Look out for Samantha Spiro as a gun-toting orphanage leader Hazran in the thrilling final Doctor Who episode of the series....
The Doctor Falls is the last episode of the current Doctor Who series and it's joined by Samantha Spiro, recent star of Babs, Friday Night Dinner and Tracey Ullman's Show. Samantha plays feisty Hazran, who becomes engaged in an all-out war, fighting all the different kinds of Cybermen.
"Hazran runs an orphanage where everything appears on the surface as rather beautiful, as it’s set in lovely rolling hills – we filmed in the gorgeous Welsh countryside," explained Samantha. "Then the orphanage comes under attack from the Cybermen, and big mayhem breaks out. Hazran is central to defending the orphanage.
"I have lots of scenes where there are explosions and I got to handle a gun, which was all very exciting for me personally as I’ve never expected to be doing many action movies! Hazran becomes the all-action heroine and her scenes are very ‘Wild West’. I’d say she’s an odd mix of Ma Walton and Annie Get Your Gun. The Doctor and his team are there with her and that’s how the story plays out."
Sam has plenty of scenes with Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie’s Bill and Matt Lucas as the Doctor’s alien servant Nardole.
"While it was fun to fire the guns, I did like the more human scenes she has with Nardole," said Samantha. "There’s a waiting game for the war with the Cybermen to start, we had some lovely scenes in the orphanage kitchen. There are some comic moments, and I think it’s the closest Nardole gets to affection. Viewers will see him in a very different light.
"My first scene was with Pearl, which I loved too. She’s been a revelation as the companion. The companions are a bit more feisty nowadays and much more equals. The, actually bring something to the Doctor and Bill comes up with the answers. I really think that should be the way forward.
"I also loved watching Peter in action. I’m a really big fan so that was thrilling. The Doctor and Hazran have a couple of tender moments as well, which makes it quite a moving episode. Some of the scenes with Peter are really quite epic and sort of telling a story that really touches the soul. It’s a really beautiful episode and I was really moved by it."
One actor Samantha is very familiar with is Michelle Gomez, who plays Missy.
"Hazran and Missy do cross paths. It’s always nice to catch up with Michelle, because we’ve sat in make-up trucks for previous shows like Bad Education and Pyschobitches. Missy is just off the wall and amazing. The Master is about too and John Simm is amazing. We were all in this finale together but, of course, I’m not saying how or why!"
There's been plenty of talk about the next Doctor being a woman, which Samantha would thoroughly approve of.
"I'd like to see a female Doctor, yes. There’s absolutely no reason there can't be. It certainly feels as if it would be a good time for that and it would be fairly weird if it didn’t happen fairly soon. The Master has regenerated into Missy, so it can happen with Time Lords. That makes a precedent for it.”
Doctor Who: The Doctor Falls screens on Saturday, BBC1, at 6.30pm
