Jinkx Monsoon will be stepping on board the TARDIS in the upcoming series of Doctor Who in what has been teased as a “major role”.
Though any details about the role in question have been closely guarded, the American drag artist will be heading on board the show alongside an all-new cast of characters. In addition to Monsoon, the upcoming season will see Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa make his debut as the fourteenth Doctor, taking over from Jodie Whittaker.
They will be joined by Millie Gibson as the Time Lord’s new companion, Ruby Sunday, and Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney as Rose – though whether Finney’s Rose has any connection to Billie Piper’s take on the character is yet to be revealed.
The show will also see Russell T Davies return as Doctor Who’s showrunner after leaving in 2010 alongside the outgoing Doctor, then played by David Tennant. It was Davies who originally rebooted the show in 2005, making it a ratings success with episodes such as The Empty Child and Fear Her.
“In a galaxy of comets and supernovas, here comes the biggest star of all,” Davies said in a statement about the news. “Jinkx Monsoon is on a collision course with the TARDIS, and Doctor Who will never be the same again!”
Monsoon herself added that she was “honoured, thrilled, and utterly excited to join Doctor Who!
“Russell T Davies is a visionary and a brilliant writer— I can’t wait to get into the weeds with him and the crew! I hope there’s room in the TARDIS for my luggage,” she said.
Monsoon rose to prominence as part of RuPaul’s Drag Race, winning it twice, including an All Stars season where she competed against other winners of the hit show to be crowned ‘Queen of Queens.’
She will be joining the show after making her debut on Broadway as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton in Broadway’s longest-running show, Chicago, where she made history after becoming the first drag queen to play the role.
After a year-long break, Doctor Who will be returning in November 2023 with three special episodes to celebrate the show’s 60th anniversary.
Even better, David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be reprising their iconic roles as the eleventh Doctor and his companion Donna for the three-part special, before handing the reins over to Gatwa and the new crew.
Anticipation for the special and the new series is already high. In an interview with Radio Times, Davies revealed that "I can promise you a completely new Doctor, and yet a Doctor utterly faithful to the 60 years that came before. Soon, the secret will be out, and we’ll all be dancing!"
