At the very end of Doctor Who’s surprising episode, “The Interstellar Song Contest,” a post-credits scene reveals that one Time Lord from the distant past has returned. Although we thought the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) was the last of the Time Lords, an enemy from the era of the 6th (Colin Baker) and 7th incarnations (Sylvester McCoy) is back. And with the return of this character, one question that’s been lurking around since 1987 has been answered. And, at the same time, a fan theory that began in 2023 has been proven totally true.
Here’s what the post-credits scene of Doctor Who’s “Interstellar Song Contest” means and why this deep-cut character is a massive game-changer for the series. Spoilers ahead.
Doctor Who Season 2, Episode 6 Post-Credits Scene, Explained
After the TARDIS seemingly explodes as the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda (Varada Sethu) try to make it back to Earth in 2025, a post-credits scene reveals that all the attendees of Harmony Arena, who were frozen, hovering in a “Mavity Field,” have been revived. And the last person who is unfrozen is none other than the mysterious Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson), who’s been breaking the fourth wall since the 2023 episode “The Church on Ruby Road.” Turns out, being frozen has caused Mrs. Flood to regenerate, because yes, she’s secretly been a Time Lord (Time Lady) all this time!
And, much like the 14th Doctor (David Tennant) regenerating in “The Giggle,” The Rani “bi-generates,” splitting into two versions of herself, one still Mrs. Flood, and a new, younger incarnation played by actress Archana “Archie” Panjabi. This means that going into the next two episodes — the final episodes this season — there will be two versions of The Rani battling the Doctor: Anita Dobson and Archie Panjabi.
Who is The Rani in Doctor Who?
The Rani originates in the 6th Doctor 1985 serial “The Mark of the Rani.” This episode involved the Rani forming an alliance with the Master (Anthony Ainley), with the aim of stealing brain fluid from 19th-century miners. This episode also featured the Rani in possession of a Tyrannosaurus rex embryo in her TARDIS, and is, on balance, one of the wildest episodes in all of vintage Who.
In her second appearance, “Time and Rani,” the Rani’s attack on the Doctor’s TARDIS forces him to regenerate, which results in the first appearance of the 7th Doctor. And ever since that 1987 episode, the Rani has technically not appeared in any official on-screen Doctor Who canon. In the popular Big Finish audio dramas, Siobhan Redmond has played the “Second Rani,” though it’s unclear if future TV Who will reference that continuity. (Back in 2013, “The Night of the Doctor” referenced many of the 8th Doctor’s companions, who, up until that point, had only ever existed in the audio dramas.)
In Who continuity, the Rani differs from the Master insofar as she generally doesn’t have plans for mass domination. Instead, she’s more of a mad scientist, lacking morals, rather than being motivated by revenge or megalomania. And, in terms of recent continuity, the last time the Rani was onscreen was when the Doctor was traveling with Mel (Bonnie Langford). Interestingly, Mel has been back in Who canon since a cameo appearance in “The Power of the Doctor” in 2022, and then, again, more prominently in “The Giggle” and throughout the 15th Doctor’s latest era.
Is all of that a coincidence? And what does the Rani — or rather, the Ranis — want this time? The final two episodes of Doctor Who’s 2025 season will hopefully explain everything.
