Loved Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery? 6 locked-room mysteries to enjoy next
A list of the essential locked-room mysteries every crime fan should know.
With Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery now streaming on Netflix, here's a list of some of the seminal locked-room mysteries from literature. Some of the titles may even be familiar to viewers of the new movie, with a certain reading list playing a key part in Benoit Blanc's investigations... 1. The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr A key influence on Wake Up Dead Man came from this 1935 novel by American author John Dickson Carr. Today, it’s renowned for both the ingenuity of its central locked-room mystery – whereby a murderous visitor seemingly disappears into thin air – and a fourth-wall-stretching speech by sleuth Dr Gideon Fell, who lays out the various methods often used by writers to explain such “impossible crimes”. Can I watch it? Unlike others on the list below, there are no major adaptations of this work outside of a few radio dramas – perhaps re-creating Carr’s solution is an impossible task in and of itself. 2. The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle Holmes and Watson tackle a fiendish criminal in this eerie 1892 short story, about a young woman who dies alone in her locked room a few days after hearing a low whistle. Soon, her surviving sister hears the same noise and understandably believes her time is up. But what could a house full of animals, an unconnected bell cord and a saucer of milk have to do with either murder attempt? Can I watch it? The Speckled Band features as an episode of the classic adaptation Sherlock Holmes, starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes, and is available to stream on ITVX. View Green Video on the source website 3. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie The Queen of Crime didn’t often go in for “classic” locked-room murder mysteries of the sort laid out by Dickson Carr. Still, this influential 1926 novel does provide what could be considered the Christie take on the idea, when the titular wealthy landowner apparently perishes just moments after being left alone in his study. Can I watch it? The obligatory ITV adaptation starring David Suchet’s Poirot perhaps doesn’t quite do the story justice, due to a missing key ingredient from the written version – but for a better onscreen locked-room Poirot, try Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, broadcast in 1994. Both are episodes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, available on ITVX. 4 Have His Carcase by Dorothy L Sayers Dorothy L Sayers’ 1932 work stars her regular sleuths Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, the latter of whom stumbles on a body while out hiking. With the victim found dead on a sandy beach with no footsteps nearby, his blood still warm, it appears a clear suicide – but there’s more to this crime than meets the eye. Can I watch it? The 1980s TV adaptation of this mystery – a three-part episode of the A Dorothy L Sayers Mystery series starring Harriet Walter and Edward Petherbridge – is available now on YouTube. A 1981 radio adaptation starring Ian Carmichael and Maria Aitken also returned to BBC Radio 4 (and BBC Sounds) this month. 5. The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe Poe’s short story was published in 1841 and has been described as the “first modern detective story”. Certainly, it’s one of the earliest locked-room mysteries, exploring a baffling double murder in a fourth-floor room that was locked from the inside. The only clues as to how a mother and daughter were brutally killed are a bloody razor, some tufts of grey hair and two bags of gold coins... Can I watch it? Several adaptations of the story have been attempted. A 1971 version by director Gordon Hessler – which takes a number of liberties with the story – is available on Amazon Prime Video, where you can also rent a 1932 adaptation starring Bela Lugosi. Most recently, a very loose version of the story was included in episode three of Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher. 6. The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux The prototypical locked-room/impossible crime story comes from French author Leroux, published in his 1908 novel (serialised a year earlier). Providing the reader with precise diagrams and floorplans, Leroux invites us to also try and solve the mystery of how a criminal disappeared from a sealed yellow room — and how he then repeated the trick twice more. Can I watch it? Despite adaptations in 1913, 1919, 1930, 1947, 1949, 1965 and 2003, it’s hard to track down a version of it. However, a BBC radio adaptation is available online for free on the Internet Archive, and the story also inspired an episode of Jonathan Creek in 2014 — The Letters of Septimus Noone (available on iPlayer). Read our guide to the best Christmas TV for 2025 The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is available now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Doctor Who favourite Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe spill on Strictly journey and finale return
From first steps to standing ovations: Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe reflect on dancing, friendship, and their post-Strictly Christmas plans.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. At 62, actor Alex Kingston is only three years younger than the mother of her Strictly Come Dancing partner, 38-year-old professional Johannes Radebe. But in this partnership, she was the one learning from him. Over the past few months, they went from tentative first steps to earning standing ovations. And now, despite their Strictly journey ending, they vow they’ll stay on the dance floor one way or another… Alex, what was it like learning from someone younger? ALEX: Oh my gosh, I can’t imagine anyone else being my dance partner. The problem is, now my Strictly journey has come to an end, I will have to carry on dancing and I don’t know who will ever come close to Johannes. JOHANNES: Oh my goodness, we’ll have to book some lessons. I’ve always said that partnerships are special because they grow, and that I always teach like a marriage – even though I have never been married. ALEX: And I’ve been married three times! Did you have a mentor or someone you looked up to earlier in your careers? JOHANNES: As a boy, there was an Australian dancer I watched from a distance from my township in South Africa. His name is Jason Gilkison. I modelled my career on his, and now I am in the same room as him – he’s the creative director of Strictly Come Dancing. It’s an honour to work with him. Nowadays, I go back home to South Africa and run workshops teaching kids to dance. That’s my way of giving back. ALEX: My English teacher saw that I wasn’t academic in the sciences, but she made sure I had an opportunity to begin acting, devising plays where I was the lead. Her name was Margaret Kirk. She’s no longer with us, but I’m forever thankful to her. Are you looking forward to the final, where every Strictly couple returns for a reunion? ALEX: Oh yes, one hundred per cent. Looking at the opening credits of Strictly, seeing all the contestants, you realise how few are left. The first week does seem a long time ago now. It will be really lovely to see all those smiling faces again. JOHANNES: Strictly plus Christmas feels like a warm hug. It’s so dark outside, it’s cold… I know that people are thankful it’s on telly. And finally, what are your post-Strictly Christmas plans? ALEX: We celebrate two Christmasses – the German Christmas on the 24th and the English Christmas on the 25th. I also participate in our village pub panto. This year, it’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. They asked me to be the mirror on the wall, so that if I was still busy with Strictly, I could just record a voiceover! JOHANNES:After two years of not being home for Christmas, I’m jumping on a flight. It’s summer back home. Normally there’s a big barbecue – the whole family’s in the yard, playing music and dancing. Sounds like heaven to me. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One and iPlayer. Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw felt liberated by her transformation
Add The War Between the Land and Sea to your watchlist The Sea Devils have been around in Doctor Who since the 1970s. Were you aware of them? I have to confess, I wasn’t around in the 70s! And I didn’t do a deep-dive into the Sea Devils’ mythology. For me, it was exciting to start where we are, in the world that Russell T Davies has created with the show. For fans of Doctor Who, there are so many nuances and layers that they will pick up on. But you don’t have to know all of that background to really invest in the story, which I think is one of its strengths. You’ve been in the Doctor Who world before in 2007. You played Tish Jones, the sister of companion Martha; now you’re fish-woman Salt. What brought you back? I have such fond memories of working on Doctor Who. It was one of my first TV jobs and there was so much buzz around the show. I’ve seen Russell T Davies socially and in passing over the years. When he reached out about this project, I was really, really excited. But I was also kind of curious and a bit trepidatious, knowing that the character is an amphibian, and it’s something very, very different. Yes, as Salt you’re pretty unrecognisable… I’ve never done such a large-scale creature-character. I thought it would be a really interesting acting challenge, physically. Without spoiling too much of the magic, I spent three hours in hair and make-up every morning with Georgia Brown and Samantha Di Giuseppe. It’s quite a surreal experience as an actor, I think, to look in a mirror and almost not recognise yourself. You’re liberated from all the usual tools you have. Suddenly you don’t have curly hair and brown skin. You’re free to create something completely different. You have what you bring: your face, your physicality. Three hours! Wasn’t that exhausting? It was an arduous process, I’m not going to lie. It’s three hours just to do the face, and there’s the layers of glue and paint. Not to mention when you get into the body, the body armour, the scales and the skin. There were so many pieces, I felt a bit like Frankenstein’s monster! Once you’re all made up… who is Salt, exactly? She’s a warrior. She’s a mother. She’s an ambassador, and she has a very regal presence. She’s a fierce protector of her species, and she meets Barclay [Russell Tovey’s character] in this negotiation process to defend the rights of her people who have been under the sea for many years, dormant, until now. It’s a bit of a parable for climate change — has it made you think about your own habits? Oh my gosh, I know. Here I am, just drinking a glass of water, right? There is a whole sequence about a polluted glass of water in the show. There’s a plastic apocalypse in one episode. Now, every time I see a river or the sea, I do re-evaluate what we’ve done to it, and think about things we take for granted. Russell has done such a beautiful job — and Pete McTighe, the other writer on the show — of illustrating that in a really epic, visceral way that we can understand. Yes, we’re talking about the planet and climate change and the pollution of the oceans. But also, there’s a lot to be said about how we treat other people that we don’t necessarily relate to or think are “one of us”.
The creators and stars of the Netflix hit discuss the dramatic finale and emotional farewells as they take one last trip into the Upside Down
Add Stranger Things to your watchlist Stranger Things has a history of setting and releasing its series during major US holidays, whether that’s series two’s Halloween theme – which featured a deadly pumpkin patch – or the firework-laden 4th of July setting of Stranger Things 3. So, with the final ever episodes of the hit Netflix series airing over the Christmas period, we had to ask the two men who created it – why have you not made a Christmas special? “Like the Star Wars Holiday Special, something like that?” laughs series co-creator Matt Duffer, referencing the infamously awful 1978 straight-to-TV spin-off. “Sadly, there is no Stranger Things Holiday Special. When we were working on it, we didn’t know exactly what the release date was.” Still, that doesn’t mean it’s completely divorced from the festive season. The Duffers have cited Yuletide classic Home Alone as a key influence on this final series – particularly its homespun traps – and lest we forget, one of the key images of the show has always been ominously flickering Christmas lights… “And we do like the idea of releasing it on Christmas,” adds Matt. “Just because we’re film guys and big films were often released at Christmas. We like the idea of people watching it together. So instead of just sitting there by yourself watching on a phone, perhaps it encourages people to sit down as a family or with a group of friends.” Following a cliffhanger episode four released in late November, three more episodes will be released on Boxing Day, while the finale – so secret even the actors aren’t allowed to see it beforehand – drops on New Year’s Eve. The final battle for Hawkins between Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) will also be shown in certain cinemas in America. “It’s really nice that we’re not going to have any super fans rushing ahead and spoiling it,” says Matt’s twin brother and co-creator Ross Duffer. “Everyone can experience that last episode at the same time.” “Filming the ending was very emotional,” Matt continues. “We made it so everybody’s final scene in the show was their final day on the set. Each of those days was really hard, but I would argue it was harder for me and Ross, because we had to experience it many, many times for everybody’s final day!” Certainly, emotions ran high for the series’ original trio. For Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin – who play nerds-turned-heroes Mike, Dustin and Lucas – these final episodes marked the end of their childhoods. Now in their 20s, they were only 13 or 14 when the series began in 2016. “I’ve been on the show for almost half my life,” says McLaughlin. “It’s a big part of what I know. It’s moulded me into the actor I am now, the person I am today. It’s my childhood experience. “So saying goodbye is one of those bittersweet moments. It’s hard. But all good things come to an end. I don’t think we would cherish it if it didn’t end.” “I didn’t cry once!” jokes Wolfhard. “I mean, we shot for so long, we shot a year for this series, and then before that, eight years. So it was a long process of figuring out how to process it.” But will the fans be equally as emotional to say goodbye to Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Eleven and the rest? “I hope fans will feel really satisfied,” says Matarazzo. “It’s very special to us, and we’ve heard from a lot of people that it’s special to them. So we can imagine a good amount of tears just because the whole process is wrapping up. “It’s heavy, you know? It’s five seasons. It’s a decade long, something that a lot of people have invested a good amount of time into. It’ll definitely have an impact.”
