Why The Fifteenth Doctor Is Holding Baby Belinda In Season 15, Episode 1's Flashback

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 1, "The Robot Revolution."Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor is strongly suggested in Doctor Who season 15's first episode to have a long-standing connection to his new companion, but the compelling moment that teases this twist is very brief and pretty difficult to parse. Whatever is drawing Fifteen and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) together is also cryptically addressed at the end of Doctor Who season 15, episode 1, "The Robot Revolution," but paired with the shot of the Doctor holding her as a young baby, it raises several very compelling questions.

After making her debut as part of the Doctor Who season 14 cast, Belinda is actually Sethu's second character. She played Mundy Flynn in 2024's "Boom," and her dual-casting appears to be at least part of the basis of the mystery surrounding the actress' return. Strangely, Belinda is the second companion in a row to have been held by Fifteen as a baby after it also happened with Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday in the 2023 Christmas special, "The Church on Ruby Road." What remains to be seen is whether Fifteen's first encounter with Belinda has always been the same.

It Looks Like The Doctor Was Present During Belinda Chandra's Infancy

The Doctor's flashback during the star certificate paradox shows him holding Baby Belinda

Fifteen holding Baby Belinda in Doctor Who

When the Doctor absorbs the paradox of the two star certificates touching near the end of "The Robot Revolution," the act of saving Belinda appears to have inadvertently slotted him into various points in his new companion's timeline. The rapid-fire montage doesn't show much very clearly, but there is an exceedingly obvious shot of the Fifteenth Doctor holding Belinda as a very young baby. So, it would seem that he was there during some of the earliest stages of her life.

Even the Doctor himself reacts as though it's a new wrinkle in their relationship, rather than an established dynamic.

What the show doesn't confirm is whether or not this was the case before Fifteen stepped in to rescue Belinda during her union with the AI Generator (Jonny Green). There are two options here. The first possibility is that the Doctor only became retroactively ubiquitous throughout Belinda's life thanks to his invention. The other option is that their histories have always been intertwined. I think the former is more likely, as even the Doctor himself reacts as though it's a new wrinkle in their relationship, rather than an established dynamic.

The Fifteenth Doctor Might Tell His Past Self To Rescue Belinda From The Robots

Fifteen drops several hints that could lead back to a conversation with himself from the future

Ncuti Gatwa as Doctor Who exiting the TARDIS in season 15

During the episode, the Doctor tells Belinda that someone told him to come and find her, which is why he can be seen trying to locate her at the beginning of "The Robot Revolution." What he doesn't reveal is who it was he spoke to that set his latest adventure in motion. I think the most reasonable explanation is that it was a future version of himself that Fifteen spoke with, and there are a few clues to back up this theory.

It's also possible that it's another Doctor who Fifteen spoke with - such as the Fourteenth, or the as-yet-unseen Sixteenth or beyond.

For instance, the Doctor refers to the mystery informant as a "he." Granted, this is pretty vague, but the Doctor also goes on to tell Belinda that he can't say anything else about the person's identity because he has to be "careful about timelines." The Doctor taking orders from a future version of himself would certainly qualify for that level of caution, and he's also unlikely to blindly trust the words of just anyone. It's also possible that it's another Doctor who Fifteen spoke with - such as the Fourteenth, or the as-yet-unseen Sixteenth or beyond.

The Doctor Holding Belinda As A Baby Suggests She Has A Hidden Importance

I think Davies is unlikely to write another red herring storyline like he did with Ruby's mysterious lineage

When Fifteen was revealed to have held Ruby Sunday as a baby, the implication was that she would go on to be an incredibly special character due to her special lineage. However, Doctor Who revealed Ruby's mother was just an ordinary human, which was a crushingly disappointing bait-and-switch. If showrunner Russell T. Davies were to repeat the same misleading arc with Belinda, then I can't see a world where everyone doesn't get really annoyed again by the false promises.

Custom Doctor Who image of Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra and Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Season 15's New Companion Does Something I Never Thought The Modern Show Would

The Doctor's companions often fall into similar categories, but season 15's new TARDIS passenger is something the post-revival era hasn't seen.

Posts9

Plus, the Doctor's history with Baby Ruby had seemingly always been that way, rather than him slotting himself into events with which he wasn't originally involved. That doesn't appear to be the case with Belinda, as I'm convinced his presence during the character of Sethu's character's infancy is something that only happens as a result of the paradox he helps save her from in "The Robot Revolution." So their shared arc is set up to be a far more rewarding adventure that gradually reveals Belinda's importance in Doctor Who canon.

Doctor Who Season 15's Release Schedule On Disney+
Episode	Title	Release Date (2025)
1	"The Robot Revolution"	April 12
2	"Lux"	April 19
3	"The Well"	April 26
4	"Lucky Day"	May 3
5	"The Story and the Engine"	May 10
6	"The Interstellar Song Contest"	May 17
7	"Wish World"	May 24
8	"The Reality War"	May 31