The Big Picture

Ncuti Gatwa & Millie Gibson bring a bubbly chemistry to new
Doctor Who
episodes, for thrilling new adventures in the TARDIS.
Gatwa breaks down the Doctor’s wardrobe, exploring British fashion subcultures through the character’s outfits.
Gatwa and Gibson pick their favorite episodes of the season and reveal details about Steven Moffat’s highly anticipated “Boom.”

Doctor Who has returned for a new season and a new era of the franchise. Ushering in the next generation of fans for a series of wild adventures in the TARDIS are superstars Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson. Gatwa commands the screen as the fifteenth Doctor, with a performance perfectly balanced between charming and haunted. Meanwhile, Gibson plays his delightful companion Ruby Sunday, whose mysterious past makes her an enigma, even to the Doctor. Together they have a bubbly chemistry that is endlessly watchable.

Ahead of the two-episode premiere, I sat down with Gatwa and Gibson to discuss all things “Space Babies” and “The Devil’s Chord,” as well as to dish about what else we can expect from their first season. During our conversation we spoke about Ruby’s TARDIS key moment, which clothes they wanted to take home, and which episodes they’re most excited for fans to see. Gatwa also had a very Libra crisis when asked which song Maestro would find hidden in his heart.

Doctor Who The show follows the adventures of a Time Lord “The Doctor” who is able to regenerate, and the Doctor’s human friends. The Doctor and companion’s journey through time and space in the TARDIS – a time-traveling ship shaped like a police box – saving the universe with a combination of wit, bravery, and kindness.Release Date March 17, 2006 Main Genre Sci-Fi Seasons 14 Studio BBC America Streaming Service(s) Disney+

While there’s a lot to love about the new season of Doctor Who, one of the highlights of the latest episodes is the bright and shimmering chemistry between Gatwa’s Doctor and Gibson’s Ruby. When asked about how they were able to develop such a brilliant friendship so quickly, Gatwa confessed “it’s really luckily by the luck of the draw. Our chemistry really worked.” He went on to praise Gibson saying, “Millie walked into the room and it just felt kind of magical. It just all happened. The words flew off the page. I started doing things that I’d never done before. It was like a really nice connection.”

It wasn’t just luck though, Gatwa also praised writer and showrunner Russell T. Davies’ scripts. “The scripts themselves start from the ground running, and they go quickly, so you have to jump into the deep end anyway,” he explained. “I guess the energy of the scripts just carried us through and creates our chemistry even more. Do you know what I mean? Like stakes are high from the beginning, so the characters just have to trust each other instantly, and then we do as well because it’s just the pair of us.”

Gibson and Gatwa Reveal Which ‘Doctor Who’ Costumes They’d Steal and the Songs Maestro Would Find in Their Hearts
Image via BBC

From the trailers to the first two episodes, it’s clear that the costume department have truly outdone themselves for this new season. Where past Doctors typically have one signature look that varies slightly by occasion — think Matt Smith’s bow ties, or David Tennant’s pinstripes and converse combo — Gatwa’s Doctor appears to have a new outfit every episode. When asked if there was any narrative purpose to his constantly changing looks, Gatwa said, he hadn’t been told of any story reasons for the extensive wardrobe, but noted, “it also kind of makes a lot of sense. What a cool opportunity to do so, as well. You’ve got a character that sort of exemplifies British culture in a way. I mean, that’s a crazy statement because it’s literally a time-traveling alien!”

With trips to the 60s, war-torn futures, and even a regency-inspired planet, Gatwa explained that he worked closely with Costume Designer Pam Downe to craft the Doctor’s new look. They spoke about “exploring subcultures of British fashion through the Doctor because obviously there’s been so many.” He explained, “You’ve got mod, the ska era… I can’t think of any anymore, but there are loads of different subcultures of British fashion, and it was kind of cool to see how we can claim that with this character. But there’s no specific plot point, no.”

With all of these stunning outfits I had to ask which costumes Gibson and Gatwa were most tempted to take home with them. Both swiftly answered, “Regency” with Gatwa also tossing a mention to his 60s fit from “The Devil’s Chord.” The regency-era costumes will be featured in the upcoming episode “Rogue,” written by Loki’s Kate Herron and Briony Redman. Gibson confessed that if she had her way, she would wear that yellow dress “every day” relishing in the simultaneous comfort and beauty of it. She explained:

“I’d be dangerous in that dress, though. I think I’d wear it every day and just frolic off into the sunset. People would be like, “Where is she going in that dress?” I was in my own world in that dress. I felt like an absolute princess. It was great. It’s cut in that area there, so you could eat anything and you wouldn’t feel like, you know, in a corset, you’re so tight. So, it was a great period to dress.”