Stranger Things creators reveal "very emotional" reactions to ending scenes – as stars talk final goodbye
"Saying goodbye is one of those bittersweet moments. It’s hard. But all good things come to an end."
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Stranger Things has a history of setting and releasing its series during major US holidays, whether that’s season 2's Halloween theme – which featured a deadly pumpkin patch – or the firework-laden 4th of July setting of Stranger Things 3. So, with the final ever episodes of the hit Netflix series airing over the Christmas period, we had to ask the two men who created it – why have you not made a Christmas special? “Like the Star Wars Holiday Special, something like that?” laughs series co-creator Matt Duffer, referencing the infamously awful 1978 straight-to-TV spin-off. “Sadly, there is no Stranger Things Holiday Special. When we were working on it, we didn’t know exactly what the release date was.” Still, that doesn’t mean it’s completely divorced from the festive season. The Duffers have cited Yuletide classic Home Alone as a key influence on this final series – particularly its homespun traps – and lest we forget, one of the key images of the show has always been ominously flickering Christmas lights… “And we do like the idea of releasing it on Christmas,” adds Matt. “Just because we’re film guys and big films were often released at Christmas. We like the idea of people watching it together. So instead of just sitting there by yourself watching on a phone, perhaps it encourages people to sit down as a family or with a group of friends.” Following a cliffhanger episode four released in late November, three more episodes will be released on Boxing Day, while the finale – so secret even the actors aren’t allowed to see it beforehand – drops on New Year’s Eve. The final battle for Hawkins between Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) will also be shown in certain cinemas in America. “It’s really nice that we’re not going to have any super fans rushing ahead and spoiling it,” says Matt’s twin brother and co-creator Ross Duffer. “Everyone can experience that last episode at the same time.” “Filming the ending was very emotional,” Matt continues. “We made it so everybody’s final scene in the show was their final day on the set. Each of those days was really hard, but I would argue it was harder for me and Ross, because we had to experience it many, many times for everybody’s final day!” Certainly, emotions ran high for the series’ original trio. For Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin – who play nerds-turned-heroes Mike, Dustin and Lucas – these final episodes marked the end of their childhoods. Now in their 20s, they were only 13 or 14 when the series began in 2016. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2025/07/StrangerThingsS50011-4747587-e1763381660267.jpg" width="4480" height="2990" alt="Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things season 5" title="Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things season 5" /> “I’ve been on the show for almost half my life,” says McLaughlin. “It’s a big part of what I know. It’s moulded me into the actor I am now, the person I am today. It’s my childhood experience. “So saying goodbye is one of those bittersweet moments. It’s hard. But all good things come to an end. I don’t think we would cherish it if it didn’t end.” “I didn’t cry once!” jokes Wolfhard. “I mean, we shot for so long, we shot a year for this series, and then before that, eight years. So it was a long process of figuring out how to process it.” But will the fans be equally as emotional to say goodbye to Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Eleven and the rest? “I hope fans will feel really satisfied,” says Matarazzo. “It’s very special to us, and we’ve heard from a lot of people that it’s special to them. So we can imagine a good amount of tears just because the whole process is wrapping up. “It’s heavy, you know? It’s five seasons. It’s a decade long, something that a lot of people have invested a good amount of time into. It’ll definitely have an impact.” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Stranger Things 5 premieres on Netflix on Wednesday 26th November. Further episodes follow on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Add Stranger Things to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Two Doors Down writer reveals Christmas episode with a twist – and why the show returned after co-creator’s death
Creator Gregor Sharp on what makes Two Doors Down's Christmas special so heartwarming and unmissable this festive season.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. What makes the perfect sitcom Christmas special? Having now written five festive outings for his Scottish sitcom Two Doors Down, Gregor Sharp has a few ideas. “The audience is slightly different that time of year,” he tells RT. “Somehow, you’re trying to catch what’s magic about Christmas. The line to tread is emotion and warmth, without mawkishness. You’re also very conscious of repetition. Early on we did one set around a Christmas lunch. It now feels like it would be difficult to find an original angle on that.” So this year, the special isn’t even set in December. It’s late November, and long-suffering neighbourhood hosts Beth and Eric (Arabella Weir and Alex Norton) impulsively decide to put up their tree early. Cue their troublesome neighbours turning up, asking what gives the Bairds the right to “declare it’s Christmas” – and demanding a wee mince pie. “It’s typical of the show,” says Sharp. “It’s those moments that should be harmonious, but there’s a bit of tension as people bring up their expectations around Christmas. “There are certain shows that Christmas specials really work for,” he muses. “I think that Two Doors Down is by accident one of those, just because it’s a very domestic set. You’re not having to bend it.” The new Christmas special will also be a welcome return for a show that, following the unexpected death of co-creator Simon Carlyle in 2023, seemed like it might be gone for good. “In the immediate aftermath of all that, it felt like there was no appetite for it,” Sharp says. “And then, I suppose, time passes, and you go, ‘Well, actually, creatively, there’s more to do there.’ “It’s a real privilege to have a Christmas episode. Whether everyone would want to do more than that, we don’t know yet. It’s over to the audience now.” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Two Doors Down returns to BBC One this Christmas. Stream old episodes on iPlayer. Add Two Doors Down to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The show’s first script was rejected 20 times. Now, five seasons on, The Duffer Brothers are moving on to even stranger things
Add Stranger Things to your watchlist Over one billion hours streamed of the most recent season; sold-out West End and Broadway shows; 15 million Funko Pop action figures bought by obsessed fans. Stranger Things is, by any metric, a runaway success, a bona fide pop culture phenomenon for under-20s to rival Star Wars or Marvel. One can only imagine the dream team of top writers, big-name stars and slick executives who brainstormed Netflix’s mega-hit into existence. Or perhaps not… “We were all failures. Complete failures,” says Matt Duffer, one half of the twin writer-director duo known as The Duffer Brothers, who created the drama. “Before we made this, we had only experienced heartbreak. We thought it was going to happen again.” From where they’re sitting as we speak, the star attraction at one of Europe’s biggest pop culture conventions in Lucca, Italy, his words seem ridiculous. Attended by 280,000 guests, the festival – which saw the 41-year-old brothers and the cast swamped by hordes of screaming fans – is but a modest first stop on a worldwide press tour for Stranger Things 5, the culmination of their franchise nine years after it began. But back in 2016, it was a different story. The Duffers weren’t sought-after creatives – they were 30-something wannabe film directors whose first projects had stalled. The story of Stranger Things and Will, a young boy who disappears in the 1980s while a terrifying monster attacks his friends, was deemed uncommercial. And while Winona Ryder (who plays the missing boy’s mother, Joyce) had been a star in her day, the rest of the cast was largely filled with unknowns and untested child stars. “None of us had had a success,” says Matt’s brother Ross. “We were a group of misfit toys.” It’s a familiar feeling for them. Born in North Carolina in 1984 – a few months after the first season of Stranger Things is set – the Duffer brothers remember themselves as uncool, movie-obsessed nerds, bullied and overlooked in much the same way as the heroes of their series. “One reason Ross and I loved film so much was because it was transportive,” says Matt. “You get to experience worlds and characters that you wouldn’t otherwise. We lived in a medium-sized town in North Carolina, but we got to go on all these incredible adventures.” As adults, after trying and failing to make it in movies, the pair turned to TV, where those childhood experiences came in handy. “We always felt like outsiders growing up,” says Ross. “Obviously, we didn’t have monsters thrown in our way, or anyone kidnapped. But you still have so many obstacles growing up, and it can feel hard to fit in, and it can be so scary at times.” Those feelings of not belonging, of endless childhood possibility – plus their formative love of 70s and 80s creatives like Steven Spielberg, Stephen King and John Carpenter – would form the nucleus of what became Stranger Things. At first, their script for Montauk – as the series was originally called – was rejected “15 to 20” times. Eventually, Hollywood director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Deadpool & Wolverine) took a chance and backed the young creatives. But even then, no one seriously expected the show to last long. “When we were working on season one, we weren’t expecting there to be a season two,” Matt says. “I would say David Harbour was the least confident that the show would be successful.” That’s putting it mildly. Harbour, who has played gruff police chief Jim Hopper since the first episode, was so downhearted at the lack of promotion for Stranger Things that he locked himself away in his apartment, stayed off the internet and shaved his head. “He loved doing the show, and he was proud of it, but he was discouraged by the lack of subway ads that Netflix put out,” Matt laughs. But despite starting slowly, the first season became a word-of-mouth hit, snowballing into a pop culture behemoth. It went viral online, attracting celebrity fans and huge viewing figures. Soon, people were dressing up as Millie Bobby Brown’s telekinetic pre-teen Eleven for Halloween, buying action figures of the monstrous Demogorgon and raiding their parents’ wardrobes to copy the 80s fashion. The fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, where the show is set, now has its name plastered on millions of T-shirts around the world. And with each subsequent season, the buzz and cultural power only grew. The use of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill in a pivotal scene in Stranger Things 4 saw the song shoot to number one in the UK for the first time. But unquestionably, the biggest boost was felt by the show’s youngest cast members, catapulted from relatively ordinary lives to stardom incredibly quickly. Just 12 when she started filming, British actor Millie Bobby Brown – who as Eleven, became the face of the series – is now one of the world’s most in-demand actors. Her similarly-aged co-stars Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard and Sadie Sink, who form the core “party” of the series, have also gone on to become Hollywood fixtures. “Millie says she doesn’t remember life before Stranger Things,” Matt says. “That’s how much of a part of their lives this show is. So, moving past it, I think it’s both freeing and exciting, but also sad and scary for them.” “Any time we see them out doing other films and working with other great film-makers, it’s such a thrill,” adds Ross. “It’s amazing to discover someone and sort of show them to the world.” “You hear horror stories,” continues Matt. “You know, you create a star and they turn into a monster. That wasn’t the case. I wouldn’t say we feel like parental figures to the cast, more like older brothers. That makes me feel less old.” Of course, while not quite as baby-faced as their cast, the Duffers were just 32 when Stranger Things debuted. Today, it’s hard to imagine a pair of unproven writer/directors being given the keys to a show as big as this. “When you look back at season one,” says Ross, “it feels quaint and small compared to now – but it felt like a massive undertaking.” “We’ve certainly learnt a lot about visual effects,” adds Matt. “I rewatch season one and I cringe. It looks so much worse.” “We also had a lot less money,” interjects Ross. “True – but we also didn’t know what we were doing!” Matt concludes. “And did we know it was going to take 10 years? Absolutely not. We’ve sometimes had to turn down interesting opportunities, but we have no regrets about staying on and telling this particular story.” Their story comes to an end with Stranger Things 5. We return to a Hawkins transformed – after the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) literally cracked open the town in the previous season, its residents are now under quarantine. Meanwhile, a military group is conducting experiments on the Upside Down, an alternate dimension, which has been leaking into the real world since season one. It’s up to our heroes to track down Vecna and save their town. “Every season, we would run out of time or space to explore everything,” says Matt. “We’d say, ‘we’ll deal with that next season’. There wasn’t that luxury any more.” “The big one is, what is the Upside Down, exactly?” adds Ross. “That’s the biggest question that we wanted to answer.” Four episodes drop this week, followed by three more on Boxing Day. The feature-length finale, which is being screened in some cinemas in America, comes to Netflix on New Year’s Eve. “The scale is bigger than anything we’ve had before,” says Matt. “Hopefully it’s fun, exciting, scary – everything you want out of the show.” The Duffers are good at keeping secrets. They won’t be drawn on plot hints, character deaths or even details on the other hot topic among fans – a long-rumoured spin-off that remains a mystery. But following the prequel stage play in London and New York, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, anticipation is high for more Stranger Things stories. “I don’t want to say too much,” says Ross. “We’ve had the idea for a live-action spin-off for a few years, and only recently have we actually had the time and bandwidth to work on it. That’s sort of the next big thing in the Stranger Things universe. But it’s not a continuation of the story of any of these characters in the flagship show, or of Hawkins. We really are trying to close the door on all of that with this final season. So it’s a new story, but one that works in this universe.” “It very much feels like Stranger Things,” agrees Matt. “As soon as Stranger Things 5 releases we’re going to jump into working properly on the spin-off. We’re really excited about it.” Sometimes, however, success can be as much of a burden as failure. “I liked in season one that we felt we were under the radar,” Matt muses. “I liked the underdog status that we had. So it’s been hard losing that. “But it’s worth the trade-off. You have so many people watching the show, it allows us to tell exactly the story that we want to tell.” Subconsciously or not, he slips back into the language of Stranger Things to conclude his point. “There’s definitely more upside than downside.”
