Details are starting to emerge about a new Doctor Who spinoff centred around the military research organization UNIT that will see Jemma Redgrave reprise her role as Kate Stewart.
Russell T Davies‘ return as Doctor Who’s showrunner will not only be celebrating its momentous’ 60th anniversary later this year but will be ushering in a brand new era of the franchise when Ncuti Gatwa steps into the TARDIS full-time for Season 14 of the Sci-Fi series.
Davies had previously stated that he’s keen to expand the “Whoniverse” in the age of streaming especially with more spinoff material and confirmed that “The spinoffs are ready” during an interview with GQ earlier this year.
Now the first details of a spinoff surrounding UNIT have been reported that will see Jemma Redgrave return as officer Kate Stewart.
Doctor Who UNIT spinoff reportedly in the works
According to a recent article from The Mirror, the Doctor Who spinoff will focus on UNIT – the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, a military research organization that investigates and combats alien threats to planet Earth.
The spinoff will reportedly be led by Jemma Redgrave who will reprise her role as Kate Stewart, the Chief Scientific Officer of UNIT, who has made recurring appearances in Doctor Who since being introduced in the 2012 episode ‘The Power of Three’. The character last appeared in the 2022 episode ‘The Power of The Doctor’ and is confirmed to feature in Season 14.
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🚨 Cast announcements 🚨UNIT returns! Jemma Redgrave returns as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and UNIT, the long-running organisation set on defending the Earth, returns in the next series of #DoctorWho.Aneurin Barnard also joins the series as the mysterious Roger ap Gwilliam. pic.twitter.com/OkDsuC2ZMh
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) January 9, 2023
UNIT as an organization first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1960s and was featured in a series of stories throughout the 70s and 80s before being reintroduced to audiences during the show’s 2005 revival.
Redgrave has shared the screen with a number of Doctors during her time on the show, including Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker, and she will reportedly return with UNIT alongside Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor for a festive special before the spinoff launches.
A source for The Mirror also quoted that “Doctor Who has always featured strong women in positions of authority” and this has led to speculation that the show may feature a primarily female cast, and potentially more returning characters from the franchise.
Fans are speculating that this could include Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), who was The Doctor’s companion and later medical director for UNIT during David Tennant‘s era of the show, and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) who previously starred in the gritty Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood.
That’s everything we know about the reported spinoff so far! For all the latest Doctor Who news and information, check out our home page for the show.