With Maestro’s attempt to steal the music in Ruby’s heart thwarted by “Carol of the Bells” hidden in the depths of her soul, the very premise of the new villain poses an interesting question: If they attempted to take music from you, which song would they find in your heart? If you’re asking me, it’s currently Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” Gibson also immediately knew her answer, picking Fleetwood Mac’s achingly beautiful “Silver Springs.” While Gatwa had high praise for his co-star’s music taste, he had a much harder time choosing his own song. While Gibson tried to help, suggesting any song by Beyoncé, Gatwa went into cosmic panic mode, “Oh no! I’m a Libra! I can’t make decisions like this.” After much deliberation though, he finally landed on “Two Weeks” by FKA twigs.

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson Discuss Working With Russell T. Davies and a Bunch of Toddlers on ‘Doctor Who’

Doctor Who is known for having some pretty outlandish concepts. From statues that move when you look away to farting aliens in human skin suits, the cast of the series have had to act opposite some pretty wild creatures. In the new season premiere, titled “Space Babies,” the majority of Gatwa and Gibson’s co-stars were under the age of 3, as the Doctor and Ruby find themselves on an abandoned baby farming space station.

Gibson explained that, with the babies having a much smaller window of availability, they’d “could only have these babies like an hour a day, so we either got them at the start of the day or at the end of the day, and there was a point where we were like, ‘I don’t know what’s worse.’” Despite working at the whim of such tiny humans, Gibson confessed, “it was a lot of fun.” She also spoke highly of the moms who “just completely trusted us with these babies. I was just carrying this baby Eric, whose real name is Mason, and I was like, to his mom, ‘Are you okay with this?’ She was like, ‘It’s absolutely fine.’ So, yeah, it was bizarre. It was a bizarre episode.”

Gatwa revealed that it was really a team effort to keep the babies happy on set. He said, “Everyone got involved… the cast and crew. Everyone got involved in keeping the babies entertained.” At one point, precious little Captain Poppy even fell asleep during her take, according to Gibson. “By the time it got to her moment to shine, she was just out like a light, bless her,” she laughed.

In contrast with silly concepts like “Space Babies,” Davies excels at crafting stories that run the full gamut of human emotion. And Gibson and Gatwa expertly bring those different levels to life, from running around giggling and chasing a giant booger monster, to the more emotionally grounded moments of heroism and vulnerability. When asked about playing with those different aspects of the series, Gibson and Gatwa both had nothing but praise for their fearless leader.

GIBSON: “
The talent to just layer an episode with every single genre is crazy to me.
To play them all, it was a great acting class. I mean, we had to be great on the humor, great on the terror, great on the emotional sides of things. It was really challenging but equally cool.”
GATWA: “Yeah, absolutely. It’s
what makes Russell’s writing so rich is that he fills it with the human condition, which is, of course, very complex, but then very relatable as well.
Things are not just black and white, and things aren’t just happy or sad. They’re filled with everything, and so it makes it really rich. So as an actor, it’s a joy to contend with his script.”

As talented as Davies is, he isn’t the only writer behind the episodes for the upcoming season. “Rogue” from Herron and Redman, and “Boom” from previous showrunner, Steven Moffat, are among the most highly anticipated episodes of the season. Gatwa revealed that “Those are my two faves.” Moffat-era fans will be delighted to know, that Gatwa had nothing but lovely things to say about his “very intense” episode. He explained: “I love “Boom” so much. “Boom” is just intense. It’s very, very, very intense. It all takes place in one location and doesn’t move from there. All the action is in there, so it’s literally like a pressure cooker. The episode feels like it’s gonna snap at any point.“

As far as “Rogue” goes, Gibson jumped in to tell audiences to “Be prepared to laugh! Be prepared […] Be prepared to get your heart torn clean out of your chest.” Gatwa also promised we would likely have “outfit envy,” to which Gibson added “life envy.” While he also noted that each episode is “really cinematic,” Gatwa noted that “Rogue” is “so beautifully shot, and the colors and the set, the detail… beautiful. So like a visual gift to the audience.”

It sounds like we certainly have a lot to look forward to. You can watch the first two episodes of the new season of Doctor Who on Disney+ right now. New episodes will hit the streamer on Fridays at 7 PM ET.

Watch on Disney+