Actress Jodie Whittaker, who plays the 13th Doctor on Doctor Who, recently confirmed that there will be cast departures from the show following the premiere of the holiday special, Revolution of the Daleks.
Whittaker confirmed in an interview published by the official Doctor Who website that Bradley Walsh, who played Graham O’Brien, and Tosin Cole, who played Ryan Sinclair, will no longer be part of the show.
Whittaker stated, “As the Doctor, I will say that the fam as a four is no more.”
She continued, “On a personal note, [I feel] absolutely devastated. Without getting into a specifics about anything to do with character or what happens or anything, just purely knowing it was last scenes, for myself with those actors, both of them had to carry me to my trailer.”
Whittaker then added, “I’ve not cried like that for such a long time. I mean, Brad couldn’t cope with it at all…There was not a sense of relief in any way.”
Mandip Gill, who plays Yasmin Khan, also commented on the departures stating, “I’m not really that sort of emotional person, but even I was a bit like, This is really sad! I’ll never see you again, you’re so busy Brad, always filming!”
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She added, “But it’s been too soon to miss them, we have this WhatsApp group that’s pinging all the time, and obviously because of the lockdown we wouldn’t have seen each other anyway in that time, so it’s too soon to realise the impact of not having them, because we’re constantly sending memes or a message.”
Walsh and Cole also addressed their departure. Cole detailed that his final scene was “emotional.” He added, “I was looking forward to have a rest though.”
For his part Walsh detailed his highlights about working on Doctor Who. He explained, “Working in Wales with everyone on the crew. I have absolutely loved it, loved it.”
“Wales has become like a second home to me and being included in something so iconic and ground-breaking with the advent of having a female Doctor, that whole thing where Chibnall sold that to me, it didn’t disappoint, and I loved working with those guys,” he continued.
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Finally, he added, “I love working with Chris Chibnall, that man is a genius but to also be working with Mandip and Tosin and of course Jodie is just extraordinary.”
However, showrunner Chris Chibnall did leave the door open for them returning stating, “You’ll have to wait and see, won’t you!”
As for the upcoming holiday special, Revolution of the Daleks, showrunner Chris Chibnall and Whittaker provided some details on what fans can expect.
Chibnall stated, “We pick up with the Doctor in prison. She’s been taken by the Judoon at the end of the last series and we’ll be picking up with her there.”
“Some time has passed, she has been in prison for a very long time. She’s struggling. Back on Earth Yaz, Graham and Ryan are struggling to figure out their lives without the Doctor,” he continued.
Chibnall then stated, “It’s been 10 months for them since they’ve seen the Doctor and at the beginning of this they discover the presence of a Dalek.”
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Whittaker added her own thoughts stating, “The opening for the Doctor is in prison where a lot of time has passed, and time plays out for the Doctor in a certain way as well so I think what’s interesting is at the start of this, the discoveries and journeys that we all go on aren’t Doctor led. That makes it exciting as well because it’s definitely a team effort throughout.”
Mandip Gill also revealed some details about what his character gets up to during the special.
She relayed, “Yeah I think like we saw, Yaz has a really complex and different connection to the Doctor than the two boys for loads of personal reasons. So I think it would be safe to say that she is struggling without the Doctor but is probably trying that bit more than the boys to solve this.”
Gill continued, “Probably because there was just no conclusion and that’s a little bit distressing for her but also she has a connection with the Doctor and with Space. She loves being in Sheffield, but there’s just something about Space, and the Doctor that’s just not been fulfilled yet. So there’s just more a sense of urgency with Yaz trying to find the Doctor.”
The Revolution of the Daleks will debut on New Year’s Day. The BBC details the episode will feature a guest appearance by John Barrowman, who will reprise his role as Captain Jack Harkness, as well as Chris Noth who returns as Jack Robertson.
The episode will also see Harriet Walter make her Doctor Who debut alongside Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.
Here’s the official description from The BBC:
Viewers last saw the Thirteenth Doctor at the end of series 12 where her fate was left hanging in the balance as she was locked away in a high-security alien prison with no hope of escape. In the upcoming festive special, Yaz, Ryan and Graham are far away on Earth and having to carry on with their lives without her. However they soon discover a disturbing plan forming. A plan which involves a Dalek. How can you fight a Dalek without the Doctor? Even with Captain Jack’s help, the gang are set to face one of their biggest and most frightening challenges yet…
What do you make of Doctor Who losing two of its actors?