Stranger Things creators reveal the biggest question answered in the final season and tease future spin-offs
The Duffer Brothers reveal how they went from "complete failures" to creating one of Netflix's biggest hits.
Over one billion hours streamed of the most recent season; sold-out West End and Broadway shows; 15 million Funko Pop action figures bought by obsessed fans. Stranger Things is, by any metric, a runaway success, a bona fide pop culture phenomenon for under-20s to rival Star Wars or Marvel. One can only imagine the dream team of top writers, big-name stars and slick executives who brainstormed Netflix’s mega-hit into existence. Or perhaps not… “We were all failures. Complete failures,” says Matt Duffer, one half of the twin writer-director duo known as The Duffer Brothers, who created the drama. “Before we made this, we had only experienced heartbreak. We thought it was going to happen again.” From where they’re sitting as we speak, the star attraction at one of Europe’s biggest pop culture conventions in Lucca, Italy, his words seem ridiculous. Attended by 280,000 guests, the festival – which saw the 41-year-old brothers and the cast swamped by hordes of screaming fans – is but a modest first stop on a worldwide press tour for Stranger Things 5, the culmination of their franchise nine years after it began. But back in 2016, it was a different story. The Duffers weren’t sought-after creatives – they were 30-something wannabe film directors whose first projects had stalled. The story of Stranger Things and Will, a young boy who disappears in the 1980s while a terrifying monster attacks his friends, was deemed uncommercial. And while Winona Ryder (who plays the missing boy’s mother, Joyce) had been a star in her day, the rest of the cast was largely filled with unknowns and untested child stars. “None of us had had a success,” says Matt’s brother Ross. “We were a group of misfit toys.” It’s a familiar feeling for them. Born in North Carolina in 1984 – a few months after the first season of Stranger Things is set – the Duffer brothers remember themselves as uncool, movie-obsessed nerds, bullied and overlooked in much the same way as the heroes of their series. “One reason Ross and I loved film so much was because it was transportive,” says Matt. “You get to experience worlds and characters that you wouldn’t otherwise. We lived in a medium-sized town in North Carolina, but we got to go on all these incredible adventures.” As adults, after trying and failing to make it in movies, the pair turned to TV, where those childhood experiences came in handy. “We always felt like outsiders growing up,” says Ross. “Obviously, we didn’t have monsters thrown in our way, or anyone kidnapped. But you still have so many obstacles growing up, and it can feel hard to fit in, and it can be so scary at times.” Those feelings of not belonging, of endless childhood possibility – plus their formative love of 70s and 80s creatives like Steven Spielberg, Stephen King and John Carpenter – would form the nucleus of what became Stranger Things. At first, their script for Montauk – as the series was originally called – was rejected “15 to 20” times. Eventually, Hollywood director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Deadpool & Wolverine) took a chance and backed the young creatives. But even then, no one seriously expected the show to last long. “When we were working on season one, we weren’t expecting there to be a season two,” Matt says. “I would say David Harbour was the least confident that the show would be successful.” That’s putting it mildly. Harbour, who has played gruff police chief Jim Hopper since the first episode, was so downhearted at the lack of promotion for Stranger Things that he locked himself away in his apartment, stayed off the internet and shaved his head. “He loved doing the show, and he was proud of it, but he was discouraged by the lack of subway ads that Netflix put out,” Matt laughs. But despite starting slowly, the first season became a word-of-mouth hit, snowballing into a pop culture behemoth. It went viral online, attracting celebrity fans and huge viewing figures. Soon, people were dressing up as Millie Bobby Brown’s telekinetic pre-teen Eleven for Halloween, buying action figures of the monstrous Demogorgon and raiding their parents’ wardrobes to copy the 80s fashion. The fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, where the show is set, now has its name plastered on millions of T-shirts around the world.And with each subsequent season, the buzz and cultural power only grew. The use of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill in a pivotal scene in Stranger Things 4 saw the song shoot to number one in the UK for the first time. But unquestionably, the biggest boost was felt by the show’s youngest cast members, catapulted from relatively ordinary lives to stardom incredibly quickly. Just 12 when she started filming, British actor Millie Bobby Brown – who as Eleven, became the face of the series – is now one of the world’s most in-demand actors. Her similarly-aged co-stars Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard and Sadie Sink, who form the core “party” of the series, have also gone on to become Hollywood fixtures. “Millie says she doesn’t remember life before Stranger Things,” Matt says. “That’s how much of a part of their lives this show is. So, moving past it, I think it’s both freeing and exciting, but also sad and scary for them.” <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2025/07/StrangerThingsS50011-4747587-e1763381660267.jpg" width="4480" height="2990" alt="Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things season 5" title="Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things season 5" /> “Any time we see them out doing other films and working with other great film-makers, it’s such a thrill,” adds Ross. “It’s amazing to discover someone and sort of show them to the world.” “You hear horror stories,” continues Matt. “You know, you create a star and they turn into a monster. That wasn’t the case. I wouldn’t say we feel like parental figures to the cast, more like older brothers. That makes me feel less old.” Of course, while not quite as baby-faced as their cast, the Duffers were just 32 when Stranger Things debuted. Today, it’s hard to imagine a pair of unproven writer/directors being given the keys to a show as big as this. “When you look back at season one,” says Ross, “it feels quaint and small compared to now – but it felt like a massive undertaking.” “We’ve certainly learnt a lot about visual effects,” adds Matt. “I rewatch season one and I cringe. It looks so much worse.” “We also had a lot less money,” interjects Ross. “True – but we also didn’t know what we were doing!” Matt concludes. “And did we know it was going to take 10 years? Absolutely not. We’ve sometimes had to turn down interesting opportunities, but we have no regrets about staying on and telling this particular story.” Their story comes to an end with Stranger Things 5. We return to a Hawkins transformed – after the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) literally cracked open the town in the previous season, its residents are now under quarantine. Meanwhile, a military group is conducting experiments on the Upside Down, an alternate dimension, which has been leaking into the real world since season one. It’s up to our heroes to track down Vecna and save their town. “Every season, we would run out of time or space to explore everything,” says Matt. “We’d say, ‘we’ll deal with that next season’. There wasn’t that luxury any more.” “The big one is, what is the Upside Down, exactly?” adds Ross. “That’s the biggest question that we wanted to answer.” Four episodes drop this week, followed by three more on Boxing Day. The feature-length finale, which is being screened in some cinemas in America, comes to Netflix on New Year’s Eve. “The scale is bigger than anything we’ve had before,” says Matt. “Hopefully it’s fun, exciting, scary – everything you want out of the show.” The Duffers are good at keeping secrets. They won’t be drawn on plot hints, character deaths or even details on the other hot topic among fans – a long-rumoured spin-off that remains a mystery. But following the prequel stage play in London and New York, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, anticipation is high for more Stranger Things stories. View Green Video on the source website “I don’t want to say too much,” says Ross. “We’ve had the idea for a live-action spin-off for a few years, and only recently have we actually had the time and bandwidth to work on it. That’s sort of the next big thing in the Stranger Things universe. But it’s not a continuation of the story of any of these characters in the flagship show, or of Hawkins. We really are trying to close the door on all of that with this final season. So it’s a new story, but one that works in this universe.” “It very much feels like Stranger Things,” agrees Matt. “As soon as Stranger Things 5 releases we’re going to jump into working properly on the spin-off. We’re really excited about it.” Sometimes, however, success can be as much of a burden as failure. “I liked in season one that we felt we were under the radar,” Matt muses. “I liked the underdog status that we had. So it’s been hard losing that. “But it’s worth the trade-off. You have so many people watching the show, it allows us to tell exactly the story that we want to tell.” Subconsciously or not, he slips back into the language of Stranger Things to conclude his point. “There’s definitely more upside than downside.” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream. Add Stranger Things to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea gives new name for classic monster: "It's racist to say Sea Devil"
Climate - Sustainable contributions within wider content
When the Sea Devils rise again, they’re not monsters – they’re Homo Aqua.
The first time you see a blue, six-foot fish-man walking towards you, it’s a shock. But after your third or fourth – and once you’ve seen them yawning, stretching and singing Whitney Houston songs between takes – you get used to it. After all, rubbing fins with the blue and scaly is everyday life on the set of The War Between the Land and the Sea, the new spin-off from sci-fi stalwart Doctor Who that reimagines the classic 1972 monsters, the Sea Devils. Although… "It’s racist to say Sea Devil," screenwriter Russell T Davies tells RT, with a twinkle in his eye. In the context of the show, he says, the sea-dwelling race prefer to be called "Homo Aqua". And don’t call them monsters – arguably, it’s we humans who are the villains of the piece. After years of humankind polluting the oceans, Homo Aqua have had enough, with violence brewing unless human negotiator Barclay (Russell Tovey) and aquatic ambassador Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) can broker peace. "I think every writer in the world is thinking, how do you write about the climate crisis?" says Davies, while showing us around the twisted, tendril-strewn dome of the Homo Aqua base. "We’re already in a climate war. This just dramatises it. "When they first approached me about coming back to Doctor Who in 2021, this was the first bit of my pitch," he adds. "I had this idea separately first. "But weirdly, it needs the Doctor Who setting. If I just go and pitch this cold, saying, ‘There is a race of creatures that live in the sea…' They’d say, 'Really? You sure?' The pre-existence of the Sea Devils takes all the problems out of it." Read more: Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea releases epic teaser Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea has release window confirmed with new-look images Still, despite the presence of a Jon Pertwee-era monster, several returning Who characters (led by Jemma Redgrave’s UNIT boss Kate Stewart) and, in Tovey and Mbatha-Raw, two leads who starred as different characters in Davies’s 2005–2010 Doctor Who run, we shouldn’t expect a repeat of the main show — or for a familiar blue police box to turn up. "It’s deliberately tougher. There are things here that would never happen in a Doctor Who story," Davies says. "It’s in the same universe, but just a different slant. I’m really pleased with it." Missing Doctor Who? Register now for Radio Times' Doctor Who Insiders club for exclusive interviews with Doctor Who legends every month. Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Russell T Davies on the new Doctor Who spin-off, The War between the Land and the Sea
Add The War between the Land and the Sea to your watchlist The first time you see a blue, six-foot fish-man walking towards you, it’s a shock. But after your third or fourth — and once you’ve seen them yawning, stretching and singing Whitney Houston songs between takes — you get used to it. After all, rubbing fins with the blue and scaly is everyday life on the set of The War between the Land and the Sea, the new spin-off from sci-fi stalwart Doctor Who that reimagines classic 1972 monsters the Sea Devils. Although… “It’s racist to say Sea Devil,” screenwriter Russell T Davies tells RT, with a twinkle in his eye. In the context of the show, he says, the sea-dwelling race prefer to be called “Homo Aqua”. And don’t call them monsters — arguably, it’s we humans who are the villains of the piece. After years of humankind polluting the oceans, Homo Aqua have had enough, with violence brewing unless human negotiator Barclay (Russell Tovey) and aquatic ambassador Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) can broker peace. “I think every writer in the world is thinking, how do you write about the climate crisis?” says Davies, while showing us around the twisted, tendril-strewn dome of the Homo Aqua base. “We’re already in a climate war. This just dramatises it. “When they first approached me about coming back to Doctor Who in 2021, this was the first bit of my pitch,” he adds. “I had this idea separately first. But weirdly, it needs the Doctor Who setting. If I just go and pitch this cold, saying, ‘There is a race of creatures that live in the sea…’ They’d say, ‘Really? You sure?’ The pre-existence of the Sea Devils takes all the problems out of it.” Still, despite the presence of a Jon Pertwee-era monster, several returning Who characters (led by Jemma Redgrave’s UNIT boss Kate Stewart) and in Tovey and Mbatha-Raw two leads who starred as different characters in Davies’s 2005—2010 Doctor Who run, we shouldn’t expect a repeat of the main show. Or for a familiar blue police box to turn up. “It’s deliberately tougher. There are things here that would never happen in a Doctor Who story,” Davies says. “It’s in the same universe, but just a different slant. I’m really pleased with it.” The War between the Land and the Sea comes to BBC One later this year
'If I get picked to be a Traitor, I'll be ecstatic'
The 73-year-old actor is hoping to feel Claudia's hand on her shoulder…
Add The Celebrity Traitors to your watchlist Celia, why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors? Well, it’s the most talked about game on television, isn’t it? On both sides of the Atlantic – worldwide in fact. I just think it’s such a clever invention. I’d love to meet the person who thought it up. What will you bring to the game? It’s a very good thing to remain as open as possible, really. But people think I’m nice, which could be useful. Are you good at reading people, would you say? Can you spot a liar? Yes, but I’ve got to have time. I don’t think it’s an instant thing. I want to give myself time to scrutinise their body language. Do you want to be a Traitor or a Faithful? I don’t really mind – if Claudia’s hand goes on my shoulder, I’ll be ecstatic with excitement. But I do think it’s quite a hard job. We recently spoke to you for your role in The Thursday Murder Club — was all that mystery and murder good practice? In a strange sort of way, yes. More generally, I suppose, being an actor, you do spend your life pretending to be somebody else, so that’s quite an advantage. But it is also a horror, because you haven’t got a character to hide behind here. It’s quite exposing. It’s true, we rarely see Celia Imrie “as herself”… In my autobiography I say that actresses are likened to Victorian young girls sitting round a ballroom on their gilt chairs waiting to be asked to dance. We all have to wait for the part to come along. Yes, I could play Hedda Gabler in my attic but there’s nobody to tell me how good I am. If I was Van Gogh, I could create a painting in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t need an audience. The only thing I have tried to do in terms of control in my career is to attempt to try and do something as different to the last thing so as not to be pigeonholed. And this, to be a player of The Traitors, is as different to anything else I have ever done. Speaking of the game — how do you feel about the Missions? I’m quite nervous about them. I watched a bit of the first series where people were upside down on one of those wheels. That would give me the absolute heebie jeebies. I wouldn’t want to be a bad sport, but I really wouldn’t want to do that. I’m not mad about heights – I used to love fairground rides when I was younger, but not now. You’ve watched the previous series — do you have a favourite player? The young soldier boy, Harry Clark [from series two]. I was so on his side all the way through, and then I thought he was a wretch at the end! Clearly, the game changes people — will we might see a different side to you? Yes, quite possibly. I have a naughty streak that I find hard to suppress.
