‘Drag Race’ Winner Jinkx Monsoon Joins ‘Doctor Who’ in Major Role

From drag race to outer space (sort of).

Jinkx Monsoon, the actress, singer and two-time winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, will star the next series of Doctor Who in a major role, joining Ncuti Gatwa as the new Time Lord and Millie Gibson as the new companion Ruby Sunday.

“I’m honoured, thrilled, and utterly excited to join Doctor Who,” said Monsoon, who became a fan favourite on Drag Race, being crowned ‘Queen of Queens’ in the first All-Star season of the show, competing against previous winners. “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.”

Monsoon joins Doctor Who after completing her sell out run on Broadway, where she made her debut as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton in Chicago. Her Broadway run was a historic moment for the LGBTQ community, with Monsoon becoming the first drag queen to play the role, breaking box office records in her extended eight-week run.  

“In a galaxy of comets and supernovas, here comes the biggest star of all,” said showrunner Davies, who returns to Doctor Who after rebooting the cult series in 2005. “Jinkx Monsoon is on a collision course with the TARDIS, and Doctor Who will never be the same again!”

Doctor Who returns in November 2023 with three special episodes starring David Tennant as the 14th Doctor to coincide with the 60th anniversary. Tennant and Catherine Tate are reprising their roles for the show’s 60th anniversary, and the BBC has confirmed that they will appear in three special episodes.