Doctor Who is going through changes, and with every new Doctor comes a new companion. Actress Millie Gibson has been revealed as Ruby Sunday, who will be accompanying Ncuti Gatwa’s fifteenth Doctor when he takes the reins from David Tennant in 2024. Gibson is best known for playing the role of Kellie Neelan in British soap Coronation Street, with Doctor Who being her first leading role since leaving the soap earlier in the year.
18 year old Gibson has had plenty of praise for her soap role, even picking up the Best Young Performer Award at this year’s British Soap Awards. This puts her on a similar path to fellow Brit Jenna Coleman, who transitioned from a soap opera, to playing Clara Oswald in Doctor Who during Peter Capaldi’s tenure as the Doctor and most recently played Johanna Constantine in Netflix’s Sandman series. Gibson’s role as Ruby could well prove to be her route to some other big future roles, especially with Disney Branded Television having now bought into the Doctor Who franchise. Speaking to the BBC about landing the role, Gibson said:
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“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.”
Will Doctor Who Recover Its Lost Viewers?
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Doctor Who has been losing viewers over the last several seasons, particularly when fans failed to gel with Chris Chibnall’s stories. With Jodie Whittaker’s run as the Doctor coming to an end with Chibnall’s departure as showrunner, her final episode saw the surprise return of previous Doctor David Tennant. The popular 10th Doctor is now also the 14th Doctor. Tennant will be playing the role for three episodes that will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the series, which will also see the return of former showrunner Russell T. Davies. Davies will then be staying on as showrunner as Gatwa takes over the coveted role. Talking about Gibson’s casting, Gatwa said:
Russell T. Davies’ return to the show has been almost as popular a decision among Doctor Who fans as David Tennant reprising his role. Davies was full of praise for the newest companion of the Doctor, saying:
“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!”
Doctor Who will return for three special episodes in November 2023, with Ncuti Gatwa’s fifteenth Doctor making his debut in the festive special.
“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.”