'This is the first thing I’ve ever done as myself'
Comedian and actor Nick Mohammed, 44, rarely appears publicly when he's not in character… so how will he cope in the castle?
Add The Celebrity Traitors to your watchlist Nick, why join The Celebrity Traitors? I absolutely adore the show, and always have done. This is the first thing I’ve ever done as myself. I did Taskmaster, which was sort of as me, but even that, I decided to dress as Dracula to hide behind something. In my comedy I’m usually in character, so I tend not to do much as myself to preserve that element of mystery. But there was no way I was going to give up an opportunity like this! I’ve always loved games like this and to hang out with such a wonderful bunch too – what a privilege. So, your character Mr Swallow won’t be making an appearance? Sadly, I think Nick Mohammed was booked rather than Mr Swallow. But also, can you imagine how irritating that would be, not just for the people taking part, but. for the nation! There are always potential tactics from your other work — perhaps a rousing team talk à la Ted Lasso? Maybe that would be good at the Round Table – a sort of Gladiator-style motivational speech. But you don’t want to draw too much attention to yourself or make yourself a target. I don’t know if I would want to do anything too overconfident, because it’s like when Kas [in series three] did a toast to the first person who went and then was immediately suspected as being a Traitor. He was clearly a lovely, lovely guy, I just don’t want to fall into the same trap. It’s a fine line to tread. If you blend into the background too much, people will think you’re deliberately hiding. Have you got a strategy? I think I’ll just try and be quite easy breezy in the first instance. A little further down the line you can maybe start considering strategy – and it also depends on whether I’m made a Traitor or a Faithful. There’s a certain thrill of being made a Traitor, of course, and you’re in a little bit more control, but if I’m a Faithful, I’ll also have that constant worry each night whether I’ll be murdered. That said, I’ve got a lovely family, so it’s sort of a win, win. When my time is up, I get to go back home and see them! Have you done anything to prepare? I’ve thought about it a lot. It was strange watching series three, knowing I was going to be doing it in a few months’ time. But it’s always different with a different group of people, so you can’t copy what previous players have done. I had a couple of dreams about it. One was that I had to do the whole thing in an American accent! Are you looking forward to the Missions? Loads! I love all of that. And how camp the whole show is – the kind of gothic, Wicker Man vibe that they have. Yeah, can’t wait! Would you say that you’re good at reading people? I think I can smell bulls**t, but I think someone lying specifically about whether they’re a Traitor or not is a very different thing because it’s quite abstract. You’ve not chosen it, you’ve been selected. And some people might be amazing at it. That’s the thrill of it. Do you think you’ve got a good poker face? A lot of people I’ve worked with will testify that I do often get the giggles. My biggest worry is the moment when the blindfolds are taken off at the start, because irrespective of whether I’ve been made a Traitor or a Faithful, I’ll struggle not to smile. That is a real, genuine worry.
TV has a new crime-busting priest – he’s like me, but hotter, says creator the Rev Richard Coles
Add Murder Before Evensong to your watchlist "Do you know how many vicar detectives there are in fiction?” asks musician, priest and now writer the Rev Richard Coles. “No? There’s 200. If you think about it, vicars are very likely candidates for murder mysteries. You get stuck in everywhere and nobody asks what you’re doing.” But even outside the world of so-called cosy crime, Coles says dealing with murder is a part of any priest’s job. “I was in central London, then left to become a vicar of a semi-rural parish for 12 years. Everybody said, ‘Oh, you’ll get bored. You’ll just be doing village fêtes.’ But there was a murder in my first week. Or rather, an alleged murder. It happens, you see. The human heart is the human heart. It’s darkness and it’s light wherever you go. “Murder victims need to have funerals, just like everybody else. Often you’ll find yourself doing funerals not just for murder victims but for murderers, too. Everyone comes to your door in the end.” With this on-the-job experience, plus the fact that his brother was a detective at Scotland Yard, it was perhaps fate that Coles would turn to writing holy whodunnits. His addition to the, er, canon is cultured cleric Daniel Clement, who solved his first case in the 2022 novel Murder before Evensong, before returning for three more novels (and a short story). Now he’s getting the TV treatment, with Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis stepping into a cassock for a six-episode adaptation, in which Daniel’s roped in to hunt down a killer in a 1988 Midlands village. “Readers think that Daniel Clement is basically me and when I saw Matthew in costume, he actually does look like a hotter version of me,” says Coles. “So that’s a little bit of mental rearrangement!” Given how closely the series cleaves to Coles’s own experiences – like him, Daniel has moved to a village parish after time in London, and has a fondness for sausage dogs – I wonder at a line of dialogue in the second episode. Daniel ruffles feathers by praying for mercy for the mystery killer, telling his detective sidekick later, “I don’t believe in retribution.” Does Coles feel the same? “I think God’s mercy is coterminous with God’s judgement,” he replies. “To speak of them in isolation of the other is theologically… not quite “meaningless” exactly, but fruitless. “There is always mercy for those who seek it and want it. My job as a priest would be to make it as easy as possible for anyone to find their way to it. A couple of people… I couldn’t forgive them. But then I would think, ‘I’m glad there is a God who could.’” It seems that reassurance of things made right is also at the heart of the fictional genre. “It’s interesting: British murder mysteries were very popular at the end of the 1930s, because we sensed a world of menace,” Coles suggests. “Again, today the world is growingly uncertain. Murder mysteries condense that, and then someone fixes it, and makes us feel OK again.” Praise be! IN GOOD FAITH Matthew Lewis swaps magic for murder You’re an atheist — what was it like playing a man of the cloth? Well, I didn’t immediately burst into flames when I put on a dog collar, so that was a good start. When I told my family and friends what I was going to be doing, once they stopped laughing, they said, “That’s going to really push your acting chops.” I’m someone who’s not a particularly huge fan of organised religion, and yet can’t help but feel like it still has a part to play in society in some way. What did Richard make of that? I am, as an actor and a human being, fascinated by faith and Richard’s faith. I’ve had more than my fair share of theological discussions and debates with him, which have been a real pleasure. Because I find his particular faith fascinating and so interesting — as someone who has none! A lot of readers have thought Daniel is basically Richard writing himself — do you agree? I think there’s more of him in Daniel than he cares to admit, but it’s not him. Your first job was bringing a famous book character to life, as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter movies — did you have any misgivings about doing it again? There’s trepidation. Much like we had with Harry Potter, we’re trying to appeal to new fans who haven’t read the books. But at the same time we really want to make sure that we don’t cast aside the people who have. I’m a passionate reader myself, and I know some adaptations that have left me with a bitter taste. I want to make sure that people who read it and love it, still love this, too. I want to get it right.
