Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa & Varada Sethu Interview: “Lux”, “The Well” & the Doctor’s Biggest Fear

Warning: contains spoilers for Doctor Who episode “The Robot Revolution”

Doctor Who kicked off its new season by scaring fans into thinking naming a star after your significant other is a terrible idea. “The Robot Revolution” also set up a new TARDIS dynamic as Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor helped Varada Sethu’s companion Belinda and the civilians of Missbelindachandraone escape the clutches of robots controlled by her murderous ex.

Episode two “Lux” features guest star Alan Cumming voicing old-fashioned cartoon Mr. Ring-a-Ding, an animated character that Gatwa tells us has “an undercurrent of danger”. In the episode, something from beyond Earth causes the animation to come to life and frighten moviegoers in 1952 Miami, Florida. It was one of the season’s most challenging concepts to write, Russell T. Davies told Den of Geek, and for Gatwa and Sethu, acting alongside a cardboard cutout and being turned into cartoons themselves also made it a memorable filming experience.

In episode three, “The Well”, also directed by Amanda Brotchie, and co-written by new guest screenwriter Sharma-Angel Walfall and Russell T. Davies, the Doctor and Belinda don spacesuits to encounter something frightening lurking deep down on another world. Despite its technical challenges and uncomfortable costumes, Sethu tells us it’s her favorite episode of the new season, and pre-publicity teases it as one of the scariest of recent years.

See what’s in store for the Doctor and Belinda as Gatwa and Sethu revisit their memories of making those episodes, and tease the challenges to come for Fifteen and Belinda this season.

Tell us about acting alongside the animated character that’s not there in episode two, “Lux”? 

Ncuti Gatwa: It’s something you have to do quite often on a sci-fi show or a fantasy show. You will be facing the greatest fear of your life, and it will be a tennis ball on the end of a stick that’s being held by the first assistant director. This was slightly better because we had a three-foot cardboard cutout of Mr Ring-a-Ding, which, to be fair, actually was very terrifying. I can’t remember the style of Mr Ring-a-Ding’s cartoon.

Varada Sethu: Wasn’t he Hanna-Barbera, though?

Ncuti Gatwa: He’s not Hanna-Barbera. He’s early-

Varada Sethu: Oh. Early black and white, Disney’s Mickey Mouse, 

Ncuti Gatwa: It does have a slightly creepy, slightly daunting element.

Varada Sethu: He was described as slightly creepy in the script because you can’t tell if he’s a dog or a pig, or a man. The way that he’s drawn is this sort of morphed creature-

Ncuti Gatwa: And you don’t know whether Mr. Ring-a-Ding is smiling at you or grimacing at you. There is an undetermined quality about him. Alan Cumming delivers this incredibly chilling performance because it’s this cartoon joy that’s got this undercurrent of danger running through. It was challenging but great to work on that episode. Then we spent the morning watching Scooby-Doo because we had to. We were getting turned into Hanna-Barbera cartoons, and that was obviously where it started. It was a new journey in our craft.

Varada Sethu: Every episode, I feel like I learned a new skill, a new way of performing. That was such a good example of having to play opposite a cardboard cutout, this little cartoon that’s talking back to you, and the absurdity of that, and also being turned into cartoons ourselves. They shot us acting out that scene. That’s why we weren’t just watching cartoons for fun, although it was also fun. We were watching it to understand the gestures that cartoons make because it’s a lot more heightened than how actors would gesture in a scene. They filmed us doing that scene, and then they animated it based on how we played it out. That day was so much fun, and we couldn’t wait to see how the cartoons turned out.

In addition to Mr. Ring-a-Ding, there is a historical element to “Lux” as well. What can fans expect?

Varada Sethu: Belinda and the Doctor go back to the 1950s. It was really fun. I didn’t think in my career I’d get to do a period drama where I got to wear a Marilyn Monroe wig and the yellow dress. I felt in my element, and I had a great time.

Ncuti Gatwa: I loved it. We have an incredible makeup and hair department. Julie Kendrick, who was our designer, designed the most amazing look. So I had this cool ’50s style, it’s this permed wig with the soft waves going back. It’s an interesting episode because it’s 1950s America, Miami. Florida was a segregated state, and that gets discussed. It was a cool episode to film with lots of themes in there that were interesting to discuss.

Which episode was the most technically challenging to film this season?

Both: The quarry.

Varada Sethu: I was out for half of it, but episode three, “The Well” was the hardest technically for me. it.  We had these killer spacesuits, and it’s still probably one of my favorite costumes despite what I’m about to say. The suits had these stunning, well-fitted, custom-made helmets that had LED lights in them. They had mics, and you could hear people’s voices through them. Oh my god, it was incredible, but it gave me migraines. There was a night shoot that we did in a quarry in Wales, and it was so cold.

Ncuti Gatwa: I don’t know how many minus degrees it was at 2:00 AM.

Varada Sethu: I managed to get as much of it done as possible with me, and then my stunt double had to take over because my head was pounding. That was probably the hardest technically, but it’s still probably my favorite episode. It’s still one of my favorite costumes.

Ncuti Gatwa: We know it’s worth it, but it hurts. It’s so hot, but it looks so good! Truly suffering for your art.

What qualities and characteristics does Belinda have that will help her gain entry to the Companion Hall of Fame?

Varada Sethu: My favorite thing about Belinda is how strong a person she is and how she’s not like previous companions in that she has her own life and wants to go back. She is not charmed by the Doctor’s smoke and mirrors and sees straight through them. She has this life experience, which comes from her work as a nurse and an A&E [ER] nurse as well, constantly dealing with high stakes and crises. Belinda can read people very well. She can find a sense of humor in moments. She comes at everything from a place of compassion, but she’s also very strong with her boundaries. She holds so much love and affection for the Doctor, but also isn’t afraid to say, ‘how dare you, don’t you dare do that again’ and, ‘you’re great, but I want to go home.’ That’s what I love about her, and I think that’s what makes her special.

What is the Doctor’s biggest fear, and Belinda’s biggest fear?

Ncuti Gatwa: The Doctor’s biggest fear would be losing her. Taking someone to space and introducing them to monsters and robots, and madness. Near death constantly. And so I think that is always, always the doctor’s biggest concern, the safety of the companion, because he lives a dangerous lifestyle and he’s lost people before.

Varada Sethu: I think Belinda’s worst fear is that she’s going to get stuck out in space. She’s got her family, she’s got her whole life that she wants to go back to. She loves the Doctor, but she wants to go home.

Doctor Who season two continues with “Lux” on Saturday April 19 on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, and on Disney+ around the world.

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