What’s the future for the current cast of BBC’s ‘Doctor Who’?
Doctor Who is definitely in a period of change right now. Following the thirteenth season of the series, there will be a series of specials in 2022 all about Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor before she exits the series with current showrunner, Chris Chibnall. In 2023, Russell T. Davies, who helmed the revival back in 2005, will step up with a new Doctor and a new season.
The question of the matter, however, turns to cast for Doctor Who. After seeing Bradley Walsh & Tosin Cole exit in season 12 of Doctor Who, Mandip Gill has stayed on as Doctor’s companion, Yasmin Khan. John Bishop joins the newest season of the series as John Bishop. The real question is when Whittaker & Chibnall leave will either Gill or Bishop stay on?
Usually? Clean slate all around: new doctor, new showrunner, new companion. The only exceptions to this has been when there’s been a changeover from the doctor, but the showrunner remained the same, so did the companion usually. Let’s see if we know about the fates of these companions for the Doctor, shall we?
Should they stay or should they go?
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mandip Gill played coy about whether or not she will stay on as Yaz following the exits of Whittaker & Chibnall from the show. Given the level of secrecy that tends to pop up around popular series such as Doctor Who, we’re not super surprised about the secrecy. Right now, however, Gill doesn’t know where the wind blows for her future on the series.
Gill said about any exits in her future, “Well, one, I can’t confirm it but, two, there’s just no rules to this. Companions do stay on thereafter. We still haven’t finished filming these episodes, it could go any which way. The audience are really good at going, oh, it’s a whole new cast and new companions and they’re onboard with that.”
As for Davies rejoining the series? Gill said, “But also for me, on a personal level, it’s really like [exhales deeply] just to know it’s carrying on. People want this show. So for everyone, me included, this is going on for years. Doctor Who is carrying on for years, and that’s actually all anybody really wants. But also we’ve got a year of really exciting things to happen before that even comes.”
What about the current cast of Doctor Who?
In addition to talking about her future prospects (and cast) of Doctor Who, Gill also discussed the current season. Namely, she didn’t know how famous her co-star John Bishop was. Bishop is a former footballer, actor, comedian, and presenter. So, well, needless to say, he’s pretty well-known in the UK. Gill, admittedly, just didn’t know how famous her new co-star was.
Gill said, “I don’t think I realized how famous John Bishop was until we went for a walk after work. From the minute we left the building, for 30 minutes one way, 30 minutes back, it was just non-stop people asking John for pictures. I actually texted Jodie and went, “John’s really famous!” It blew my mind.” Despite this, however, she called her fellow cast member “good fun”.
As for her relationship with Jodie Whittaker off camera, Gill said, “We’re always taking the mick out of each other and it really makes Jacob [Anderson] feel uncomfortable, because he’s so sweet. He’s like, ‘The way you speak to each other, it’s just not nice.'”
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What do you think of this potential cast news for Doctor Who? Do you think Gill & Bishop should stay on as companions with the new showrunner & Doctor? Or should we get a brand new cast of Doctor Who in 2023? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