As the Celebrity Traitors convene at Claudia Winkleman’s Highlands castle, Uncloaked host Ed Gamble reveals who he thinks has the wits to win the game
Add The Celebrity Traitors to your watchlist The torches are lit, the Round Table waxed and polished, the green cloaks freshly dry-cleaned, all ready for the latest return to the cut-throat world of The Traitors. And this time, you’ll recognise some of the faces under the hoods. Yes, the inevitable has happened – after three smash-hit series of glossy betrayal on BBC One, we’re getting the celebrity version. But this is no cheap cash-in, with genuine, A-list household names like Stephen Fry, Tom Daley and Clare Balding among the 19 famous faces being put through their paces by Claudia Winkleman. “I could barely breathe when I saw them all in the Highlands,” Winkleman says. “I’m such a fan of every single one of them. The whole team were just in awe, it was hard not to scream, ‘You’re here!’” “Any worry that they’re going to take it easy on these people because they’re celebrities – you can forget about that,” adds comedian Ed Gamble, host of companion series The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked. “We’ll get to see how they cope under that amount of pressure, and whether they will let slip their media-trained mask. But it’s still the Traitors we know and love.” Though perhaps, for those playing it’s a little trickier. Normally, Traitors contestants are strangers to each other, sometimes even rewriting their backstories to play the game. Here, there’s no chance of pretending to have a different job – or putting on a fake Welsh accent. “You’ve made a lot of your decisions about someone if you’ve seen them on television for years,” agrees Gamble. “I think that throws an extra spanner in the works.” Over the last two series of the main show, Gamble has gone toe-to-toe with every Traitor and Faithful on Uncloaked, commiserating with and grilling them on every double-cross, bad vote and tough decision they’ve made throughout the game. In other words, he’s seen it all. So which celebrities does he think have what it takes to win the game as Faithful or Traitor? Here are his first impressions and his dagger rating of how far he thinks each celebrity will go… Stephen Fry Actor/writer/presenter “Stephen’s renowned for being witty and erudite, as well as a hugely intelligent, perceptive man. So, I think he is built for a game like The Traitors. But you never know what happens to people in these situations. “At the beginning of the game, you’ve got nothing to go on. And, you know, the discussions might come around to: ‘Stephen would be a good Traitor. He’s very intelligent.’ I’d give him five if it wasn’t for that.” 4 DAGGERS Celia Imrie Actor “Celia’s an actor, and in past civilian series of The Traitors, people have hidden being actors. Because people latch onto anything — they might think, ‘Maybe that means they’re a Traitor. If they’re an actor, they’re good at lying, aren’t they?’ “That said, I think people love Celia so much that even if they suspect her, they won’t do anything, because it’s Celia Imrie, and how dare you! I actually might give Celia a five. She’s got sort of “queen of the castle” vibes.” 5 DAGGERS Nick Mohammed Actor/comedian “I’ve known Nick since 2005 when I was 19, so I was very excited to see him in the line-up! He is an incredibly nice man and I can’t imagine him wanting to wish harm on anyone — or coping with that level of pressure. “But to his benefit, he’s clever, he can be a little bit quieter, and people just naturally love him. So, I will give Nick four. I think he’s incredibly perceptive, and people will naturally warm to him.” 4 DAGGERS Tom Daley Olympian/author/ broadcaster/entrepreneur “Tom Daley is a very nice man. He has obviously achieved a lot in his life and his career. But I wonder if he’ll be a bit too nice…” 3 DAGGERS Charlotte Church Singer/activist “Charlotte’s reputation and position within the British public is unassailable — she obviously started working as a child, and then became a national treasure. She’s a lovely person, and wants everyone to be OK. But I think she’s got more of a sharp edge to her than people might think.” 3 DAGGERS Joe Wilkinson Comedian “I’ve known Joe for ages. He’s incredibly funny, but I’ve never seen him be arsed to do anything! I think Joe will have a nice time, but I don’t know if he can be bothered. There are people I feel comfortable giving a one to, and Joe is one of them.” 1 DAGGER Jonathan Ross Presenter “I’ve grown up watching Jonathan. He’s very good at asking people questions, and he’s very good at getting to the heart of the matter. So that might help him in the castle.” 4 DAGGERS Cat Burns Singer/songwriter “I knew very little about Cat Burns until recently, because I’m not particularly plugged into the Gen Z pop music scene. I think that might serve her well, because fewer of them will know who she is, or be familiar with her work. Going in with a little less preconception might make her an interesting contestant. There’s a question mark around her.” 3.5 DAGGERS Clare Balding Broadcaster/author “Look, they’re all legends here. That’s the umbrella term. Clare Balding has been working in broadcasting for so long, so is good at getting the most out of people, and good at assessing a situation. She’s also lovely, so I wonder whether she’s too lovely for the situation. But we will see. I’m going to give Clare Balding a three, which is sort of my question mark number. No fives yet, you’ll notice…” 3 DAGGERS David Olusoga Historian/film-maker “David Olusoga is also hugely intelligent. We can put him up there in the Fry ranks, I think, and he’s a very calming presence as well. At the Round Table, perhaps, an asset. Regardless of whether he’s a Faithful or Traitor, I think he will bring the group together.” 4 DAGGERS Alan Carr Comedian “Alan is one of the loveliest people on the planet. I don’t know him particularly well but whenever I see him, his life seems like a whirlwind, so I wonder if he would be slightly too chaotic to find a Traitor, or be a Traitor. He’s always got a joke ready, though. So maybe that will help him in the castle.” 3 DAGGERS Joe Marler Former England rugby player/podcaster “I’m not particularly a rugby fan, but I was aware of Joe’s work through his podcast. He is an extremely funny man. I think he will be popular within the group. He seems to like a laugh. But there are some people in there that like a laugh so much, I wonder if they can be serious when they need to. I want to give him a two, but I’m going to give him a three because he is absolutely massive, and could crush me with his little finger.” 3 DAGGERS Kate Garraway Broadcaster “Again, a professional interviewer. She deals with difficult people on a regular basis, and is friendly and open. But the thing is, with people who seem genuine and seem open within their work, that could be an advantage or a disadvantage based on their role within the game.” 2 DAGGERS Mark Bonnar Actor “He’s been in a show like Line of Duty, which was largely about subterfuge and hiding your role, and I feel like people could use that against him potentially. The acting thing can be an advantage or a disadvantage. I think Mark loves the show, which helps. And Mark is well loved and seems like a very genuine man. So, I’m going to go a bit higher.” 4 DAGGERS Niko Omilana Content creator “I’ve seen a few of Niko’s YouTube videos. Quite a lot of them involve him asking spoof questions to people. So, there’s an element of subterfuge there, which might be relevant experience. He has the same advantage as Cat Burns — I’m not sure how much Niko’s work with The Beta Squad will be in Stephen Fry or Celia Imrie’s sphere of interest. He may benefit from being a little less known amongst that group, even though he’s absolutely huge within his own audience.” 4 DAGGERS Lucy Beaumont Comedian “I’m going to be harsher on the comedians because I do know them! Lucy Beaumont is incredibly funny. She’s very talented. But she’s one of the maddest people I’ve ever met in my life. You never know what’s going to come out of Lucy Beaumont’s mouth. So, I think maybe she could cause chaos in there among all camps within the castle.” 2 DAGGERS Paloma Faith Singer/songwriter/actor “Paloma Faith is brilliant. She’s so funny, but from what I’ve seen of her she has no filter. And I think that could be an issue in the castle. She’s well liked though, so I think people will trust her. Sorry to be boring, but I’m going to give another three.” 3 DAGGERS Ruth Codd Actor “I’ve watched quite a lot of Ruth’s acting work — she’s been in some really good Mike Flanagan projects, and I’m a big Mike Flanagan fan — but she might be slightly less known by some of the people in there, unless they watch a lot of Netflix horror series. She’s an actor with a very distinctive personality and I don’t think she takes bulls**t from anyone.” 4 DAGGERS Tameka Empson Actor/comedian “She’s absolutely hilarious. I was a big fan of her sketch show growing up, and she’s obviously brilliant in EastEnders as well. Again, a very open and genuine person, who wants to get to know people. But I wonder whether she’ll just enjoy the experience too much and forget to play the game.” 2 DAGGERS
Reverend Richard Coles reveals if Murder Before Evensong's crime-solving vicar is based on him
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. “Do you know how many vicar detectives there are in fiction?” asks musician, priest and now writer the Rev Richard Coles. “No? There’s 200. If you think about it, vicars are very likely candidates for murder mysteries. You get stuck in everywhere and nobody asks what you’re doing.” But even outside the world of so-called cosy crime, Coles says dealing with murder is a part of any priest’s job. “I was in central London, then left to become a vicar of a semi-rural parish for 12 years. Everybody said, ‘Oh, you’ll get bored. You’ll just be doing village fêtes.’ But there was a murder in my first week. Or rather, an alleged murder. It happens, you see. The human heart is the human heart. It’s darkness and it’s light wherever you go. “Murder victims need to have funerals, just like everybody else. Often you’ll find yourself doing funerals not just for murder victims but for murderers, too. Everyone comes to your door in the end.” With this on-the-job experience, plus the fact that his brother was a detective at Scotland Yard, it was perhaps fate that Coles would turn to writing holy whodunnits. His addition to the, er, canon is cultured cleric Daniel Clement, who solved his first case in the 2022 novel Murder Before Evensong, before returning for three more novels (and a short story). Now he’s getting the TV treatment, with Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis stepping into a cassock for a six-episode adaptation, in which Daniel’s roped in to hunt down a killer in a 1988 Midlands village. “Readers think that Daniel Clement is basically me and when I saw Matthew in costume, he actually does look like a hotter version of me,” says Coles. “So that’s a little bit of mental rearrangement!” Given how closely the series cleaves to Coles’s own experiences – like him, Daniel has moved to a village parish after time in London, and has a fondness for sausage dogs – I wonder at an intriguing storyline in the drama that didn’t feature in the novels, where Daniel’s visits AIDS victims in hospital putting him under fire from the press and parishioners. “That came from Nick Hicks-Beach [the screenwriter], really,” says Coles. “He took the trouble to get to know a bit about my life, and it was something that was so prominent in my own personal story, and he sensed that. I went through the AIDS crisis, like any gay man of my age living in London in the 1980s. it was a terrible experience. It devastated all of us. “As soon as I saw the storyline in the TV version, I thought ‘Yes, that works’ - but I couldn’t have written that. They had to write it.’ Because it’s still too raw? “It’s hard to talk about,” he agrees. “I talk about it now to my friends who went through it at the same time, but it’s 30 years later we’ve really talked about it. I certainly don’t think it’s something I want to write about.” Though like the priestly proximity to murder, this part of the show is also true to life. Some members of the church, like Daniel, really did break that taboo to help those suffering with AIDS. “I was involved with the London Lighthouse [a centre for people with HIV/AIDs], and there was this convent of nuns who were absolutely among the first who acknowledged that something needed to be done, and did so without any judgement or hesitation,” says Coles. “I remember being impressed by that. It’s one of the reasons why I started thinking that the Church might not be such a bad idea. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if it hadn’t been for that.” <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2025/08/Murder-Before-Evensong-Amit-Shah-is-DS-Neil-Vanloo-Matthew-Lewis-is-Canon-Daniel-Clement-1-e2b638d.jpg" width="800" height="533" alt="Amit Shah as DS Neil Vanloo and Matthew Lewis as Canon Daniel Clement in Murder Before Evensong; they are sat on a sofa talking to an interview subject. Neil is taking notes on a small notepad." title="Murder Before Evensong Amit Shah is DS Neil Vanloo_ Matthew Lewis is Canon Daniel Clement-1" /> There’s also a line of dialogue in the second episode, where Daniel ruffles feathers by praying for mercy for the mystery killer, telling his detective sidekick later, “I don’t believe in retribution.” Does Coles feel the same? “I think God’s mercy is coterminous with God’s judgement,” he replies. “To speak of them in isolation of the other is theologically… not quite “meaningless” exactly, but fruitless. “There is always mercy for those who seek it and want it. My job as a priest would be to make it as easy as possible for anyone to find their way to it. A couple of people… I couldn’t forgive them. But then I would think, ‘I’m glad there is a God who could.’” It seems that reassurance of things made right is also at the heart of the fictional genre. “It’s interesting: British murder mysteries were very popular at the end of the 1930s, because we sensed a world of menace,” Coles suggests. “Again, today the world is growingly uncertain. Murder mysteries condense that, and then someone fixes it, and makes us feel OK again.” Praise be! Q&A with Murder Before Evensong star Matthew Lewis You’re an atheist — what was it like playing a man of the cloth? Well, I didn’t immediately burst into flames when I put on a dog collar, so that was a good start. When I told my family and friends what I was going to be doing, once they stopped laughing, they said, “That’s going to really push your acting chops.” I’m someone who’s not a particularly huge fan of organised religion, and yet can’t help but feel like it still has a part to play in society in some way. What did Richard make of that? I am, as an actor and a human being, fascinated by faith and Richard’s faith. I’ve had more than my fair share of theological discussions and debates with him, which have been a real pleasure. Because I find his particular faith fascinating and so interesting — as someone who has none! A lot of readers have thought Daniel is basically Richard writing himself — do you agree? I think there’s more of him in Daniel than he cares to admit, but it’s not him. Your first job was bringing a famous book character to life, as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter movies — did you have any misgivings about doing it again? There’s trepidation. Much like we had with Harry Potter, we’re trying to appeal to new fans who haven’t read the books. But at the same time we really want to make sure that we don’t cast aside the people who have. I’m a passionate reader myself, and I know some adaptations that have left me with a bitter taste. I want to make sure that people who read it and love it, still love this, too. I want to get it right. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Murder Before Evensong premieres on 5 at 9pm on Tuesday 7th October. Add Murder Before Evensong to your watchlist on the <a id="OWA8b702c45-bee9-94e4-f018-57518e78041b" title="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" href="https://www.radiotimes.com/download-the-app/?af_xp=custom&pid=website&c=editorial_content&is_retargeting=true&af_reengagement_window=30d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-outlook-id="449c28d9-909e-4aab-b6b8-153454f55d5e" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. 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From overcoming grief to chasing lifelong dreams – here’s why this year’s Strictly stars have embraced the sequins
