'Doctor Who' stars tell fans what to expect from Season 12, assures them there is a 'bigger bang' coming
On Sunday, instead of attending the Golden Globes Awards, Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, and Tosin Cole attended a special screening of Parts 1 and 2 of 'Spyfall' -- the first two episodes of Season 12 of 'Doctor Who' -- at the Paley Center.
While there, Whittaker, Gill, and Cole also took part in a Q&A session and gave the audience a lot to ponder on regarding the rest of the season. The opening two episodes of the season were mindblowing enough -- featuring the return of the Master who is then revealed to have destroyed Gallifrey after he discovered the secret about the Timeless Child -- "everything we think we know is a lie".
Syfy Wire got some answers from the woman herself -- Whittaker -- on where Season 12 will take the Doctor and the impact the Master's actions will have on her. She said, "I think you’re definitely going to see all sides because the wonderful thing about playing the Doctor is there’s so much to discover, and so much to continue for anyone playing the role."
Whittaker also added that there will be "highs and lows" for her character with brand new challenges that present themselves. But if viewers are worried that the first two episodes will be the highlight of the season, co-stars Gill and Cole have assured that there will be a "bigger bang" later on in the season.
With respect to their personal storylines, we will see Gill's Yasmin deal with the fallout of being trapped in the Kasavin's dimension. She said, "I think you should always be worried. It is Doctor Who, and that’s all I can say on that. I think you should always be worried."
Meanwhile, we will also see Cole's Ryan deal with his dyspraxia -- a developmental disorder that causes difficulty in activities requiring coordination and movement. Cole said, "He’s always dealing with it, it’s not a thing that’s gonna go away. So it’s still part of the story, still a part of his story."
When asked about their favorite episodes of the previous season, Gill answered with 'Demons of Punjab' -- the 6th episode written by Vinay Patel, while Cole answered with 'Rosa' -- the third episode written by Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall. For Whittaker, her favorite episode was, of course, 'The Woman Who Fell to Earth', her debut as the Doctor written by the showrunner, Chris Chibnall himself.
Whittaker takes the optimistic route when describing playing the Doctor. She said, "It can feel as if there is no hope, and playing someone like the Doctor, who with extraordinary hindsight still has hope, and belief that we can do better. The Doctor loves humans and loves humanity, and sometimes when you’re a human you forget we should all love each other, and we should. I think that is a wonderful thing to play and to have bleed into your own life."
She is also all praise for the current showrunner, Chris Chibnall, saying, "The beauty of Chris [Chibnall]'s writing is that nothing is an accident." Gill echoed Whittaker's comments, adding, "This season she needs us. We've all found our strengths ... this is a personal journey for her."
'Doctor Who' airs on BBC America on Sunday nights.
