Doctor Who's Millie Gibson on The Doctor and Ruby's 'beautiful friendship'

Millie Gibson is all set for a world of adventure as new companion Ruby Sunday in the latest season of Doctor Who.

We first met Ruby in the 2023 Christmas Special "The Church On Ruby Road" when she was trying to find out more about her origins after being abandoned on the doorstep of a church as a baby, and subsequently fostered by Carla Sunday (Michelle Greenidge). Ruby's investigation led her into the path of a certain Time Lord known as The Doctor, and now her life will never be the same again.

We caught up with Millie to find out more about life in the TARDIS in Doctor Who season 14, and why watching Ruby make her screen debut on Christmas Day was an unforgettable experience...

Millie Gibson interview for Doctor Who

What can you tell us about what's in store in the upcoming season of Doctor Who?

"Every single episode feels like a mini-movie. They're all very different, and there are new monsters — and we go to two different decades, which is really very cool. There are some amazing cameos too!"

What can we expect from the Doctor and Ruby's relationship across this series?

"They'd barely met in the Christmas special, but people have already seen how much chemistry and how much love they have for one another, so yeah, they grow a lot closer on the adventures they have. They meet people, they lose people, and they just stay together through it all. It's a beautiful friendship to watch on screen that's purely platonic."

Your first episode aired on Christmas Day — what was that like?

"Oh my God, it was crazy! There weren't fireworks going off outside my house or anything, but I just had close family with me, and I kept checking the time on my phone and being like, 'there's still five hours until it's on!' It was on my mind constantly, but when it came out, it was like, 'oh — that wasn't too bad!' It was a lovely day, that day will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life."

Have there been any moments during filming when things didn't quite go to plan?

"There was one moment in the Regency episode, it was a really sad scene, and it was awful — we just couldn't stop laughing. And when we're on wires — we just can't take each other seriously!"

There are some fantastic guest stars lined up for this season. Were there any you were particularly excited to work with?

"Jinkx Monsoon! And Indira Varma — she was incredible. She could do improv and she was so quick, I was like, 'I can't keep up, I can't even reply!' She was insane - she is everything as that character."

What was the moment where it really sank in that you were making Doctor Who?

"For me there was one moment, and it's already aired so I can talk freely about it! When we're in the dance club [in "The Church On Ruby Road"] and Ncuti is twirling around, the whole crew felt the atmosphere in that scene. I wasn't even on camera at this point so it was a wasted performance, but I was just literally crying — I was like 'this is it, this is Doctor Who, this is our era, this is the whole new spice and theme that we've brought to this show', so yeah, that was probably my moment. But the whole crew felt it that day!"

• The new series of Doctor Who launches at midnight on Saturday May 11 on BBC iPlayer with two episodes, which will be screened on BBC1 at 6.20pm and 7.05pm. Internationally the show streams on Disney+ where available, with the launch set for 7pm ET on Friday May 10 in the US.