Will Rogue ever return to Doctor Who?

Doctor Who's most recent episode introduced Rogue, a roguishly handsome bounty hunter who swept the Doctor off his feet when they crossed paths in 1813 England.

The characters meet when the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) visit a ball in the Regency era, only to become embroiled in dramatic events when shapeshifting aliens the Chuldur wreak havoc. Rogue (Jonathan Groff) is on a job to unmask the Chuldur and accuses the Doctor of being one of them, but the pair soon become close to each other instead.

But the introductory episode also marked the first goodbye between the Time Lord and bounty hunter, because when Ruby is stuck in a sealing device meant to send the Chuldur into an alternate dimension Rogue kisses the Doctor and frees Ruby — but traps himself in the process. He tells the Doctor to "find" him, leaving the door open for the character's return.

Will Rogue ever return to Doctor Who?

Rogue's final remark to the Doctor suggests that it is entirely possible for the character to return in future, even if the Time Lord tells Ruby it'd be almost impossible to do so because there are an infinite amount of alternate timelines.

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One important factor in Rogue's return becoming a reality is that Groff is open to returning as the character, with the actor sharing in Doctor Who Unleashed: "I hope we're seeing Rogue again. Rogue tells the Doctor at the end of the episode to find him, so it's totally up to the Doctor. So, the ball is in his court, so to speak!"

According to episode co-writer Kate Herron, who wrote the episode with Briony Redman, the character's fate could be explored in future if showrunner Russel T Davies wishes it to.

Speaking to TV Insider, the writer said: "I think me and Briony are just cheeky. We just put in the script, 'Find me,' and the Doctor has his ring and we were like, maybe they’ll take it out, but Russell let us keep it in there.

"So, no. Look, we were excited and we love Rogue, obviously, the character. So if Russell decides to bring Rogue back, that would be extremely flattering."

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The Doctor chose to keep the ring that Rogue gave to him, suggesting that he grew quite the attachment to the bounty hunter in their short time together. It may not be straight away, but it seems perfectly plausible that Davies will revisit the character in future.

New Doctor Who episodes land on BBC iPlayer at midnight, and then air later that evening on BBC One. The Legend of Ruby Sunday airs at 6.30pm.