23 January 2024 , 09:00
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Holding hands and running full pelt at the cameras, this is the first glimpse of actress Varada Sethu as Ncuti Gatwa's new companion in next year’s series of Doctor Who.
The pair were yesterday spotted filming on Penarth Pier in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, which had been turned into a 1950s American cinema for the occasion. To make the action-packed scene seem authentic, the Palazzo theatre they created had American cars parked outside, including a ’54 Cadillac.
In the scene, the Doctor and his companion come running out of the building among smoke and rubble. Amid the chaos, the film being advertised, which is The Harvest Bringer starring Rock Hudson, loses some of its letters leaving it to spell out Harbinger - a term typically associated with doom.
Varada Sethu was seen running and holding hands with Ncuti Gatwa (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)The Doctor and Varada’s characters sprint through, past a sign advertising donuts. It’s thought that they have time-travelled to Miami, Florida - but filming took longer than expected thanks to the rain sweeping Wales. Locals who gathered to watch the action unfold said that earlier in the day the Tardis had been spotted on the pavement.
The cast and crew are expected to film on the Welsh pier again today, before moving on to Leominster, Herefordshire later this week. The Mirror revealed at the weekend that Varada, 32, has been cast as the 15th Doctor’s new sidekick, replacing former Coronation Street star Millie Gibson, who will exit earlier than expected during next year’s run after appearing in just a few episodes.
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It comes after Millie Gibson was dropped from the programme (James Pardon/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
Varanda and Ncuti appeared to be in good spirits (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)Now the show’s legions of loyal fans can see with their own eyes what a striking couple Varada and Ncuti make. He was wearing a smart blue suit, pink bow tie and brown spats while Varada rocked a bright yellow halter-neck prom dress with contrasting white belt, petticoat and kitten-heel shoes.
With her bright red lips and nails, and carefully curled hair, her character oozed glamour as she ran from whatever monster or alien was coming after them. In between filming, Indian-born Varada kept warm with a blanket and gloves over her dress as she shared a laugh with the make-up team.
One local fan posted: “Well, the Doctor has been to Penarth and taken the sea-front and pier back to the 1950s… I did ask if it was 1950s prices at the bar and they politely asked me to get off the road.” The filming of this series, due to air in spring next year, is likely to continue until May or June.
The cast are currently filming in Vale of Glamorgan (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)
Varada embraced being part of the cast (CLICK NEWS AND MEDIA)Filming of eight episodes plus a Christmas special typically takes seven months, with Millie’s series, which airs from May, filming last year from January until mid-July. The cast and crew then had a two-month break before Ncuti’s second season as the Doctor started shooting in September, initially without him because he was tied up with Sex Education.
Ncuti joined the crew for his first day’s filming on 23 October and series 15 is now expected to continue until the early summer. Since the action resumed after the Christmas break, Ncuti, 31, and Varada have been busy while Mille, 19, has been on holiday in Costa Rica. One insider said she had not yet left for good, but will return to “tie up loose ends” in the near future.
The decision to conclude the story arc for Millie’s character Ruby Sunday was made by showrunner Russell T Davies.
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Her exit storyline is likely to answer the plot which kicked off in the recent Christmas special, in which she was abandoned by her mother. She will appear in all eight of this year's 14th series but in next year’s episodes her character is only expected to appear in three, with one of them a standalone story wrapping up Ruby Sunday’s journey with the Doctor.
A guest companion is set to star in this year’s Christmas special, and Varada’s character will burst onto the screen at the start of Ncuti’s second run in 2025. Varada is best known for her role as Cinta in Disney’s 2022 Star Wars spin-off Andor, and has also appeared in three series of Sky’s action drama Strike Back, based on the books by Chris Ryan.
In 2016 she also had a role in the second series of smash-hit drama Doctor Foster, while her film roles include Jurassic World Dominion and heist movie Now You See Me 2. The actress, who grew up in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne with her twin sister and parents who are both doctors, also played DS Mishal Ali in the BBC ’s 2017 apocalyptic drama Hard Sun.
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Departing Millie has been posting pictures from her holiday in Costa Rica. After landing the role of Ruby in 2022, she said she was “beyond honoured”, describing it as “a dream come true” and calling Ncuti “fabulous”. At the time, she declared: “I will do everything to try and fill the boots the fellow companions have travelled in before me.”