Ho, ho, Who
- Publication: TV Times
- Date: 2023-11-23
- Author:
- Page:
- Language: English
MILLIE GIBSON and NCUTI GATWA on their first adventure in space and time
DOCTOR WHO
CM CHRISTMAS DAY,
5.55PM, BBC1 SCI-FI
It's all change in the TARDIS on Christmas Day as the festive edition of BBC1's hit
Isci-fi drama Doctor Who sees the 15th Doctor played by Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa - embark on his first adventure with new companion Ruby Sunday.
Featuring appearances from Davina McCall and Anita Dobson, the new story, The Church on Ruby Road, follows Ruby (former Coronation Street star Millie Gibson), who was abandoned on Christmas Eve as a baby before being adopted into a loving family, as she tries to piece together her past.
The last thing she's expecting is to collide with a time traveller, and soon the pair are battling the mysterious Goblin King!
TV Times caught up with Ncuti, 31, and Millie, 19, to find out what tree-mendous treats are in store...
Has it sunk in yet that you're the new stars of Doctor Who?
NCUTI It very much still feels like an amazing dream. In my head, I am not the Doctor until the show airs!
MILLIE I feel the same. People keep saying, 'What does it feel like to be the companion?' and I'm like, 'I'm not, yet!' But I think it's all going to come at once.
What kind of Doctor and companion will your characters be?
NCUTI I don't want to paint anyone's perception of my Doctor, and I also don't quite know until the show's released! But what I hear is that he's very human, he's quite emotional and a bit of a joker. That's all you're getting!
MILLIE Their dynamic is like two schoolgirls, gossiping and plotting! It's very platonic, and I think you see how much they care for one another from the beginning. People will be thinking about their best friends when they watch.
You've both come from other shows with huge fan bases. How does Doctor Who compare?
NCUTI It certainly feels different. This sits so deeply in the heart of the British public, so you want to care for and nurture it. You understand there's 60 years of legacy, and you know how much it means. It's like we've been passed a baton and we have to keep up.
MILLIE I think the show is different for everyone. When you think of Doctor Who, you see 'your' Doctor. It's flattering that when this new generation watches it, they'll think of us.
What was your first experience of the TARDIS set like? How did you react?
NCUTI I remember seeing it the first time from the back, and I thought it was a car park because it was so huge! Then I went round the front and I was like, 'Oh, I see!'
MILLIE I wasn't allowed to see it for ages! I was being sneaked on to set under a brolly and a coat so no one could see who I was, and when I asked, 'Can I see the TARDIS?' they were like, 'hope, we have to get you back out now!'
But the TARDIS was my favourite place to film. We kept swinging off the bars, and people were going, 'Millie, can you just stop that?!'
Ncuti, you had a call with former Doctors David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker when you were cast. What advice did they give you?
NCUTI What happens between Doctors stays between Doctors! No, they were very lovely and welcoming; it felt like I'd known them for ever. They said, 'This is the best role, enjoy it. There will be more attention on you than there's ever been before.' Then I went home and there were paparazzi outside my house!
Finally, how excited are you that your first adventure is airing on Christmas Day?
MILLIE I think a lot of people are going to be watching, and that's terrifying! Even people who don't watch Doctor Who are going to put it on because it's Christmassy and feel-good. I'm just hoping they'll be very jolly on Prosecco when they watch!
DOCTOR WHO is previewed on pages 90-91
Caption: Mystery: Will Ruby get to " the truth about her origins?
Caption: Monster: The Doctor and Ruby face the Goblin King!
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- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Ho, ho, Who | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Ho,_ho,_Who | work=TV Times | pages= | date=2023-11-23 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=26 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Ho, ho, Who | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Ho,_ho,_Who | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=26 March 2025}}</ref>