Add Strictly Come Dancing to your watchlist Editors' note: this feature was updated to exclude Dani Dyer, who has been forced to withdraw from this year's competition due to injury. Strictly Come Dancing is bigger than its scandals. This time last year, amid a flurry of damaging behind-the-scenes stories, there were whispers that the show’s days might be numbered. Instead, it delivered one of its most heartwarming competitions yet, as blind comedian Chris McCausland and pro partner Dianne Buswell waltzed their way to victory. Now, despite more tabloid headlines, Strictly is quickstepping back onto our screens for its 23rd series. As always, there are a few changes – voting is online onlyand the set has had a minor refresh – but the heart of the show remains the same: a new cast of celebrities looking to dazzle the judges with their dancing. So, who’s bringing secret dance experience? Who’s got two left feet? Who’s already sweating with nerves – and who’s cool as a cucumber? This year’s professional dancers introduce the class of 2025… Dianna Buswell with Stefan Dennis 66, Neighbours actor Dianne “Stefan’s acting is going to help, as I always like to show a character in the dance. When we met he didn’t know anything about me. He told me the guy who won last year made him tear up. I had to say, ‘Did you notice he was dancing with me?’ “Last year was an incredible experience. Chris [McCausland] and I weren’t prepared for the way people kept us in to the end. I don’t come into it thinking, ‘Ooh, I won last year.’ It’s a new slate. One year you could be holding the glitterball, the next you could be gone in week two or three.” So, Stefan, you didn’t recognise Dianne? Stefan “I didn’t know her from a bar of soap! But she’s a brilliant teacher. It’s going to be hard work, but it’s going to be fun. You know, I could be digging ditches.” Who’s your biggest competition? “I’m a bit nervous about Dani, Karen, Lewis… Harry’s going to be a surprise. And Ellie is just a delight — she’s a bowl of positivity.” Obviously, Neighbours is coming to an end again… “Yeah, it’s a bugger, isn’t it?” Is that why you had the time to do Strictly? “Well, yeah. I was going into semi-retirement, then Strictly called and I’m into hours of intense training. I thought we had long hours on Ramsay Street. This makes that look like a picnic!” Katya Jones with Lewis Cope 30, Emmerdale actor Katya “I’m known as the queen of dad dancers, but this year is different. I think everyone’s aware that Lewis can move and I’m looking forward to turning him into a ballroom dancer. But his musical theatre experience might be a hindrance. Unlearning habits is harder than blank-canvas learning.” Lewis, you joined the show late, replacing Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn. Have you caught up? Lewis “The first call came on a Monday. By the Wednesday I’d agreed to do it, and on the Thursday I was on The One Show announcing it. I don’t feel like I’ve had the time to actually let it settle in and realise, ‘Oh God, this is actually happening.‘ I’m just taking every day as it comes.” As a child, you appeared in a West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical. Have you drawn on that experience for Strictly? “Well, it was 19 years ago, and it was just tap dancing in my part. I haven’t worn a pair of tap shoes in 17 years, so I’m not sure how that would go. But if I manage to get to musicals week, I’d love to do something from Billy Elliot.” How have you found being “Strictly-fied” with the fake tan, sequins and so on? “I haven’t had the fake tan yet — I might need to change my bedding, it’s all white! But I think when you put the clothes on, it changes you. You start thinking, talking and walking differently. It brightens you up in every way.” Carlos Gu with Karen Carney 38, ex-professional footballer Carlos “As a former athlete, Karen has incredible stamina and great muscle ability. But more than that, she learns so quickly. I think she’s going to do some really great dancing.” Karen, what’s it like in the Strictly spotlight? Karen “The launch show was incredible. It felt like a big football team to me, but now it’s just me and Carlos. I trust him implicitly. It’s starting to feel a little more real.” Are you bringing your sporting competitive spirit to the dancefloor? “No. When you’re that competitive, you’re never in the moment — you’re always thinking about the next game. I’m just here to have a good time.” Is it hard to get out of that mindset? “I think if I had more of a competitive mindset, I’d probably have a gold medal, not silver and bronze! That’s where I failed. But seriously, I think sometimes people get competitiveness wrong. There’s a competitiveness to be the best version of yourself as well.” Johannes Radebe with Alex Kingston 62, former Doctor Who and ER star Johannes “The first thing we noticed about each other was our matching dress sense. She saw my ruffle shirt, and I saw her ruffle shirt, and we said, ‘How did we know this was going to happen?’ “In terms of dancing, Alex’s acting experience helps — dancing is storytelling, after all. But also, she has got rhythm, which I’m very excited about. When she dances, there’s an energy and a joy.” Alex, did anyone inspire you to sign up? Alex “Sarah Hadland doing it last year was the catalyst. We were in a play together in 2019, and we both said how much we wanted to do it, but our agents didn’t approve. So when I watched her I thought, ‘I’ve got to give it a go, then we can both fulfil the secret dream that we shared.’” What’s your biggest Strictly fear? “You have to be vulnerable in front of millions of people. That’s quite daunting, as is standing in front of the judges. When I watch Strictly, on the whole I agree with the judges, so I can’t just be thinking, ‘What do they know anyway?’” Aljaž Škorjanec with La Voix 45, drag queen Aljaž “When I met La Voix, I was amazed. We have a speed-dating day where we test who will dance with who, and it was so hot — 40 degrees inside the studio. I was sweating and self-conscious, but La Voix was there without a bead of moisture on her forehead. The way she made it look effortless was just brilliant. That’s years of drag performing in hot night clubs! We clicked right away.” La Voix, how does it feel stepping into the Strictly spotlight? La Voix “First of all, it’s a dream come true. I never thought it would ever happen. I had a leg wax cancellation, there was a window. I thought, ‘Let’s do this.’ For me, just having someone do my make-up and hair — it’s unheard of. I love it. I’ve always had to do it all myself.” You’re looking fabulous today. Is the plan to perform in full drag every week? “I think at the minute, the plan is: super, super, glam, glam every single week. Because I think that’s what Strictly is, and I can’t turn down the opportunity. To come out in some dungarees and an old T-shirt — I can’t do that.” Drag queens are known for their funny comebacks. Do you have any one-liners for Craig Revel Horwood? “Within reason — I am genuinely here wanting to learn. But, yeah, if Craig goes too far, I will give as good as I get. I can’t help it. My mouth is my problem.” Jowita Przystał with Ross King 63, showbiz reporter Jowita “It’s like we’ve met in a past life. We’re so comfortable with each other. We’re getting in trouble because we chat so much. Ross’s real strength is his personality. Dancing is truth, it’s joy, it’s feelings. I know that I will get that from Ross, and I think that’s 75 per cent of what you need. Technique, you always can learn.” Ross, you’re used to getting the showbiz stories. What’s it like to be in one? Ross “It’s very weird. There’s a bit of trepidation. I’m trying to surrender to it.” Is there any experience from your career that might help? “I’m used to live TV, and a live audience, so I think those two things will. But obviously, there’s the lack of dancing ability…” Who’s rooting for you to win? “Scotland — I’ve got the pressure of a nation behind me. And Team Lorraine! Lorraine Kelly’s called me “twinkletoes” from the beginning.” Nadiya Bychkova with Chris Robshaw 39, ex-rugby player Nadiya “I love working with athletes — they understand that you need to put the work in, and it’s really important for Strictly because the time frame is so short. I can already say that Chris is maybe even better than any of my experiences before with athletes.” Chris, how competitive will you be in Strictly? Chris “I’m naturally that way from the life I’ve lived, but people say you don’t want to be too competitive on Strictly. My mate Ugo Monye did it a few years ago, so my competition is to beat him. A bit of friendly rivalry.” What made you decide to do Strictly now? “I’ve had conversations before, but I haven’t been in the right head space. I wanted to challenge myself. Plus, my son loves dancing. He’s excited.” What did your rugby mates make of it? “The support I’ve had has been amazing. I’ve already had more friends ask for Strictly tickets than England tickets! The demand is crazy.” Kai Widdrington with Vicky Pattison 37, reality TV star Kai “Vicky was who I wanted to get partnered with. People may not know that we have a big Geordie connection: my family’s from Newcastle. Naturally, there are nerves — but when the sense of accomplishment comes through, hopefully that will have a snowball effect.” Vicky, you got married last year. What was your first dance at the reception? Vicky “Oh, baby, come on. I didn’t have a first dance. We probably just shuffled a little bit, like some awkward couple at prom.” So why do Strictly now? “I’ve wanted to do it for years, but I’ve never been asked. When I got it, I was so shocked, I said to my agent, ‘Can I think about it?‘ She said, ‘Yes, but just so you know, you’re doing it.’” How does Strictly compare to I’m a Celebrity...? “In the jungle, I was in a bubble eating kangaroo bits with Ant and Dec. Here, I’m learning a new skill with judges critiquing us, as well as Sandra from Surrey. That does strike fear in my heart.” Alexis Warr with George Clarke 25, social media influencer Alexis “George picks up steps quite well. Then I feel like he overthinks it and messes up the footwork. But it’s there. He has a natural rhythm. I’ve watched George’s online videos — he’s funny! And when he just goofs around, he’s super-groovy. I see a lot of potential.” George, what’s it like to join Strictly? George “It’s out of my usual realm. But when this came, I said, ‘Number one: it’s insane that I’ve even been asked. Number two: in three or four years, people may not even have a clue who I am. While I have the chance, I should do it!’” What do your friends and family make of it? “My nan would kill me if I said no. It’s cool to have something that my family actually understands when they watch it.” Maybe you’ll get new followers from Strictly? “There’s been a few occasions where somebody has come over and said, ‘Good luck on Strictly.’ And I can tell, without being rude, that they’re not in my usual demographic!” Julian Caillon with Balvinder Sopal 46, EastEnders actor Julian “To get someone like Balvinder has been such a blessing. After we first met the celebrities, we are asked ‘Who do we think is good? Who do we think is one of the better dancers?’ Bal was in almost everyone’s top two. She has a hidden natural dance ability.” Balvinder, you’ve revealed you did some amateur ballroom before. What started that? Balvinder “It was because of Strictly! Watching the show in its first few series, I thought ‘God, what an amazing thing to get into.’ So I did a social dance thing in Huddersfield. It was the most euphoric thing I’ve ever done. But the class didn’t last long because it cost a lot of money.” So, why do Strictly now? “2025 is my ‘yes’ year. I lost my mum last year, and I think she would hate for me not to take up an opportunity like this. My mum was a real fan of the show. We used to watch together. She was strong and always put her best foot forward — I need to step into her energy.” Lauren Oakley with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 53, ex-footballer Lauren “What I’ve noticed with Jimmy is that any kind of instruction that I give him — lower the arm, point the toe — he takes it on straight away, because he’s used to taking instructions from a coach. Which is great for me! Aside from that, he’s also got some rhythm. So I’ve definitely got something to work with.” Jimmy, you’re a football legend, but have you done much dancing? Jimmy “In the kitchen with the girls. I’m a girly dad. They make me do all sorts of things. My middle daughter is in dance school, and she was trying to make me do a split in the air. A box jump, I think it’s called. The moment I was asked to go onto the show, there was no way back. They said, ‘You’re going to have to take it, Daddy.’” You’re used to performing at a high level in front of big crowds, but is Strictly a different ball game? “Football, for me, is so easy. Dancing is out of my comfort zone. But that’s a good thing. When you stop playing football, you’re not really in that competitive kind of world. It’s nice to dip back in.” It’s a sporty line-up — footballers, a rugby player, a sprinter-turned-Gladiator. Will you be fiercely competitive? “I think all of us are going to be very competitive — all of us want to go as far as possible, you know? For now, I’m just trying to get better.” Karen Hauer with Harry Aikines-Aryeetey 37, sprinter and Gladiator Karen “Harry’s an Olympian — he has the right mindset. But I want to take it further. I’ll say, ‘Can you isolate your toe from your right armpit? Bring your right shoulder down, so that your left little finger doesn’t touch the back of my neck.’ But we’ll also be laughing and having fun.” Harry, you did the Strictly Christmas special last year. How different is the main series? Harry “Christmas Strictly is a fun place to be — there’s an essence of glee and sparkle. So I’m fully aware that Christmas tens don’t equate to real tens!” How does Strictly compare to life as Nitro on Gladiators — or as a sprinter? “I’m on holiday. This is fun! I’m not getting hit with the pugil stick or racing Usain Bolt.” Will you take any dance skills back with you to Gladiators? “Come Gladiators series four, you’ll see my pinkie isolated on that pugil stick. You’ll see that right toe turn out on The Wall.” Vito Coppola with Ellie Goldstein 23, model and actor Vito “Ellie is like my little sister, and I’m her big brother. She’s one of the most brilliant, exciting personalities I have ever met, and we are going to make sure to bring that out on the show. I want Ellie to be herself. I think people will really appreciate and understand the way she will shine like a star in the sky.” Ellie, you’re an actor and a model. How different is that to being on Strictly? Ellie “It’s different from modelling because that’s just posing for pictures. It’s similar to acting which, like Strictly, is a whole big thing. On Strictly it’s dark, there are bright lights and there’s glitz. I love it so much.” You’ve done a lot to raise awareness — you were the first model with Down’s syndrome on the cover of Vogue. What do you hope your time on Strictly will mean to people? “Oh, just to work towards your dreams and hopes. Keep that up and be confident in your life. It’s been the best experience on Strictly. I loved doing the launch show. The dancers were amazing. And all the celebrities were incredible.” Which of your fellow celebrities were you most excited to meet? “La Voix. Who else? Well, the pros — Karen, Vito and Nikita are the best pro dancers ever. They’re all amazing, but the best one is Vito!” Which dances are you looking forward to? “The cha-cha-cha, the Charleston, the foxtrot, and the waltz. Just a few!” Amy Dowden with Thomas Skinner 34, ex-Apprentice contestant Amy “Tom’s strength is his work ethic. He told me he’s up at three o’clock in the morning for work, selling on the market! And what I love about him is that he commits. There’s nothing worse than when you watch a celebrity begin a dance and they’re really insecure. But Tom just throws himself at it.” So, Tom, why do Strictly now? Thomas “No one’s ever going to think that someone like me would be doing Strictly. I want people to see that I can try new things and literally learn how to dance. I love that this show brings so much joy to families.” Will your family come down to watch you? “Of course. Everyone’s been saying, ‘Tom, I can’t wait to see you dance.’ I went to West Ham last week, and at least 500 people were queuing up to have a selfie or to wish me good luck. There were people going, ‘I’ve never watched Strictly before, but I’ll watch it because of you.’ I’m going to do it for the dads with the beer bellies.”
