Global Warning

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• Publication: TV Times
• Date: 2025-05-31
• Author: Steven Perkins
• Page: 12
• Language: English

MILLIE GIBSON on the shocks and surprises to come in the 'epic' season finale

LAST ONE SATURDAY, 6.50PM

Villainous adversaries hold the fate of our planet in their hands as the current run of BBC1's sci-fi adventure Doctor Who draws to a close. In last week's story, Wish World, viewers saw twisted Time Lady the Rani (played by Archie Panjabi) enacting a sinister plot with her alter ego Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) and conspiracy theorist Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King) to rewrite reality as we know it, causing Earth to disintegrate.

At first, former TARDIS traveller Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) was the only one who sensed something was wrong with Conrad's retro dystopia, but the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and current companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) have realized it, too, and the trio are now determined to stop the Rani - whatever it takes.

Here, in an exclusive interview, Millie, 20, gives TV Times some clues about the drama ahead in the Whoniverse...

The eighth and final instalment in this series is called The Reality War. Can you share any teasers?

It's probably the most dangerous battle that the Doctor has faced yet; it's pretty epic! Showrunner Russell T. Davies has cooked up an amazing finale, as always. There's heartbreak and loss, but also a lot of surprises.

Intriguing! What did you make of the response to the fourth episode, Lucky Day, which saw Conrad introduced as Ruby's love interest before being revealed as a villain?

I was so happy with the reaction. Ruby is like the fans' little sister, and she's never really had a happy ever after, so everyone was like, 'Oh, come on!' It was a gut punch, and heartbreaking to film.

Jonah is nothing like Conrad, you'll be happy to know! We filmed all of the 'nice Conrad' scenes before the big twist, so that was my first time seeing him like that. I was like, 'Jonah, can you be nice again? This is horrible!' That's what makes him such a brilliant actor.

Is Ruby hoping for closure by taking Conrad down?

She showed him mercy, and now he's ended up ruining the whole world! It's like when you forgive your ex and they cheat on you again - times 100. Ruby has that kindness in her, but he's taken it too far, and what she's feeling right now is anger and betrayal. But we may see a different side to that...

Did you enjoy working opposite Jonah, Archie and Anita as a trio?

Oh my God, how good do they look? The three of them as a union balances out so amazingly. Anita's such a delicious villain, so sassy and chic. Archie has this kind of calm presence that's almost intimidating. And then Jonah is the ex-boyfriend everyone dreads!

Ruby's more independent since she stopped travelling with the Doctor. Will she mature more in this episode?

Yes, she's always building up to becoming her own hero, which is really beautiful, and I think she does that in this finale. But you never know what happens with her; she gets herself in all kinds of trouble her bad taste in men for one thing! We'll see...

This season had several episodes that didn't involve Ruby. So did you enjoy watching Doctor Who in real time with the rest of the fans?

I didn't know how they were going to reveal Anita as the Rani, so that moment was so exciting. I think the Doctor and Belinda's adventures have been very different, and Varada's energy as Belinda is wonderful.

I can't wait for the viewers to see more of Belinda and Ruby together in the finale. They're so different, but they're both very brave women - it's not damsels in distress, and I really like that.

There are rumours that we might see the Doctor regenerate in the finale. Have you been following those? I have! But you know we never give anything away on Doctor Who; we don't want to spoil anything. All I can say is that this episode is amazing...

Finally, you've also been busy filming 5's upcoming adaptation of novelist John Galsworthy's family drama The Forsyte Saga, playing dancer Irene Heron. Can you reveal anything about that?

If you're thinking, 'She's lying, she's not in this,' I am - I'm just under a huge, red wig! I'm an expert in time travel by now, so going into the 1800s was a lot of fun. It's got such a stellar cast, and I can't wait for you to see it.

DOCTOR WHO is previewed on pages 36-37

Captions:

World at risk: Can Belinda save humanity?

Evil plans: Conrad and the Rani

Con man: Conrad wooed Ruby before revealing his nasty side

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DOUBLE TROUBLE

ARCHIE PANJABI, 52, and ANITA DOBSON, 76, on joining forces to play the Rani, the legendary villain originally brought to life by Kate O'Mara in the 1980s

What was it like for you as actors portraying two different versions of the same character?

ARCHIE They're united in their mission, but their dynamic isn't exactly subtle. The Rani is the leader, and Mrs Flood's Rani hovers behind. The real fun kicks in when we see these two characters alone, and they turn into bickering sisters!

ANITA We're part of the same person - except she plays the bossy one while I sit quietly and make notes! It was quite an exciting alliance.

Did you enjoy working together?

ANITA We clicked on the first day, which is brilliant. That's what you hope for - the sympathy and connection between each other.

ARCHIE We got on like a house on fire. When I met Anita, she gave me a big hug and I knew this was somebody I would be in touch with for the rest of my life.

Was it difficult to spend so long keeping the secret that you were both playing the Rani?

ARCHIE I've been watching the show and seeing the excitement grow around Mrs Flood. I knew the truth behind the theories, and it was pure agony to keep quiet, but it was worth it.

ANITA It was very hard, but it was so exciting. I also had to keep my return to EastEnders [appearing as Angie Watts as part of the BBC1 soap's special 40th-anniversary week in February this year] quiet for a long time. So I am getting really good at keeping secrets now!

Caption: TARDIS travels: Ruby was the Fifteenth Doctor's first companion

Caption: Original: Kate O'Mara as the Rani in 1987

Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org

• APA 6th ed.: Perkins, Steven (2025-05-31). Global Warning. TV Times p. 12.
• MLA 7th ed.: Perkins, Steven. "Global Warning." TV Times [add city] 2025-05-31, 12. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: Perkins, Steven. "Global Warning." TV Times, edition, sec., 2025-05-31
• Turabian: Perkins, Steven. "Global Warning." TV Times, 2025-05-31, section, 12 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Global Warning | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Global_Warning | work=TV Times | pages=12 | date=2025-05-31 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=20 August 2026 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Global Warning | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Global_Warning | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=20 August 2026}}</ref>