Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) hasn't had an easy time of things since she gave up travelling with The Doctor in Doctor Who.
Struggling to readjust to everyday life after experiencing alien planets and major historical events up close — not to mention surviving the near-destruction of the entire human race — she thought she'd finally found a kindred spirit in Conrad Clark (The Tattooist of Auschwitz's Jonah Hauer-King), who had had his own encounter with The Doctor in the past, only for Conrad to turn out to be a conspiracy theorist on a mission to expose the "lies" of UNIT.
Conrad became even more dangerous in the most recent episode, "Wish World", when he joined forces with The Rani (Hijack's Archie Panjabi) and her alter-ego Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) to turn Earth into a sterile dystopia where the Doctor and current companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) were a married couple with a young daughter, UNIT was an insurance sales company, and Conrad was a god-like figure who steered everyone's behaviour. Ruby was one of the few people who sensed that something was wrong, and her feelings were vindicated when this new reality turned out to be an elaborate scheme of The Rani's, intended to split apart the very fabric of reality and free original Time Lord Omega from the Underverse.
With the Doctor finally having regained his memories of life outside of Conrad's wish world, the season 15 finale will see him battling against the unholy trinity with Belinda and Ruby to save the world — but could it be his last battle?
We caught up with Millie to find out what's in store...
Millie Gibson interview for Doctor Who
What can you tell us about what we can expect from the finale?
"Oh my gosh, I think it's probably going to be the most dangerous battle the Doctor has faced yet, which is really exciting, because you've seen the amount of monsters and villains that have come into this show! This one is pretty epic, Russell [T. Davies] has cooked up an amazing finale as always, and Ruby is still on her quest that follows from episode seven, with this horrible world that Conrad has created. There's a lot of heartbreak, a lot of loss, but also a lot of surprises. It's so hard to whittle down to explain, because Russell has written everything that a Whovian will probably die for, so I'm very excited for people to see it!"
We're seeing a different side to Ruby in the finale — she's on her own, working independently, with a little bit of help from Shirley. Have you enjoyed playing that side of her?
"I have — but you know what, I'm used to it by now! She had her time in 'Lucky Day' when she was kind of by herself, but thankfully she had UNIT to help her, so reuniting with Shirley has been gorgeous. I love working with Ruth [Madeley], and I love that they've played on that dynamic of the two northerners, and that banter. Ruth's delivery is so exquisite, and I loved being kind of a duo with her in the finale — it was a lot of fun."
How did you feel about the big reveal of Conrad as a villain in 'Lucky Day'?
"Oh my God, it was heartbreaking! I love Jonah so much — he is nothing like Conrad, you'll be happy to know! — but I remember we filmed all the 'nice Conrad' scenes before the big twist, so that was my first time seeing him like that. I was a bit shocked myself, I was like, 'Jonah? Can you come back and be nice again? This is horrible!' That's what makes him such a brilliant actor though, because that twist wouldn't have worked without him being that convincing, kind of klutzy romantic lead, and for him to just turn like that — I remember my mum was like, 'that's so horrible!' Jonah was just incredible, he made that episode."
Were you pleased with the fan reaction to the episode?
"I was really happy! Ruby's like the fans' little sister, and I think because she's never really had a happy ending, everyone's like, 'oh, come on!' It was a gut-punch, for sure."
She's on a mission to take Conrad down now — is it personal for her after everything she's been through with him?
"I think it's like, she showed him mercy and now he's ended up ruining the whole world. It's like when you tell your ex you forgive them and then they cheat again, but it's 100 times worse! Even though Ruby's got that kindness streak in her, where she attacked the Shreek instead of him, he's taken things too far, and I think what she's feeling now is anger and betrayal all over again — but we may see a different side to that..."
Have you enjoyed working with Jonah, Archie and Anita as a villainous trio?
"Oh my God, how good do they look?! Honestly, I'd join that side, I don't blame any of them! The three of them as a union just balances out amazingly: Anita plays a delicious villain and she's so sassy and chic with it, and Archie plays The Rani so well, she has this kind of calm presence about her, but it's almost intimidating. And then you've got Jonah as the ex-boyfriend that everyone dreads — it's probably the best villain triangle ever!"
We're excited to finally see Belinda and Ruby working side-by-side in the finale — is there anything you can tell us about that?
"I was super-excited, I love Varada so much, and having her next to me on screen was just an honour. I think it really warms the Whovians to see two companions together, and it's girl power as well! They're so different, but their friendship is unique, and they're both very brave women. They're not damsels in distress, and I like that."
There are rumours that we might see a regeneration for The Doctor in the finale — have you been following those?
"I have! But you know we never give anything away on Doctor Who — we don't want to spoil anything. All I can say is that these episodes are amazing!"
Doctor Who cast members often say that you never really leave the Whoniverse once you're a part of it. Do you feel that way too?
"Oh my gosh, totally. It's not even been that long for me, but when I meet Bonnie [Langford], it's always within her, and I think it's beautiful. The fans are so loyal as well, I think I'll have these beautiful Whovians defending me to the day I die — it's like having friends for life! The fandom is so loyal, and I'll be honoured to play Ruby when I'm 60 or whenever. It will be something that I will always have in my heart."
- The Doctor Who series 15 finale "The Reality War" airs on Saturday, May 31 at 6.50 pm on BBC One in the UK, with a simultaneous release on BBC iPlayer and on Disney Plus in the US.
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