of glasses in the Doctor Who Flux episode Once, Upon Time.

There is no denying that a Doctor Who spinoff show led by Jo Martin would open up new avenues to explore when it comes to the mysterious pre-Hartnell past of the franchise's main character. Perhaps when the main show was in the throes of one of its most successful periods, this would have been an easy project to put into production. Sadly, even Doctor Who's immediate future is shrouded in doubt at the moment. While Davies was brought back to steady the ship after Chris Chibnall made several misguided writing decisions, portions of the fan base still aren't happy.

Rumors have started to emerge that the show will be rested for a few years when Doctor Who season 15 ends.

Viewers have been overly critical of the Ncuti Gatwa era, despite Davies returning with fresh ideas that are as unpredictable as they are grandiose. Even so, Gatwa's electric performance as the Fifteenth Doctor seemingly hasn't been enough to stop some Whovians souring on the show they once championed. Sure, there are still a great many fans engaging with the show in a positive way, but it can be tricky for that to break through the noise at times. So, rumors have started to emerge that the show will be rested for a few years when Doctor Who season 15 ends.

"The Story and the Engine" is Jo Martin's fifth episode as the Fugitive Doctor.

With Doctor Who's future so uncertain, it would be strange for Martin to get her own spinoff, especially if the parent program goes on hiatus. Furthermore, if Doctor Who does take a break after season 15, bringing Martin back to lead her own project would essentially just mean carrying on Doctor Who itself. The Fugitive Doctor is still the Doctor, and the show would just be following her through time and space in the TARDIS. So, would Doctor Who really be going anywhere? No, not really. Even if Martin's potential show ran alongside Doctor Who, it wouldn't be different enough.

Jo Martin's Fugitive Doctor Is, Thankfully, Appearing Elsewhere In The Franchise

Big Finish is giving the Fugitive Doctor the spotlight she deserves

Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor in a poster for her Big Finish audio series

As far as anyone can prove at the moment, the Fugitive Doctor's return to live-action Doctor Who remains confined to her handful of seconds in "The Story and the Engine." The show is focusing on other storylines at the moment, and returning to the Timeless Child would require far more than just a brief foray into the Doctor's distant past. However, that doesn't mean Jo Martin is done with her version of the Doctor just yet. Just as Martin has already reprised her role in Doctor Who audio adventures, a similar opportunity has arisen again.

Big Finish audio adventures are made to a very high standard, and although they don't always recall original actors to their franchise roles, it does happen very often.

Doctor Who: The Fugitive Doctor season 1 was released by Big Finish Productions earlier in 2025, and it consisted of three episodes. July 2025 brings with it Doctor Who: The Fugitive Doctor season 2, which will consist of three more installments. Big Finish audio adventures are made to a very high standard, and although they don't always recall original actors to their franchise roles, it does happen very often. As such, Jo Martin is getting the chance she deserves by starring in The Fugitive Doctor.

Ncuti Gatwa looking at something while confused as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who

I'm Confused By Doctor Who's Timeless Child All Over Again After Season 15's Surprise Cameo

Chris Chibnall's divisive Timeless Child storyline is back in the spotlight after a massive Doctor Who moment that brings back a familiar face.

Posts 8

As great as Big Finish's Doctor Who adventures are, they hold a nebulous place within the franchise canon. They exist in the same category as Doctor Who novels, comics, and other forms of media that aren't the main show or its live-action spinoffs. While they can often be accepted as part of the main continuity, they're also not really part of the established canon until Doctor Who itself acknowledges them. On the other hand, the audio adventures do strive to take into characters and occurrences from the show, so they can be canon if fans want them to be.

Martin's Fugitive Doctor audio series has the advantage of being set within an era of the Time Lord's life that is largely unchronicled by Doctor Who.

Martin's Fugitive Doctor audio series has the advantage of being set within an era of the Time Lord's life that is largely unchronicled by Doctor Who. So, those adventures are something of an authoritative source when it comes to what the Fugitive Doctor was canonically up to. In short, they're easier to accept into the franchise timeline because there's very little that can disprove them as authentic. Plus, it helps that Martin's cameo in Doctor Who season 15 also serves as a marketing stunt to promote her Big Finish project.

Doctor Who Season 15's Release Schedule On Disney+
Episode	Title	Release Date (2025)
1	"The Robot Revolution"	April 12
2	"Lux"	April 19
3	"The Well"	April 26
4	"Lucky Day"	May 3
5	"The Story and the Engine"	May 10
6	"The Interstellar Song Contest"	May 17
7	"Wish World"	May 24
8	"The Reality War"	May 31