Indira Varma joins Doctor Who In Mysterious New Role
Award-winning actress Indira Varma has signed on to the new season of ‘Doctor Who’ in a mysterious new role, the BBC has announced.
Varma joins the show when Ncuti Gatwa takes over the role as the Fifteenth Doctor in 2024, alongside new companion Ruby (Millie Gibson). Whilst they have been pretty cagey about some of the characters in the new season, we do have a name for who Varma will be playing – the Duchess. Not a lot, but more than we’ve had with some of the casting!
If you’re thinking “wait? hasn’t Indira Varma already been in the Whoniverse?” yes, she has. She first entered the world of ‘Doctor Who’ as Suzie Costello in Russell T Davies’ spin-off series ‘Torchwood’. This, of course, is not the first time actors have come back for new roles on the show, with even former Doctors and companions, such as Peter Capaldi, Freema Agyeman and Karen Gillan, having previously played other parts.
“I’m overjoyed to be reunited with Indira after our Torchwood days, and this part is truly spectacular!” said Showrunner, Russell T Davies. “A whole new audience will be hiding behind the settee when the Duchess unleashes her terror.”
Indira Varma is well known for her many roles on tv, film and stage, such as Ellaria Sand on the multi-award-winning ‘Game of Thrones’, and more recently in the Star Wars series ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’. Indira has been celebrated onstage, winning an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Liz Essendine in Present Laughter as well as starring in other major theatre productions including the acclaimed Man and Superman and Jamie Lloyd’s production of Chekhov’s The Seagull.
“I’m thrilled to be in Doctor Who and particularly excited to be crossing cosmic paths with Ncuti, as the Doctor, and look forward to creating interplanetary mischief with him,” adds Indira Varma. “I loved playing Suzie Costello for Russell T Davies in Torchwood so am thrilled to be entering this world again.”
Other guest roles announce for the new season include Jemma Redgrave, who returns as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and Aneurin Barnard (‘The White Queen’, ‘Cilla’, ‘Peaky Blinders’) as the mysterious Roger ap Gwilliam, alongside Jonathan Groff (‘Mindhunter’, ‘Glee’), Anita Dobson (‘Eastenders’), Michelle Greenidge (‘After Life’, ‘It’s A Sin’) and Jinkx Monsoon (‘Chicago’ – Broadway, ‘Drag Race’) who appear in undisclosed roles. Redgrave is also possibly set to return as Lethbridge-Stewart in a new spin-off series based around ‘UNIT’, although that has yet to be officially confirmed by the BBC.
Before we get to all of this though, the adventures of the timelord (and friends) kick off again in November 2023, when new/old face David Tennant returns to the series as the Fourteenth Doctor in three specials to coincide with the 60th anniversary of ‘Doctor Who’. That will be followed by Ncuti Gatwa taking over the role as the Fifteenth Doctor in Christmas 2023, and then this full series in 2024.
‘Doctor Who‘ returns to screens in November 2023 with Tennant starring in three specials to coincide with the 60th-anniversary which will premiere exclusively on the BBC for the UK and Ireland. Disney+ will air the series internationally. Ncuti Gatwa then takes over in Christmas 2023 as the Fifteenth Doctor.
If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
