What a crazy time the past month has been in the Doctor Who universe. At the tail-end of October, Jodie Whittaker’s mind-blowing final episode aired, delivering a ton of cameos from some absolute legends from across Whoniverse history, not to mention unveiling that David Tennant is officially our new Doctor again. The iconic actor will be steering the show once more through three specials set to air over next year’s 60th-anniversary celebrations. After which, Ncuti Gatwa will take over as the Doctor full-time.
And that’s not even mentioning the announcement that Disney is funding the next era of the series, which will stream exclusively on Disney Plus internationally, which likely means a ton of spinoffs are on the way. Well, the latest bombshell bit of news to drop reveals who exactly will be joining Gatwa in the TARDIS on his journeys through time and space as the fifteenth Time Lord. It’s Millie Gibson (Coronation Street), who is joining the Doctor as new character, Ruby Sunday.
Gibson gushed over her casting in the following statement (via DoctorWho.TV):
“Whilst still being in total disbelief, I am beyond honoured to be cast as the Doctor’s companion. It is a gift of a role, and a dream come true, and I will do everything to try and fill the boots the fellow companions have travelled in before me. And what better way to do that than being by the fabulous Ncuti Gatwa’s side, I just can’t wait to get started.”
Meanwhile, Gibson’s new co-star Gatwa had this to say as he welcomed her into the Who family:
“Millie just is the companion. She is full of talent, strength, she has a cheeky sparkle in her eye and is sharp as a razor. From the moment she walked into the room she captured all of our attention with her effervescence and then solidified that attention with the sheer torque of her talent. This adventure is going to be so wild and so fun, I cannot WAIT to sail the universe with Millie!”
The big announcement was made via the BBC’s Children in Need telethon this Friday evening (GMT), maintaining a traditional link between the two British institutions that goes back decades. Gibson’s casting comes off the back of a top-secret auditioning process that took place in September ahead of work beginning on Gatwa’s tenure. They will be taking over companion duties from Heartstopper Yasmin Finney who is playing Rose, believed to be the daughter of Catherine Tate’s Donna, in the Tennant-led specials.
It’s definitely going to be one very looong year for Whovians until Doctor Who finally returns to our screens, brighter and shinier than ever, next November.