With Doctor Who set to launch its first full season on Disney+ later this week, there’s been a big marketing push for the series in the U.S. that has seen series stars Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, as well as showrunner Russell T Davies participating in a lot of press. I had the honor to be included in a press conference last week, and here’s some of what I learned.
The two leads were asked what the two emotional anchors for their characters of the Doctor and Ruby Sunday are. Ncuti answered with compassion and curiosity, while Millie went with adventure and motherhood. Ncuti was trusted and encouraged to craft his portrayal of the Doctor, giving him a level of freedom that he was quite surprised by. The missing piece of his characterization came when Millie walked into the audition room. The vibe of his Doctor then made sense to him – cheekiness, curiosity and sense of adventure. He was also pushed by the producers to explore and be expansive with his many costumes, created alongside costume designer Pam Downe.
The three were asked what moment first made them go – “wow, I’m really in Doctor Who!” For Millie, it was filming the scene where she walks around the TARDIS in “The Church on Ruby Road,” as well as seeing that completed scene with music at the premiere in December. Ncuti had a similar answer, calling out the first scene he filmed with the exterior of the TARDIS for episode 5. “That’s the blue box. Oh my gosh, that’s my house!” As for Russell, he said he was “I was happy from the word go!” But his true moment came with the season finale, saying that he “partly came back to Doctor Who because you never get to write anything like the season finale on any other show. It’s a great big two parter to end the series, and it’s colossal.”
Compared to Russell’s original stint on the program, the episode count has been dramatically decreased. While the show previously featured 13 episodes and a Christmas special, it’s now down to 8 and a special. The showrunner was asked if there were any challenges or benefits in having a shorter season. “No, this is a more complicated show to make, so it takes as long to make the 9 as it did the 14 before,” Russell responded. “It’s jam packed, I couldn’t think of an extra episode you could possibly squeeze into this.”
Asked about how his previous stint as showrunner influenced what he’s doing now, Russell said “I came back, I wasn’t reinventing the wheel, I was very happy with what I did before. We made it the #1 show in Britain – more of that will do, please!” For his second stint as showrunner, Russell wanted the show to feel like 2024, both in terms of production and casting. He praised both Ncuti and Millie for their chemistry, and specifically, their comedic chops – never realizing quite how funny they are together.
Since the 60th anniversary specials with David Tennant, the show has introduced some more fantasy elements – especially in the second episode of the new season, “The Devil’s Chord.” Russell says the show will continue to feature both fantasy episodes and hard science episodes, like returning writer Steven Moffat’s “Boom.” He also points out that the show has a history in delving into more fantastical elements, particular in the 1960s serials “The Celestial Toymaker” and “The Mind Robber.”
Finally, it was my turn to ask a question, and I kept it simple by asking the trio what their favorite episode of the season is. Millie was torn between “73 Yards” and the Bridgerton-inspired “Rogue,” while Ncuti also said “Rogue” before getting extremely excited by just how clever “Boom” is. Instead of revealing a favorite from the current season, Russell gave another Steven Moffat classic a nod, “Blink,” and that he was honored to have worked on that.
The first two episodes of the new season of Doctor Who – “Space Babies” and “The Devil’s Chord” – arrive on Disney+ this Friday, May 10th at 7:00 p.m. ET. Check out my spoiler-free review of those episodes here.