91Èȱ¬

Doctor Who cast interview: 'Ncuti and Millie make it a whole new show'

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WATCH: Doctor Who super fan sisters Mia and Talia meet Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson

Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa, companion Millie Gibson, and head writer Russell T Davies have given away a few clues to young viewers about the "new stories, new monsters, and new chases" from the upcoming series of Doctor Who.

Speaking to sisters Mia and Talia, Davies revealed that one of the episodes is based on an idea he's had for 14 years.

But Russell's keen to make it clear that we shouldn't expect to see any classic villains, like the Daleks or Cybermen, in the new episodes.

"As well as faithful viewers, I want new people to come and see it, and go 'Wow, I love this show!' - I don't want Doctor Who to become too bogged down in the past."

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Mia and Talia got to show Russell their design for their own Doctor Who monster, which the showrunner named 'Mi-Talia' after them

When is Doctor Who released?

The new series of Doctor Who starts on Saturday 11 May, but there's a couple of twists in store.

Not one, but two episodes will be released on the day - and they'll be dropping at midnight on 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer first, before being shown on 91Èȱ¬ One at 6:20pm.

Russell told Mia and Talia that his bosses decided to make the show streaming-first in a process of "handing Doctor Who over to the viewers", meaning that fans can choose when they want to watch the episodes.

Russell says that "it's a good thing to be allowed to stay up to watch Doctor Who at midnight", but advises viewers to try and stay offline to avoid spoilers if they plan on watching the episodes later in the day.

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Musical monster Maestro appears in the brand new series of Doctor Who

Doctor Who: New monsters and aliens

Ncuti and Millie were also wary of spoilers when chatting to Mia and Talia about their time in the Tardis.

But when asked about their favourite monster, they both named new villain Maestro appearing in second episode The Devil's Chord.

It's been revealed that this episode will feature The Beatles, as well as original musical performances.

What is the 'devil's chord'?
  • The title of episode two is actually a reference to a musical device of the same name.

  • In music theory, the devil's chord or 'devil's interval' is a combination of notes that sounds very sinister.

  • It's been used in classical music, soundtracks and even rock songs to create a sense of evil!

On the mysterious Maestro, Ncuti says: "She looks very glamorous, but she's terrifying. She's certainly no human," with Millie adding, "Don't mess with her!"

Millie, who plays new companion Ruby Sunday, said that it "always" feels strange acting with a robot or alien instead of a real person.

Often, the creatures aren't actually in the room with the stars and are added with special effects afterwards, so actors have to use their imagination.

"There was one time we were acting against a tennis ball and we had to be hysterically crying towards it. Every time I see one now, I'm like 'Aaah!'"

Image source, Getty Images
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He's Ken-ough: Despite dazzling with a musical number at this year's Oscars, Ncuti admitted that he and Millie "didn't prepare" for the singing in Doctor Who. Millie said: "Autotune definitely helped a lot in that scene!"

Doctor Who: What to expect

Russell warned Mia and Talia that they should stand by for the series finale, with the head writer hoping that "the wait between episode 7 and episode 8 will be unbearable, because it's so exciting".

He also revealed that episode five, called Dot and Bubble, has been in the works since 2010.

"I waited until the technology was available to make it on-screen, because it's a very visual episode, with mad things happening," said Russell, promising that "there's a queue of ideas like that waiting to go".

Teasing the overall series, Russell gave some hints that it'll take place over a few years, meaning fans could be in store for a multi-series arc.

"You'll see little mentions of things, and maybe there's some things that are building to something over the years… it'll all head somewhere!"