Millie Gibson is Leaving ‘Doctor Who’ — What Does That Mean?
The new first season of Doctor Who airs in May 2024. But we’re already hearing that new companion Millie Gibson is out. What?
Life moves pretty fast. And the changes behind the scenes of Doctor Who appear to move even faster. That’s not all that surprising. After all, we’re living in strange circumstances. The second of the new series of Who is underway before the first has even begun airing. That never happens. So some shakeups behind the scenes may feel more surprising than they would have otherwise.
That’s the case with the latest casting news. Millie Gibson, who plays Ruby Sunday alongside Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th incarnation of the Doctor is out. The actress who has only appeared in one episode thus far departs the show before he first proper season even airs. And beginning in 2025, the new companion will be played by Varada Seethu (Andor).
Speculation is natural. Why is Gibson leaving after only one series? And why, upon earliest reports, was Gibson’s departure referred to as her being “dropped”?
There are three main ways of looking at this. All three are equally plausible. So let’s go down the line, talk about each of the possible reasons for Gibson’s departure and talk about what they might mean for the future of Doctor Who.
Courtesy of BBC Worldwide
Option 1: Millie Gibson Was Always Leaving After One Series
Maybe the phrase “being dropped” is just a bit of unfortunate and inaccurate language. This is the charitable interpretation. The “move along, nothing to see here” of interpretations. And there’s reason to think this is the case.
The initial report, which comes from the Mirror, only mentioned the word “dropped” in the headline and intro of the piece. The remaining content of the piece only says that Doctor Who showrunner made the decision at the end of filming the first series.
The truth is that this could always have been the plan. Actors leave Doctor Who after only one series sometimes. Both Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones and Pearl Mackie’s Bill Potts last but one series in the TARDIS. And, just like with Jones, Ruby Sunday is set to appear in a few episodes to wrap things up for the character in 2025.
Recall that Jenn Coleman was set to depart in the episode “Last Christmas” only for the actress and then-showrunner Steven Moffat to both have a change of heart. That is the only reason we have a ninth series with Coleman’s character Clara Oswald. Perhaps Millie Gibson and Davies both left a bit of wiggle room open for Ruby Sunday to stay, but were expecting her to go.
In that case, all is normal. Gibson leaves. Seethu enters. And everything carries on as Doctor Who normal. Easy.
Courtesy of BBC Worldwide
Option 2: Avoiding Conflict With Millie Gibson
To say that the word “dropped” is just inaccurate is, in fact, very charitable. So let’s acknowledge that there is at least one reason to believe that Gibson’s departure is due to some measure of conflict between actor and producers. And that reason dates back to June 2023.
The Mirror (same publication, different journalist) reports on June 17, 2023 that “Millie Gibson [is] branded a ‘diva‘ after being ‘annoyed’ about night shoots”. In short: Millie Gibson would do anything for Doctor Who, but she won’t do night shoots. This is a rumor. But the anonymous source from the article states that Gibson’s frustration with night shoots “won her some snippy comments behind the scenes”.
It is possible that this story represents ongoing differing visions between actor and production. And, yes, it is possible that Davies and Bad Wolf may have decided to part ways with the actor rather than let that conflict fester across multiple seasons.
Consider the history of Russell’s team and leading actors on Who. Notably, Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston left the series over production issues. The BBC even had to apologize over a falsified quote stating the actor was “tired”. Even now Eccleston remains angry with Who’s production team. He even says he wants Davies and co. “sacked“.
The last thing Davies needs is more bad press with actors. “Dropping” Gibson and moving on before there’s a larger issue is a way around a larger and more public conflict.
Courtesy of BBC Worldwide
Option 3: Avoiding Bigger Spoilers
Filming so far ahead of transmission has its benefits. But it also has one major drawback—spoilers. For example: Millie Gibson leaving the show is a big spoiler to drop after only one episode. Similarly there are rumors that Ncuti Gatwa is also leaving after his second season.
However, it’s possible that this information is an intentional leak. We know Millie Gibson is out. We believe Varada Seethu is in. But we do not know the circumstances around any of that.
What we do know is that Ruby Sunday’s birth parents, and thus her origins, are a mystery. And a big rumor right now is that Ruby is a Timelord and doesn’t know it. And one major way to reveal that would be through regeneration. If Ruby Sunday is not leaving the show so much as she is regenerating into another actor, that would be a MASSIVE spoiler. A companion has not regenerated since Romana in the 1979 classic series episode “Destiny of the Daleks”.
There’s also the mystery of Mrs. Flood. Who is she? Why does she know what a TARDIS is? Sufficed to say, revealing Millie Gibson’s departure know may serve as a distraction so as to cover up the story reasons for Ruby’s exit.
Before we wrap this up, there is one more thing that needs saying whenever speculation over actor’s departures turn up. And that is…
Courtesy of BBC Worldwide
Doctor Who Will Be Fine
If you do a Twitter search for “Doctor Who” in the wake of this news, you will see saying the series “is dead”. It’s important to remember that anyone saying is has been saying it for years now. And the reason they say “Doctor Who is dead” is because they want it to be dead. Jodie Whittaker getting cast as the Doctor made these folks made. Ditto for Ncuti Gatwa. And, of course, Rose Noble being played by transgender actress Yasmin Finney made these people absolutely apoplectic.
Doctor Who is fine. Actors leave the show almost every year. How many companions are there? How many Doctors? Too many to count. The nature of Doctor Who is change. Even if Millie Gibson’s departure involves some bitterness overnight shoots, that is not a show-ending tragedy.
We have no idea what stories are to come. The one bit of new territory for both show and fans alike is how far ahead production is. And finding out things like actor’s departures early may seem distressing, remember: Russell T Davies and his team are way ahead of us. And they have a track record of knowing what they’re doing.
Millie Gibson is out, save for a few wrap-up stories in season 2. We’ll find out more as that story develops.
