Doctor Who Theory Reveals A Secret TARDIS (& Time Lord) Hidden In Season 1’s Trailer

Doctor Who‘s season 1 trailer appears to show both a secret TARDIS and potentially a Time Lord. The most recent teaser offers a fresh look at what to expect from Ncuti Gatwa’s upcoming debut season as the Fifteenth Doctor. Among the many new images seen in the clip is one of what looks like a never-before-seen TARDIS and its owner.

Doctor Who season 14 will see Gatwa’s Doctor teaming up with new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) to go on more adventures through time and space. Inevitably, the pair will also encounter a whole host of new monsters and enemies. One of the upcoming season’s villains is already known and, thanks to a brief shot from the Doctor Who season 14 trailer, their status as a Time Lord may have just been confirmed.

Doctor Who Season 1’s Trailer Teases A Piano TARDIS (& Jinkx Monsoon As A Time Lord)

Could The Doctor Be About To Come Up Against One Of His Own People?

As well as showing off shots of dinosaurs, a Regency-era setting, and a group of talking babies, the trailer also offers a look at a new villain played by Jinkx Monsoon. The RuPaul’s Drag Race winner’s involvement in the new season was announced back in April 2023, with the star set to appear in a music-themed episode titled, “The Devil’s Chord”. The recent trailer finally gave a glimpse of Monsoon in character. In a brief yet eye-catching shot, Monsoon’s character appears to be behind a piano. Or rather, she seems to emerge from it.

Monsoon’s upper body is visible, but the way she hangs over the back of the piano makes it look like the rest of her is inside the piano itself. It could be that the piano is two-dimensional for some as-yet-unknown story reason. Or the piano could be a TARDIS. After all, the Doctor’s broken one aside, TARDISes are supposed to adapt to their environment by taking on a different shape. It’s possible that it’s a TARDIS camouflaged as a piano. And if the piano is a TARDIS, that would surely make Monsoon’s character a Time Lord.

Which Time Lord Jinkx Monsoon Could Be Playing

There’s Plenty Of Them To Choose From

If Jinkx Monsoon’s character is a Time Lord, there’s a multitude of possibilities as to who she could be. Time Lords famously have the ability to change their faces and take on a different persona, meaning Monsoon could be playing any one of the many Time Lords depicted throughout the show’s history. Potentially, the most obvious answer is that Monsoon will be playing a new version of the Master. There have been eight versions of the Master in Doctor Who over the years, each with their own villainous traits. It’s not hard to imagine Monsoon taking over the role.

Furthermore, in last year’s “The Giggle”, it was revealed that the Master was being kept prisoner inside the Toymaker’s gold tooth. Said tooth was later picked up by a person with red fingernails. This seems to be setting up the character’s return, which will no doubt happen at some point in the near future. If that’s the case, there’s no reason the Master can’t be played by Monsoon. That being said, the Master is a rather boring option for Monsoon to play. A more interesting alternative is the Rani.

The Rani appeared in a handful of serials towards the end of Doctor Who‘s original run. Originally played by Kate O’Mara, the Rani is a renegade Time Lord and evil scientist who conducts unethical experiments. She’s mostly known for her shoulder pads and over-the-top style. The character has yet to appear in the modern version of the show, despite many calls for her to be brought back. It’s been speculated that the Rani will return in the upcoming season, so she could be who Jinkx Monsoon is playing.

There’s also a plethora of other Time Lord characters yet to appear in modern Doctor Who, such as Omega, Morbius, Romana, and Susan, any of whom Monsoon could conceivably be playing. The other option is that Monsoon will be portraying an entirely new Time Lord character. Going by the promotional material, her character clearly has some sort of connection to music. This is a trait not seen in any other Time Lord so far, so it’s likely that if Monsoon’s character is a Time Lord, she’s one that’s never been seen before.

Related

Doctor Who’s New Character Reveal Supports A Major Season 14 Villain Theory

The main villain of Doctor Who season 14 remains unknown, but a new clue found in trailer footage supports a major theory about Ncuti Gatwa’s foe.

Jinkx Monsoon Playing A Time Lord Might Signal A Whittaker Era Retcon

Gallifrey Was Supposedly Destroyed. Or Was It?

While Jinkx Monsoon’s character being a Time Lord is certainly possible, the new season will have a lot of explaining to do. One of the last times Time Lords, other than the Doctor and the Master, were shown was during the Thirteenth Doctor’s era, when the Master destroyed Gallifrey and converted them into Cybermen. It’s implied that the Doctor and the Master are, once again, the last two of their kind. If Doctor Who is about to reintroduce a Time Lord, there would need to be an explanation as to how they managed to survive.

Though bringing back the Time Lords certainly presents some obstacles, such a move could be good for the show. After all, modern Doctor Who has largely shied away from portraying Gallifreyan natives, which contrasts heavily with the classic show. Additionally, the dynamic between the Doctor and the Master is at risk of becoming stale and introducing (or reintroducing) another Time Lord character into the mix could help the show feel fresh again. Whether Jinkx Monsoon’s character is one or not, Doctor Who‘s new season could greatly benefit from going down the Time Lord route.

Doctor Who

Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.