Millie Gibson opens up about why starring in Doctor Who is 'life-changing'

New Doctor Who companion Millie Gibson photographed in front of the TARDIS
Millie Gibson plays Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who. (Image credit: Lara Cornell/BBC Studios)

Millie Gibson has spoken about how she feels about making her Doctor Who debut as new companion Ruby Sunday, alongside Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor.

After stepping down from her role as Kelly Neelan in Coronation Street, Millie will play the new companion traveling across time and space with The Doctor, stepping into the shoes of many famous faces.

Her role was first announced as part of Children in Need 2022, where she appeared on the stage in a TARDIS and confirmed that she would be the next person accompanying the Time Lord. 

She has since admitted that it was a difficult thing to come to terms with and that she has been "preparing" for her life to change when her debut episode as Ruby Sunday airs on BBC One.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Millie said: "So many people have sat me down and said, ''Look, your life will change.'' It is hard to accept that.

"It's a baffling thing to be told, to be honest. The first part was actually doing the job, and preparing for that. And then the second part will be preparing for when it comes out."

Millie also opened up about leaving Coronation Street and said: "It's really easy to get too comfy there and a part of me was like, "If I don't leave now, I won't leave for a while. They didn't kill me off, which is lovely. So if it all goes wrong I can come crawling back."

Ncuti Gatwa stands in an unbottoned white shirt with a tie in Doctor Who

Ncuti Gatwa is the 15th Doctor. (Image credit: BBC Studios)

Elsewhere, co-star Ncuti Gatwa said it was "surreal" taking over from David Tennant, who he described as a "childhood hero". The two first appeared together in The Giggle, opposite Neil Patrick Harris' Toymaker villain. 

He told The Big Issue: "It feels like it's come full circle — because David was my Doctor and such a great inspiration to me as an actor.

"I would have been 13 — a pivotal time. So for him, of all people, to be handing the baton over — it just feels really surreal. Because I just loved his Doctor so much…"

The Doctor Who Christmas special lands on Christmas Day on BBC One in the UK (see our Christmas TV guide for all the top festive shows). It's on Disney Plus in the US.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress