Back in 2018, Alan Cumming guest starred in the Doctor Who episode “The Witchfinders” as King James I, with whom the Thirteenth Doctor and her companions crossed paths. Seven years later, Cumming has been regularly getting attention for hosting the popular reality TV series The Traitors, which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription. Today, however, brings word he’s being brought back for Doctor Who’s upcoming season, though it’s doubtful anyone could have predicted the new character he’ll be playing.
The announcement of Cumming’s return accompanied the reveal that Doctor Who Season 2, a.k.a. the 15th season of the modern era, will debut on the 2025 TV schedule Saturday, April 12 at 12 am PT/3 am ET. Just like with the 60th anniversary specials and this last season, it will be exclusively streamable with a Disney+ subscription where available outside of the United Kingdom. Cumming’s voice will be heard aching Mr. Ring-a-Ding in the season’s second episode.
Officially described as a “happy, funny, singalong cartoon, who lives in Sunny Town with his friend Sunshine Sally,” Mr. Ring-a-Ding will come into the Fifteenth Doctor’s orbit in 1952, after years of his animated appearances being presented in theaters. When he “suddenly looks beyond the screen and sees the real world outside,” the consequences of this decision will be “terrifying.” Doctor Who showunner Russell T. Davies said this about Cumming lending his talents to the series again:
Only Alan Cumming could give a runaway cartoon so much wit, malice, danger and fun. He makes the whole universe of ‘Doctor Who’ wilder and madder than ever, and it’s an absolute honour to welcome him on board the TARDIS.
I am all for Alan Cumming playing a chaotic cartoon who’s giving the kind of vibes Miss Minutes did over on Loki. The Doctor, played nowadays by Ncuti Gatwa, has seen and dealt with a lot of strange things over the millennia he’s been traveling across time and space in the TARDIS, but I have to imagine a living cartoon will rank as one of the strangest. Here’s the question on my mind now: will Mr. Ring-a-Ding gain sentience on his own or will a member of the Pantheon be responsible?
Whatever the reason, The Doctor will have to contend with Mr. Ring-a-Ding alongside his new companion Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu, who also appeared as Mundy Flynn in the episode “Boom” last season. Upon The Doctor and Belinda meeting, it’ll be up to the Time Lord to get her back to Earth. Unfortunately, this journey will be complicated by “a mysterious force is stopping their return,” resulting in them running into “great dangers, bigger enemies and wider terrors than ever before.” We can now count Alan Cumming’s troublemaking cartoon character as part of that lineup.
Once again, Doctor Who Season 2 premieres on April 12, with episodes being released weekly. Millie Gibson will also reprise Ruby Sunday, although it remains to be seen how much she and The Doctor will interact during the new season. Other guest stars joining Alan Cumming this season include Jonah Hauer-King, Archie Panjabi, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Christopher Chung.
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