It’s not long until the return of the long-awaited new series of Doctor Who as Ncuti Gatwa makes his official debut as the fifteenth Doctor.
However fans can be sure to expect the unexpected as the new series sees the world of the Time Lord and Strictly Come Dancing merge in an epic Glee-style dance scene.
Professional dancer Johannes Radebe and head judge Shirley Ballas will be swapping the tango for the TARDIS as they join Ncuti and his sidekick Millie Gibson for the Swinging Sixties scene.
And fans won’t have long to wait as the scene will be in the second episode, The Devil’s Chord, set for release on BBC iPlayer at midnight on May 11, and is a homage to the 1960s and The Beatles in particular.
Speaking about the fun collaboration during a Q&A event ahead of the new series, Millie, 19, who plays Ruby Sunday, said: ‘I remember reading The Devil’s Chord and getting the biggest goosebumps at the end. It just seemed like this incredible episode.
Doctor Who will merge with Strictly Come Dancing for an epic Swinging Sixties dance scene set to air in episode two of the upcoming series
Professional dancer Johannes Radebe and head judge Shirley Ballas will be swapping the tango for the TARDIS as they join Ncuti and his sidekick Millie Gibson for the Swinging Sixties scene
‘And I was like, “Wait, we dance with Johannes and Shirley from Strictly, OK. Next page”. It’s just like the craziest thing. And it was crazy to film it.’
Ncuti added: ‘And I mean, that day we were dancing with them, we had a ball. We had so much fun.
‘I loved The Devil’s Chord episode so much. Loved reading it and then working and shooting it. We had an amazing choreographer who whipped us into shape with such kindness.
‘He made the choreography accessible. So we had a lot of help and a lot of fun.’
Last November Shirley confirmed she was set to make a guest appearance in the BBC sci-fi show and revealed she was ‘very excited’ for people to see her as she appeared alongside screenwriter and producer Russell T. Davies on BBC Morning Live.
On the show host Gethin Jones teased with Russell that there was someone else in the studio who could ‘potentially’ be in the new series.
Russell replied: ‘Do you mean the top secret information that Shirley Ballas is going to appear in Doctor Who?’
Asked what she could reveal about her star appearance in the show, the ballroom champion kept her cards close to her chest, but revealed filming the show ‘was one of the best days of my life.’
Last November Shirley confirmed she was set to make a guest appearance in the BBC sci-fi show and revealed filming the show ‘was one of the best days of my life’
Speaking about the fun collaboration during a Q&A event, Millie, 19, said: ‘I remember reading The Devil’s Chord and getting the biggest goosebumps at the end. It just seemed like this incredible episode’
Ncuti added: ‘And I mean, that day we were dancing with them, we had a ball. We had so much fun (pictured Johannes Radebe)
‘I can tell you the filming was one of the best days of my life. We’re doing a guest appearance with Jojo (Strictly professional Johannes Radebe) where I actually get to perform with Jojo and so many other dancers on the show, so I’m very, very excited for people to watch.’
Russell added: ‘I was on set that day let me tell you, there was no way I was missing that, Dame Shirley Ballas on Doctor Who.’
It comes after Ncuti confessed he is a ‘more vulnerable Doctor’ who will appeal more to Gen Z.
Appearing on Good Morning America on Tuesday, host Robin Roberts asked: ‘A long line of actors have played the doctor but you say this is a doctor for Gen Z?’
Ncuti then explained: ‘Yeah, I would say so. I would say this iteration is a more vulnerable doctor.
‘One of the more open with his feelings doctors that we have seen and it reflects our society and the conversations that we are having today.’
Ncuti made his debut as the Time Lord on Christmas Day in a special episode of the show last year but his first full series will air next month.
The first two episodes from the upcoming series will drop on BBC iPlayer at midnight on May 11 before then airing on BBC One later that evening.
The new season of Doctor Who will see Ncuti return as the Fifteenth Doctor, alongside Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, after they made their debut on Christmas Day last year in The Church on Ruby Road.
Within the upcoming series, audiences will see the Doctor and Ruby travel through time and space on adventures to unknown lands, to the Regency era in England, to outer space worlds and the sixties.
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