The BBC has announced that the Doctor Who Series 15 finale will premiere across the world at the same time — that is, on BBC1, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and in more than 450 cinemas across the UK and Ireland.

The Reality War will see the conclusion of the Fifteenth Doctor’s (Ncuti Gatwa) attempts to get his new companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), home, to May 2025.

This finale of Doctor Who will premiere simultaneously on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer in a primetime evening slot on Saturday 31 May, and simultaneously on Disney+ outside of the UK (where available). This is in contrast to the rest of the season, with previous stories “dropped” on iPlayer and Disney+ at 8am (BST) on each Saturday morning before airing on actual TV later on in the evening of that day.

This does at least mean many of us will be able to avoid spoilers. We expect some pretty major things happening in the story, meaning not seeing spoilers will be particularly good.

The BBC has also promised that this is an “extra-special-length episode”, while the Doctor “faces one of his most terrifying and monumental battles to date”. We reckon a god will be involved…

Showrunner and writer, Russell T Davies says:

“The Doctor is doomed, Belinda is lost, Ruby is trapped, UNIT is powerless, the Unholy Trinity rule supreme, and the Underverse is rising. And now we can all experience this devastating climax together, all at the same time, with a unique worldwide premiere. I can promise shocks, scares and revelations off the scale. Come and have fun!”

The exact transmission time of The Reality War is to be confirmed in due course.