The human accompanying the Time Lord on his adventures often keeps the show grounded, and can make for some of the best characters on the show.
With Varada Sethu joining the cast as Belinda Chandra, some will be wondering what that means for Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday from last season.
Well fear not, despite some reports saying she was leaving, Ruby will be back again in the upcoming series. Here’s all we know.
@doctorwho pov: you’re told no laughing under any circumstances #doctorwho #ncutigatwa #varadasethu #milliegibson #timeandspace ♬ original sound – Doctor Who
Is Millie Gibson returning in the new Doctor Who series?
Reports began circulating last year that Gibson was leaving Doctor Who and being replaced after just one series.
However, the BBC later confirmed that while Sethu would be joining the cast as the new companion, she would be on the show alongside Gibson.
The former Coronation Street actor will be part of the cast in season 15, although it is not known how much she will appear over the eight-episode series.
Speaking to SFX magazine previously ahead of filming for the new season, showrunner Russel T Davies said: “We are planning [to] shoot the [season 2] finale in which Ruby has the most magnificent scenes, and Millie, it’s some of your most challenging material yet, isn’t it?
“It will all make sense once you see it play out.”
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Teasing her role in the new series, he added: “I’m burning for people to see the story of Ruby Sunday.
“It’s amazing and has so much mileage in it. And it’s still burning. It’s wonderful. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
On her return, Gibson said: “I feel so connected to Ruby.
“To be brought back to tell more, and to be Ruby Sunday again, was an honour.”
Ruby left the Doctor and ended the last series discovering who her birth mother was – a nurse who gave her up at 15.
“I got a lot of beautiful messages like, ‘I’m from a foster family, your story meant a lot’. It made it more human for people to connect to, rather than her mum being an alien, because no one can really relate to that,” said Gibson.
Season 2
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She also explained how Ruby is grappling with PTSD in the new series.
Gibson explained: “It’s such a cool concept to go back to a companion and see how they’re getting on after that wild ride of being stuffed in a double bass, tackling goblins, or hanging on a rope ladder over London.
“There’s a brilliant storyline of how Ruby’s getting on with her family, and the journey of her waiting for the Doctor and still feeling a bit lost.”
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When is the new series of Doctor Who on TV?
The new series of Doctor Who begins this weekend, Saturday, April 12.
Series 15 will officially launch at 8am on BBC iPlayer and later the same day at 6.50pm on BBC One in the UK.
