Doctor Who boss begs Coronation Street stars ‘please leave’ so he can ‘snap them up’
Doctor Who's mastermind Russell T Davies is scouting talent from Coronation Street after Millie Gibson made a stellar impression.
Russell T Davies, the creative force who revived Doctor Who in 2005, is back at the helm and he's brought with him a fresh cast to shake up the Whoniverse.
The iconic series welcomes Ncuti Gatwa as the new Doctor, with former Corrie star Millie Gibson stepping into the role of his companion Ruby Sunday.
Millie, known for her portrayal of Kelly Neelan on ITV's Coronation Street, joined the Doctor Who family in the festive special 'The Church On Ruby Road' last year.
Just months after waving goodbye to Weatherfield, Millie was all set for adventures across time and space alongside the Doctor.
In a chat with Metro.co.uk, Davies shared his insights on why Millie stood out: "There is a very long history in Coronation Street of the unpopular girl turning out to be the popular girl."
He drew parallels with other actors' journeys on the soap, saying that Katherine Kelly’s character, Becky McDonald, was exactly the same. She started out as a villain, but it wasn’t long before viewers loved her.
Russell went on to say how viewers will forget Claire Sweeney’s character, Cassie Plummer, started off as a drug addict - and that she’ll soon be by the bar in the Rovers with everyone having forgotten about her past.
Russell concluded with praise for Millie's acting chops: "That's why I keyed into Millie's performance because I've worked on soap operas and you can tell when writers like someone."
When asked if he'd like to see more soap stars in Doctor Who, he replied that there are some starts he 'has his eye on'.
"There are some on Coronation Street now that I think 'Gosh, please leave and I will snap you up!'".
Millie isn't the only one from the world of soaps to grace Doctor Who; EastEnders ' Bonnie Langford returned as Mel Bush, companion to the sixth and seventh Doctors.
Anita Dobson, iconic for her role as Angie Watts in EastEnders, appeared as the enigmatic Mrs Flood, while Holby City's Jemma Redgrave plays UNIT chief Kate Stewart.
Russell agreed that soap actors are often undervalued but states they have ‘seen it all’ from the soaps, to the West End, to big movies.
