Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, Preview, TV, YouTube | Tagged: bbc, disney, doctor who, Millie Gibson, Ncuti Gatwa, russell t davies

Doctor Who: RTD Reaffirms Christmas Special; Calls Out Graham Norton

On The Graham Norton Show, Russell T. Davies reaffirmed a Doctor Who Christmas special this year and "reminded" the host of a past exchange.

So the last time we checked in on how things were going with the BBC & Disney+'s Doctor Who after this November's 60th-anniversary event, we were learning who else would be joining Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday (and getting a tour of Steven Moffat's writing room, too). This time around, we're checking out showrunner Russell T. Davies' visit to The Graham Norton Show. The following clip matters for two reasons. First, Davies confirms for all of us to see & hear what he had been writing & commenting about in interviews in the past. But just in case you missed it, we will be getting a Christmas present this year in the form of a special featuring Gatwa & Gibson- which means more new "Who" after November and before the year wraps. Running a close second when it comes to why you should check out the clip is the way Davies "reminds" Graham Norton of the time Norton called out Davies during an interview for not writing "something real" instead of Doctor Who (though props to Norton for his response).

Here's a look at the clip from The Graham Norton Show, followed by a look back at how Gatwa & Gibson were cast:

How They Found "Brilliant" Ncuti Gatwa to Lead "Doctor Who"

In Doctor Who Magazine #586 (which you can order here), Davies confirmed that Casting Director Andy Pryor was charged with bringing the creative team "the best in the land," with Davies and producer Phil Collinson confirming that they auditioned "all backgrounds, all genders," including one non-binary actor. The duo also confirmed that another actor was seriously being considered for The Doctor heading into the final audition… and then (as Collinson puts it), "in walked Ncuti [Gatwa] and absolutely stole the part. He took control of it and did things with it that I'd never seen an actor playing 'Doctor Who' do. It was just extraordinary." In fact, Tranter described Gatwa's audition as "the most extraordinary" one that she's ever seen ("He was the Doctor").

Davies On What They Were Looking For & "Brilliant" Ncuti Gatwa: "I think, as a rule, we were looking for younger – most of the people we saw were under 30 – but not as a definite rule, and kind of new talent. Ncuti's not exactly new. He's world-famous already with 'Sex Education.' But we weren't looking for an older, established face. And in he walked. The last person to audition. It sounds like one of those stories you tell as an anecdote, but Ncuti was absolutely the last person in, and everything clicked into place. I sat there thinking, 'Why didn't we just offer [Ncuti the role]? Why did we need to audition the man from 'Sex Education'? Of course, he's brilliant."

Welcoming "Brilliantly Confident" Millie Gibson to the TARDIS

Referring back to Gibson's September 2022 audition, executive producers Jane Tranter found Gibson to be "brilliantly confident and centered and just a shining star," who "held her own, in her own way, as Ruby would with [Gatwa's] Doctor"  and that things" just clicked between them." Collinson shared how Gatwa "came down to London on his day off and did a day of auditioning with us," with Davies reminding "Who-storians" that Christopher Eccleston did that very same thing when it came time to audition an actress to play Rose Tyler. And as impressed as they were with what Gibson was bringing to the role, they were soon far from alone. We showed those auditions tapes to the BBC and to Disney, and everyone instantly went, 'Millie, Millie, Millie.'"

Davies Had His Eye on Millie Gibson Since Her "Coronation Street" Days: I'd had my eye on Millie for a while because I'm still watching 'Coronation Street' [Gibson played Kelly Neelan from 2019 to 2022] and, I tell you, the writers obviously loved her. Over four years, I noticed her getting more and more to do. That reached the most extraordinary synthesis of plots where she was on a drug heist, and her father had been kidnapped, and she was being accused of murder, at the same time as she was winning North-West Regional Hairdresser of the Year!"

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