Toon terror
- Publication: TV & Satellite Week
- Date: 2025-04-19
- Author:
- Page: 6
- Language: English
Cartoon villain Mr Ring-a-Ding attacks Belinda and the Doctor in 1950s Miami
When they first met last week, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) told the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) that she had no intention of travelling with him because she didn't believe he could keep her safe.
However, something mysterious happened when the Doctor attempted to take Belinda home, and they discovered that the TARDIS was somehow being blocked from returning to the day that she was abducted - so for the time being, she's the Doctor's companion whether she likes it or not.
This week's episode, Lux, sees the pair embark on their first proper trip together through time and space as they land in Miami in 1952. Inevitably, danger lurks just around the corner when Mr Ring-a-Ding - a cheerful, singing cartoon whose films have been broadcast over and over again in cinemas - breaks out of the screen and into the real world with malevolent intent.
'The villains always get the best lines, and are much more juicy to play: says Alan Cumming, who voices the tyrannical toon. 'My favourite kind of villains are the ones that are misunderstood. While Mr Ring-a-Ding does not have any redeeming qualities, he does start out quite fun and endearing, so there is an arc to him that I enjoyed!
The episode is written by showrunner Russell T. Davies and directed by Amanda Brotchie, who makes her Doctor Who debut with this adventure and was thrilled by the premise that she was given.
PITCH PERFECT
'I'm a huge cinephile and so I immediately loved the setting and the nostalgia for celluloid: says Brotchie. 'To have an animated character step out of the screen was something new, and the character is so mercurial and commanding - I'd never read anything like it. I loved the humour and wit, and the huge heart. It's the perfect episode:
This isn't Cumming's first stint in the Whoniverse, as he previously played King James I in the 2018 story The Witchfinders opposite Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor. But the opportunity to return and lend his voice to Mr Ring-a-Ding was impossible to resist.
'I grew up with Doctor Who, so any time it's mentioned for me to be in it, the little boy in me jumps: says The Good Wife star, 60. Also, last time I was on the show, it was on location in a muddy forest in February, and I was wearing a very itchy wig and beard. So doing a voice, where I could stay warm and wear what I like, was a great boon.'
There was, however, one downside to his vocal-only role in this episode, as Cumming didn't get to be on set with Gatwa and Sethu.
'I've never met either of them!' he says. 'I only acted to them on a screen from the other side of the world:
Caption: Animated versions of Belinda and the Doctor
Caption: Cartoon star Mr Ring-a-Ding
RINGING TRUE
Bringing Mr Ring-a-Ding to life in the 3D world of Doctor Who was a challenge for the show's production team, but it was one that director Amanda Brotchie wholeheartedly embraced.
'I treated the animated character like any other villain, using moves and angles that fitted the character and story beat,' she explains. 'We used a Mr Ring-a-Ding stand-in to get our focus points — it was much harder for the cast, who had to look as though they were all looking at the same point where Mr Ring-a-Ding was supposed to be.
'And I was fortunate to be able to work with the crew at [visual-effects company] Framestore, who brought him to life. They were meticulous in creating a cartoon and character from the era of the Fleischer Studios [who created Betty Boop and Popeye] and giving him such mischievous expressiveness. Some of the animators even worked on Who Framed Roger Rabbit— animation royalty.'
Caption: The chaotic and cruel cartoon
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- APA 6th ed.: (2025-04-19). Toon terror. TV & Satellite Week p. 6.
- MLA 7th ed.: "Toon terror." TV & Satellite Week [add city] 2025-04-19, 6. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Toon terror." TV & Satellite Week, edition, sec., 2025-04-19
- Turabian: "Toon terror." TV & Satellite Week, 2025-04-19, section, 6 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Toon terror | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Toon_terror | work=TV & Satellite Week | pages=6 | date=2025-04-19 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 July 2026 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Toon terror | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Toon_terror | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 July 2026}}</ref>
