Ncuti Gatwa, who’ll play the fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who from 2023, will be joined by actress Millie Gibson – who has been cast as a character called Ruby Sunday, courtesy of a story from the BBC. Gibson is best known for playing Kelly Nolan in Coronation Street from 2019 to 2022. Following her exit from the long-running soap and speaking about her casting in Doctor Who, she described “being in total disbelief” and said she was “beyond honoured to be cast as the Doctor’s companion.”
The 18-year-old actress said it was “a gift of a role, and a dream come true, and I will do everything to try and fill the boots the fellow companions have travelled in before me. And what better way to do that than being by the fabulous Ncuti Gatwa’s side, I just can’t wait to get started.”
“Millie just is the companion,” Gatwa chimed in. “She is full of talent, strength, she has a cheeky sparkle in her eye and is sharp as a razor. From the moment she walked into the room she captured all of our attention with her effervescence and then solidified that attention with the sheer torque of her talent. This adventure is going to be so wild and so fun, I cannot WAIT to sail the universe with Millie!”
Doctor Who’s next and returning showrunner, Russell T. Davies, who recently addressed David Tennant’s clothing controversy, described Gibson’s casting as a “great honour of my job to find the next generation of talent, and Millie shines like a star already.”
“She’s brilliant, dynamic, clever and a wonderful actor. As a Coronation Street fan, I’ve seen Millie survive chases, guns and sieges, but that’s nothing compared to what lies ahead for Ruby Sunday.”
New episodes of Doctor Who are expected to air in November 2023.