Doctor Who legend Russell T Davies has addressed what it’s like when the show is faced with ‘axe’ rumours and supposed script leaks, acknowledging that it can be ‘tricky’.
Very soon, season 14 of the BBC series is set to launch, marking Ncuti Gatwa’s first full outing as the Fifteenth Doctor with new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson).
The new season – which has also been described as ‘season one’ ahead of its release – comes after there was speculation that Millie had been dropped from her role, before the introduction of another new companion played by Andor star Varada Sethu.
At the Doctor Who premiere in London, Metro.co.uk had the chance to speak to showrunner Russell, Ncuti and Millie about the new era of the Whoniverse.
When asked how he copes when there is mass speculation among the passionate fandom about actors joining or leaving the cast, or scripts being leaked before episodes air, Russell stressed that you ‘cannot answer them all’.
‘It’s tricky because you can’t answer online rumours. Sometimes they’re lies, sometimes they’re true. Sometimes they’re false, sometimes they’re just exaggerations,’ he stated.
‘You cannot answer them all – by the time you’ve answered one rumour, it’s gone and mutated, and actually then you discover you’re actually answering someone in Saskatchewan with 79 followers. It’s what you thought was a rumour was just someone making it up in their shed. So you can’t, you simply can’t.’
The acclaimed writer, who helmed the 2005 revival of Doctor Who and created the Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin, added that the BBC series is ‘a victim of its own success’.
‘I’ve got to say we’re a victim of our own success in a way, because I believe in the programme being noisy. I’m happy if Doctor Who’s being mentioned everywhere, if hashtag Doctor Who is all over the place,’ he shared.
‘Sometimes that’s rough. Sometimes it’s rough on the cast. But actually we’re big boys and girls, we have training in this kind of stuff and as long as the people are getting the message that Doctor Who is on its way, then I’m happy.
‘When you watch the show, all that nonsense goes away, it falls away. That’s not what Doctor Who is about. All our lives are not about that underlying voice – we think it is, we fall into the trap of thinking whatever is being said online is our life. It’s not.’
It’s been confirmed that Millie’s character Ruby will return for the 15th season of Doctor Who, alongside Ncuti and Varada.
While speaking to Metro.co.uk, Ncuti and Millie teased that they have the ‘hottest’ adventure in store with Varada, having already been busy filming the new episodes.
‘She’s brought such an amazing energy to the show and has added such an incredible dynamic to that Tardis,’ the Sex Education star said.
The upcoming season of Doctor Who is filled to the brim with talented guest stars, including Bridgerton’s Golda Rosheuvel, RuPaul’s Drag Race legend Jinkx Monsoon and Broadway star Jonathan Groff.
Another actor in the cast who blew Russell’s socks off was Indira Varma.
The actress has previously starred in Luther and Game of Thrones, Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as Suzie Costello in two episodes of Torchwood in 2006.
She will now return to the Doctor Who universe playing the ‘mysterious’ Duchess who has previously been described as ‘terrifying’ by Russell.
At the premiere of the new season, he told Metro.co.uk how it was a ‘joy’ to watch her at work.
‘Indira’s spectacular, actually. I think Jinkx (Monsoon) was the most amazing villain, but I was kind of expecting that, it’s what we hoped for. Indira really leant into it,’ he explained.
‘She’s in what we call the Bridgerton episode set in 1813 in Regency Bath, and she kind of looks like a lady at the manor. She looks very privileged, posh, haughty, smart and aloof.
‘And then oh my god she lets rip and runs and fights and is completely wonderful, so that was a joy to see.’
When her casting was announced, Indira said she was ‘thrilled’ to star and was also ‘particularly excited to be crossing cosmic paths with Ncuti’ as the Doctor.
‘I look forward to creating interplanetary mischief with him.
‘I loved playing Suzie Costello for Russell T Davies in Torchwood so am thrilled to be entering this world again,’ she added.
Meanwhile Russell said he was ‘overjoyed’ to reunite with the actress and labelled her part ‘truly spectacular’.
‘A whole new audience will be hiding behind the settee when the Duchess unleashes her terror,’ he teased.
Other guest stars this season include Jinx, the winner of the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, as well as Glee’s Jonathan Groff.
The first of the eight episodes is titled Space Babies, followed by the subsequent instalments called The Devil’s Chord, Boom and 73 Yards.
Doctor Who returns on Saturday May 11 to the BBC One and is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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