‘Doctor Who’: Millie Gibson Exiting, Varada Sethu to Play New Companion
The TARDIS is losing one occupant and gaining another. Millie Gibson is leaving Doctor Who and ending her role as companion Ruby Sunday after one season.
In her stead, Varada Sethu will play a new companion for Ncuti Gatwa’s iteration of Doctor Who in Season 15, according to Variety, which confirmed Gibson’s exit.
Gibson made her Doctor Who debut in December’s Christmas special, an episode titled “The Church on Ruby Road.”
She’ll continue in the role as Season 14 premieres in earnest on BBC One in the United Kingdom and Disney+ in the United States this May.
Furthermore, the Daily Mirror reports that Gibson will not appear in this year’s Christmas special and will “only make a handful of appearances” on the show next year.
And when Doctor Who does return for its 15th season in 2025, it’ll be Sethu sharing the screen with Gatwa, sources told Variety. (It’s not uncommon for actors to play Doctor Who companions for only one full season, however: Catherine Tate and Matt Lucas did the same.)
Aside from her role on this hit sci-fi show, Gibson is best known for playing Kelly Neelan on the British soap Coronation Street. She also appeared in the 2016 children’s drama Jamie Johnson and the 2018 miniseries Butterfly, two other U.K. productions.
Meanwhile, Sethu appeared in the 2016 movie Now You See Me 2 and played Detective Sergeant Mishal Ali in the 2018 British crime drama Hard Sun. In another TV role, she played Lance Corporal Manisha Chetri on Strike Back between 2019 and 2020.
Sethu’s career reached new heights in 2022, when she played Shira in the film Jurassic World Dominion and Cinta Kaz in the Disney+ series Andor. And last year, she joined the second season of the crime drama Annika and an episode of the crime dramedy Mrs Sidhu Investigates.
Season 15 is already in production in Cardiff, Wales, according to the Mirror. “Varada is a real gem,” a BBC source told the tabloid. “[Showrunner] Russell [T. Davies] was just blown away by her talent. The cast and crew have really warmed to her, and he’s sure the fans will, too.”
Doctor Who, Season 14, May 2024, Disney+
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