“Are you good at keeping secrets?” – How Millie Gibson found out about her Doctor Who role
A lot is going on in the world of Doctor Who these days. We’ve got 60th-anniversary specials to look forward to in November starring David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Yasmin Finney and Neil Patrick Harris to name but a few. We have the prospect of more investment in the show after a deal was struck between Disney and BBC for Disney+ to be the new international home of the show… and of course, we have a new Doctor about to enter the TARDIS. Ncuti Gatwa will begin full-time as the Fifteenth Doctor around the festive season of 2023, with the rest of season 14 of Doctor Who expected in 2024.
In addition to all this, we have a new companion about to join the show too. Yes, Millie Gibson, who made her name on Coronation Street over the last few years is about to become the Fifteenth’s time-travelling friend as Ruby Sunday.
But where was Millie when she found out that she was going to be taking on such a brilliant role in such an iconic show as Doctor Who?
“I went to get a spray tan for the NTAs, and I was in the room waiting to dry off when I got this WhatsApp call, asking me to join the call with all my agents,” Gibson explained in an interview in Doctor Who Magazine Issue 586 .
She added: “I picked up the phone and they were like, ‘Are you good at keeping secrets?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ They said, ‘Are you really good at keeping secrets? Cos you’ve got it.’”
Speaking of her new role when she was announced in November 2022, Millie Gibson said: “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.”
Ncuti Gatwa added: “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!”
Russell T Davies, Showrunner, said: “It’s the great honour of my job to find the next generation of talent, and Millie shines like a star already. She’s brilliant, dynamic, clever and a wonderful actor. As a Coronation Street fan, I’ve seen Millie survive chases, guns and sieges, but that’s nothing compared to what lies ahead for Ruby Sunday.”
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