Doctor Who stars Varada Sethu and Ncuti Gatwa address the connection between new companion Belinda Chandra and a face that the Doctor has met. The season will see Gatwa’s Time Lord be brought into the young nurse’s (Sethu) life as he vows to return her to Earth. Alongside Belinda and The Doctor’s adventures, Doctor Who season 15 will see the return of Millie Gibson as the Fifteenth Doctor’s first companion, Ruby Sunday, as she balances her new life with battling threats on Earth, while the Time Lord is kept away.
While speaking with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley, Sethu and Gatwa discussed the new episodes, where the pair shone a light on Belinda’s ties to the Doctor’s past. Sethu confirmed that Belinda has a lineage that will lead to Mundy Flynn, the Anglican Marine that she played in season 14’s “Boom.” Additionally, she and Gatwa teased something larger that brought the Doctor to her. She also stated that she enjoyed returning to the series as a new character who got to travel in the TARDIS. Check out the pair’s response below:
ScreenRant: Varada, your character is Belinda Chandra, but you’re no stranger to the Doctor Who world. Your previous character was Mundy Flynn, and you teased that there might be a nod to the relation between the two.
Sethu: There’s a genetic connection that kind of spans thousands of years, and there’s a nod towards that. It’s like an added layer to the relationship between the Doctor and Belinda, and what makes it so special. He’s come looking for her.
Gatwa: Destiny’s a big theme this season, so it ties into that.
ScreenRant: What’s it like to step back into this world, but in completely new shoes?
Sethu: It’s amazing. It’s been amazing to know I get to stay this time, and I don’t have to be left behind. I get to just come with you.
Gatwa: No, you’re coming with me.
What Belinda & Mundy’s Connection Means For Doctor Who Season 15
Many Guest Stars Have Returned To Play Major Roles
Many Doctor Who actors have made multiple appearances in new roles as early as William Hartnell’s second season in 1965, though the modern revived series has handled things differently. While key stars, including Karen Gillan and Peter Capaldi, have taken on multiple roles, the latter would have his previous appearance hold a greater context once he returned to play the Twelfth Doctor. Other instances, such as the case of Jenna Coleman’s multiple appearances, were written into the character’s story itself, as the mystery of the Impossible Girl became the core of season 7.
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All 15 Main Doctor Who Actors That Played Multiple Characters
Doctor Who has featured a long list of primary characters in its 60-year run, with some of the main actors even appearing in multiple roles.
However, some cases had simpler explanations, including Eve Myles’s appearance in series 1 as Gwyneth before her casting in the spin-off Torchwood as Gwen Cooper and Freema Agyeman’s return as Martha Jones only a year after her guest appearance as Adeola. In both cases, it was established that each star’s two characters were related through ancestry or closer familial links. From Sethu and Gatwa’s response, it would seem that Belinda will bring a middle-ground approach, where she is an ordinary woman, but her role in historical connections holds a deeper meaning.
Our Thoughts On Belinda’s Doctor Who Season 14 Connection
Will The Dangers Belinda Faces Rewrite The Doctor’s Past?
With Sethu being cast as Doctor Who season 15’s new companion ahead of her appearance in season 14’s “Boom,” viewers were stunned and left theorizing once they saw Mundy’s adventure with the Time Lord come to a close. With audiences having already seen how the series had handled returning before, many had assumed that Belinda would be no exception to the precedent. However, with both Sethu and Gatwa emphasizing how Belinda’s lineage plays a part in the season’s themes, many may wonder if one false move would not only put Belinda at risk but potentially unravel Mundy’s own time with the Doctor.
Doctor Who
5/10
- Release Date
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December 25, 2023
- Directors
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Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie
- Writers
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Russell T. Davies, Dave Gibbons, Kate Herron, Steven Moffat
- Franchise(s)
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Doctor Who