Meet Strictly's class of 2025: From a Doctor Who star to a Neighbours legend
From overcoming grief to chasing lifelong dreams – here’s why this year’s Strictly stars have embraced the sequins.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Strictly Come Dancing is bigger than its scandals. This time last year, amid a flurry of damaging behind-the-scenes stories, there were whispers that the show’s days might be numbered. Instead, it delivered one of its most heartwarming competitions yet, as blind comedian Chris McCausland and pro partner Dianne Buswell waltzed their way to victory. Now, despite more tabloid headlines, Strictly is quickstepping back onto our screens for its 23rd series. As always, there are a few changes – voting is online only and the set has had a minor refresh – but the heart of the show remains the same: a new cast of celebrities looking to dazzle the judges with their dancing. So, who’s bringing secret dance experience? Who’s got two left feet? Who’s already sweating with nerves – and who’s cool as a cucumber? This year’s professional dancers introduce the class of 2025… Dianne Buswell with Stefan Dennis, 66, Neighbours actor Dianne “Stefan’s acting is going to help, as I always like to show a character in the dance. When we met he didn’t know anything about me. He told me the guy who won last year made him tear up. I had to say, ‘Did you notice he was dancing with me?’ “Last year was an incredible experience. Chris [McCausland] and I weren’t prepared for the way people kept us in to the end. I don’t come into it thinking, ‘Ooh, I won last year.’ It’s a new slate. One year you could be holding the glitterball, the next you could be gone in week two or three.” So, Stefan, you didn’t recognise Dianne? Stefan “I didn’t know her from a bar of soap! But she’s a brilliant teacher. It’s going to be hard work, but it’s going to be fun. You know, I could be digging ditches.” Who’s your biggest competition? “I’m a bit nervous about Dani, Karen, Lewis… Harry’s going to be a surprise. And Ellie is just a delight — she’s a bowl of positivity.” Obviously, Neighbours is coming to an end again… “Yeah, it’s a bugger, isn’t it?” Is that why you had the time to do Strictly? “Well, yeah. I was going into semi-retirement, then Strictly called and I’m into hours of intense training. I thought we had long hours on Ramsay Street. This makes that look like a picnic!” Katya Jones with Lewis Cope, 30, Emmerdale actor Katya “I’m known as the queen of dad dancers, but this year is different. I think everyone’s aware that Lewis can move and I’m looking forward to turning him into a ballroom dancer. But his musical theatre experience might be a hindrance. Unlearning habits is harder than blank-canvas learning.” Lewis, you joined the show late, replacing Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn. Have you caught up? Lewis “The first call came on a Monday. By the Wednesday I’d agreed to do it, and on the Thursday I was on The One Show announcing it. I don’t feel like I’ve had the time to actually let it settle in and realise, ‘Oh God, this is actually happening.‘ I’m just taking every day as it comes.” As a child, you appeared in a West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical. Have you drawn on that experience for Strictly? “Well, it was 19 years ago, and it was just tap dancing in my part. I haven’t worn a pair of tap shoes in 17 years, so I’m not sure how that would go. But if I manage to get to musicals week, I’d love to do something from Billy Elliot.” How have you found being “Strictly-fied” with the fake tan, sequins and so on? “I haven’t had the fake tan yet — I might need to change my bedding, it’s all white! But I think when you put the clothes on, it changes you. You start thinking, talking and walking differently. It brightens you up in every way.” Carlos Gu with Karen Carney, 38, ex-professional footballer Carlos “As a former athlete, Karen has incredible stamina and great muscle ability. But more than that, she learns so quickly. I think she’s going to do some really great dancing.” Karen, what’s it like in the Strictly spotlight? Karen “The launch show was incredible. It felt like a big football team to me, but now it’s just me and Carlos. I trust him implicitly. It’s starting to feel a little more real.” Are you bringing your sporting competitive spirit to the dancefloor? “No. When you’re that competitive, you’re never in the moment — you’re always thinking about the next game. I’m just here to have a good time.” Is it hard to get out of that mindset? “I think if I had more of a competitive mindset, I’d probably have a gold medal, not silver and bronze! That’s where I failed. But seriously, I think sometimes people get competitiveness wrong. There’s a competitiveness to be the best version of yourself as well.” Johannes Radebe with Alex Kingston, 62, former Doctor Who & ER star Johannes “The first thing we noticed about each other was our matching dress sense. She saw my ruffle shirt, and I saw her ruffle shirt, and we said, ‘How did we know this was going to happen?’ In terms of dancing, Alex’s acting experience helps — dancing is storytelling, after all. But also, she has got rhythm, which I’m very excited about. When she dances, there’s an energy and a joy.” Alex, did anyone inspire you to sign up? Alex “Sarah Hadland doing it last year was the catalyst. We were in a play together in 2019, and we both said how much we wanted to do it, but our agents didn’t approve. So when I watched her I thought, ‘I’ve got to give it a go, then we can both fulfil the secret dream that we shared.’” What’s your biggest Strictly fear? “You have to be vulnerable in front of millions of people. That’s quite daunting, as is standing in front of the judges. When I watch Strictly, on the whole I agree with the judges, so I can’t just be thinking, ‘What do they know anyway?’” Aljaž Škorjanec with La Voix, 45, drag queen Aljaž “When I met La Voix, I was amazed. We have a speed-dating day where we test who will dance with who, and it was so hot — 40 degrees inside the studio. I was sweating and self-conscious, but La Voix was there without a bead of moisture on her forehead. The way she made it look effortless was just brilliant. That’s years of drag performing in hot night clubs! We clicked right away.” La Voix, how does it feel stepping into the Strictly spotlight? La Voix “First of all, it’s a dream come true. I never thought it would ever happen. I had a leg wax cancellation, there was a window. I thought, ‘Let’s do this.’ For me, just having someone do my make-up and hair — it’s unheard of. I love it. I’ve always had to do it all myself.” You’re looking fabulous today. Is the plan to perform in full drag every week? “I think at the minute, the plan is: super, super, glam, glam every single week. Because I think that’s what Strictly is, and I can’t turn down the opportunity. To come out in some dungarees and an old T-shirt — I can’t do that.” Drag queens are known for their funny comebacks. Do you have any one-liners for Craig Revel Horwood? “Within reason — I am genuinely here wanting to learn. But, yeah, if Craig goes too far, I will give as good as I get. I can’t help it. My mouth is my problem.” Karen Hauer with Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, 37, sprinter and Gladiator Karen “Harry’s an Olympian — he has the right mindset. But I want to take it further. I’ll say, ‘Can you isolate your toe from your right armpit? Bring your right shoulder down, so that your left little finger doesn’t touch the back of my neck.’ But we’ll also be laughing and having fun.” Harry, you did the Strictly Christmas special last year. How different is the main series? Harry: “Christmas Strictly is a fun place to be — there’s an essence of glee and sparkle. So I’m fully aware that Christmas tens don’t equate to real tens!” How does Strictly compare to life as Nitro on Gladiators — or as a sprinter? “I’m on holiday. This is fun! I’m not getting hit with the pugil stick or racing Usain Bolt.” Will you take any dance skills back with you to Gladiators? “Come Gladiators series four, you’ll see my pinkie isolated on that pugil stick. You’ll see that right toe turn out on The Wall.” Jowita Przystał with Ross King, 63, showbiz reporter Jowita “It’s like we’ve met in a past life. We’re so comfortable with each other. We’re getting in trouble because we chat so much. Ross’s real strength is his personality. Dancing is truth, it’s joy, it’s feelings. I know that I will get that from Ross, and I think that’s 75 per cent of what you need. Technique, you always can learn.” Ross, you’re used to getting the showbiz stories. What’s it like to be in one? Ross “It’s very weird. There’s a bit of trepidation. I’m trying to surrender to it.” Is there any experience from your career that might help? “I’m used to live TV, and a live audience, so I think those two things will help. But obviously, there’s the lack of dancing ability…” Who’s rooting for you to win? “Scotland — I’ve got the pressure of a nation behind me. And Team Lorraine! Lorraine Kelly’s called me “twinkletoes” from the beginning.” Nadiya Bychkova with Chris Robshaw, 39, ex-rugby player Nadiya “I love working with athletes — they understand that you need to put the work in, and it’s really important for Strictly because the time frame is so short. I can already say that Chris is maybe even better than any of my experiences before with athletes.” Chris, how competitive will you be in Strictly? Chris “I’m naturally that way from the life I’ve lived, but people say you don’t want to be too competitive on Strictly. My mate Ugo Monye did it a few years ago, so my competition is to beat him. A bit of friendly rivalry.” What made you decide to do Strictly now? “I’ve had conversations before, but I haven’t been in the right head space. I wanted to challenge myself. Plus, my son loves dancing. He’s excited.” What did your rugby mates make of it? “The support I’ve had has been amazing. I’ve already had more friends ask for Strictly tickets than England tickets! The demand is crazy.” Kai Widdrington with Vicky Pattison, 37, reality TV star Kai “Vicky was who I wanted to get partnered with. People may not know that we have a big Geordie connection: my family’s from Newcastle. Naturally, there are nerves — but when the sense of accomplishment comes through, hopefully that will have a snowball effect.” Vicky, you got married last year. What was your first dance at the reception? Vicky “Oh, baby, come on. I didn’t have a first dance. We probably just shuffled a little bit, like some awkward couple at prom.” So why do Strictly now? “I’ve wanted to do it for years, but I’ve never been asked. When I got it, I was so shocked, I said to my agent, ‘Can I think about it?‘ She said, ‘Yes, but just so you know, you’re doing it.’” How does Strictly compare to I’m a Celebrity...? “In the jungle, I was in a bubble eating kangaroo bits with Ant and Dec. Here, I’m learning a new skill with judges critiquing us, as well as Sandra from Surrey. That does strike fear in my heart.” Vito Coppola with Ellie Goldstein, 23, model and actor Vito “Ellie is like my little sister, and I’m her big brother. She’s one of the most brilliant, exciting personalities I have ever met, and we are going to make sure to bring that out on the show. I want Ellie to be herself. I think people will really appreciate and understand the way she will shine like a star in the sky.” Ellie, you’re an actor and a model. How different is that to being on Strictly? Ellie: “It’s different from modelling because that’s just posing for pictures. It’s similar to acting which, like Strictly, is a whole big thing. On Strictly it’s dark, there are bright lights and there’s glitz. I love it so much.” You’ve done a lot to raise awareness — you were the first model with Down’s syndrome on the cover of Vogue. What do you hope your time on Strictly will mean to people? “Oh, just to work towards your dreams and hopes. Keep that up and be confident in your life. It’s been the best experience on Strictly. I loved doing the launch show. The dancers were amazing. And all the celebrities were incredible.” Which of your fellow celebrities were you most excited to meet? “Ooh, Dani Dyer, of course. And La Voix. Who else? Well, the pros — Karen, Vito and Nikita are the best pro dancers ever. They’re all amazing, but the best one is Vito!” Which dances are you looking forward to? “The cha-cha-cha, the Charleston, the foxtrot, and the waltz. Just a few!” Amy Dowden with Thomas Skinner, 34, ex-Apprentice contestant Amy “Tom’s strength is his work ethic. He told me he’s up at three o’clock in the morning for work, selling on the market! And what I love about him is that he commits. There’s nothing worse than when you watch a celebrity begin a dance and they’re really insecure. But Tom just throws himself at it.” So, Tom, why do Strictly now? Thomas “No one’s ever going to think that someone like me would be doing Strictly. I want people to see that I can try new things and literally learn how to dance. I love that this show brings so much joy to families.” Will your family come down to watch you? “Of course. Everyone’s been saying, ‘Tom, I can’t wait to see you dance.’ I went to West Ham last week, and at least 500 people were queuing up to have a selfie or to wish me good luck. There were people going, ‘I’ve never watched Strictly before, but I’ll watch it because of you.’ I’m going to do it for the dads with the beer bellies.” Alexis Warr with George Clarke, 25, social media influencer Alexis “George picks up steps quite well. Then I feel like he overthinks it and messes up the footwork. But it’s there. He has a natural rhythm. I’ve watched George’s online videos — he’s funny! And when he just goofs around, he’s super-groovy. I see a lot of potential.” George, what’s it like to join Strictly? George “It’s out of my usual realm. But when this came, I said, ‘Number one: it’s insane that I’ve even been asked. Number two: in three or four years, people may not even have a clue who I am. While I have the chance, I should do it!’” What do your friends and family make of it? “My nan would kill me if I said no. It’s cool to have something that my family actually understands when they watch it.” Maybe you’ll get new followers from Strictly? “There’s been a few occasions where somebody has come over and said, ‘Good luck on Strictly.’ And I can tell, without being rude, that they’re not in my usual demographic!” Julian Caillon with Balvinder Sopal, 46, EastEnders actor Julian “To get someone like Balvinder has been such a blessing. After we first met the celebrities, we are asked ‘Who do we think is good? Who do we think is one of the better dancers?’ Bal was in almost everyone’s top two. She has a hidden natural dance ability.” Balvinder, you’ve revealed you did some amateur ballroom before. What started that? Balvinder “It was because of Strictly! Watching the show in its first few series, I thought ‘God, what an amazing thing to get into.’ So I did a social dance thing in Huddersfield. It was the most euphoric thing I’ve ever done. But the class didn’t last long because it cost a lot of money.” So, why do Strictly now? “2025 is my ‘yes’ year. I lost my mum last year, and I think she would hate for me not to take up an opportunity like this. My mum was a real fan of the show. We used to watch together. She was strong and always put her best foot forward — I need to step into her energy.” Nikita Kuzmin with Dani Dyer, 29, ex-Love Island star Nikita “When we got paired up, I asked around — how is she when she’s not on camera? Everybody said she’s the most amazing person, she’s kind, she’s gorgeous. And they were right! I don’t think she can dance yet, but she can wiggle — which is a promising start.” We photographed your dad, Danny Dyer, and he let slip that you were doing the show… Dani “He told everyone. When I told my family, I thought, ‘I shouldn’t tell him, because he can’t keep his mouth shut.’ He said ‘I haven’t told anyone, baby.’ The next day, people are coming up to me like, ‘Are you doing Strictly? Your dad said.’ He’s so excited about me doing this — he’s coming to watch the first live show.” What are you looking forward to the most? “Probably musicals week. I love a musical.” Have any ex-contestants given you advice? “I spoke to Dan Walker, because we climbed Kilimanjaro together. He told me he wishes he could do it again because it’s the best time.” Lauren Oakley with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 53, ex-footballer Lauren “What I’ve noticed with Jimmy is that any kind of instruction that I give him — lower the arm, point the toe — he takes it on straight away, because he’s used to taking instructions from a coach. Which is great for me! Aside from that, he’s also got some rhythm. So I’ve definitely got something to work with.” Jimmy, you’re a football legend, but have you done much dancing? Jimmy “In the kitchen with the girls. I’m a girly dad. They make me do all sorts of things. My middle daughter is in dance school, and she was trying to make me do a split in the air. A box jump, I think it’s called. The moment I was asked to go onto the show, there was no way back. They said, ‘You’re going to have to take it, Daddy.’” You’re used to performing at a high level in front of big crowds, but is Strictly a different ball game? “Football, for me, is so easy. Dancing is out of my comfort zone. But that’s a good thing. When you stop playing football, you’re not really in that competitive kind of world. It’s nice to dip back in.” It’s a sporty line-up — footballers, a rugby player, a sprinter-turned-Gladiator. Will you be fiercely competitive? “I think all of us are going to be very competitive — all of us want to go as far as possible, you know? For now, I’m just trying to get better.” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Strictly has two new pros – American Alexis Warr and Australian Julian Caillon. So how did they get their big cha-cha-chance?
Add the Strictly Come Dancing Launch Show to your watchlist What were your first dance steps? ALEXIS Well, I started off doing gymnastics when I was six because I loved to flip around. I got serious about dance around 10. I did jazz, ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, musical theatre… but I wasn’t introduced to ballroom until I was 13. I trained until I was 18 and then picked up my first tour. JULIAN I was always sporty, but also a mummy’s boy, so when my mum asked me to try dance, I said, “Sure!” From the ages of 10 to 16, dance was something I did along with football and tennis. But then from 17, I really focused on it. Favourite dance? ALEXIS I think it depends on my mood. I love to dance a rumba, but I also love a waltz – those slow, emotional dances. JULIAN I love the Latin dances – the paso doble is my favourite. When did you get the glitterball call to try out for Strictly? JULIAN I first auditioned in 2022. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, but maybe it was for the best. At the time, I was two weeks into a relationship with my now fiancée. Having to go long distance that early would have been tough! This year, I made it… and my fiancée is here with me. ALEXIS I had a producer reach out to me and did interviews online. Because of the different time zones, when I got the call it was early in the morning. I shot out of bed, bedhead and everything, thinking I was dreaming. It still feels surreal. Did you know any of the other professional dancers? JULIAN I toured in the theatre show Burn the Floor with Dianne [Buswell], Gorka [Márquez] and Lauren [Oakley]. But the last time we danced together I was freshly 18 – now I’m 30! ALEXIS It was my first time meeting everybody. I felt like that new kid at school, thinking, “I hope they like me!” Any celebs you were excited to meet? JULIAN Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink! I’m a massive Chelsea fan, so I was super-excited to meet both him and Karen Carney [both former Chelsea footballers], to the point where I turned up for the celebrity day in a Chelsea jersey. And Stefan Dennis is an Aussie icon from Neighbours. ALEXIS I grew up in the States [she’s now 25], so I wasn’t super-familiar with any of them and was excited to meet them all. What are you hoping for in a celebrity dance partner? ALEXIS Someone with a good work ethic, who’s willing to get out of their comfort zone. There’s no comfort in your growing zone, and there’s no growing in your comfort zone. JULIAN All the celebs are really lovely people, with their own quirks. I just hope we can connect and have fun. Alexis, you live in Florida, while Julian, you’re based in Australia. Are you ready for autumn in Elstree? JULIAN I’m hoping I’m going to be very busy! But I do miss going to the beach for a swim… ALEXIS I’m more stressed trying to figure out all the cultural differences. Someone will say “quarter past” – and I don’t know that term. We say 9.15! Alexis, you won the US series So You Think You Can Dance in 2022 — does that help you understand the celebs’ mindsets? ALEXIS Oh, absolutely. I feel like I’ve experienced all the highest highs and lowest lows you can feel in a TV show. So I do understand what they’re going through. Julian, you compete in Iron Man contests and triathlons. What’s tougher — those or Strictly? JULIAN Obviously, triathlons are very physically demanding! But I think the mental and creative challenges of being in a show like Strictly are underestimated. Anything you can tease about the new series? JULIAN We have a fun group routine like a pool party in a 1980s movie. ALEXIS Jules and I got to film a really cool dance sequence underwater – I was living my best life. And finally… describe yourself in three words. ALEXIS Curious, dedicated, adventurous. JULIAN Driven, positive, high-energy. That’s four words, but close enough!
New Strictly Come Dancing 2025 professionals talk failed audition for the show - and which celebs they’re excited for
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. What were your first dance steps? Alexis Warr Well, I started off doing gymnastics when I was six because I loved to flip around. I got serious about dance around 10. I did jazz, ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, musical theatre… but I wasn’t introduced to ballroom until I was 13. I trained until I was 18 and then picked up my first tour. Julian Caillon I was always sporty, but also a mummy’s boy, so when my mum asked me to try dance, I said, “Sure!” From the ages of 10 to 16, dance was something I did along with football and tennis. But then from 17, I really focused on it. Favourite dance? Alexis I think it depends on my mood. I love to dance a rumba, but I also love a waltz – those slow, emotional dances. Julian I love the Latin dances – the paso doble is my favourite. When did you get the glitterball call to try out for Strictly? Julian I first auditioned in 2022. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, but maybe it was for the best. At the time, I was two weeks into a relationship with my now fiancée. Having to go long distance that early would have been tough! This year, I made it… and my fiancée is here with me. Alexis I had a producer reach out to me and did interviews online. Because of the different time zones, when I got the call it was early in the morning. I shot out of bed, bedhead and everything, thinking I was dreaming. It still feels surreal. Did you know any of the other professional dancers? Julian I toured in the theatre show Burn the Floor with Dianne [Buswell], Gorka [Márquez] and Lauren [Oakley]. But the last time we danced together I was freshly 18 – now I’m 30! Alexis It was my first time meeting everybody. I felt like that new kid at school, thinking, “I hope they like me!” Any celebs you were excited to meet? Julian Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink! I’m a massive Chelsea fan, so I was super-excited to meet both him and Karen Carney [both former Chelsea footballers], to the point where I turned up for the celebrity day in a Chelsea jersey. And Stefan Dennis is an Aussie icon from Neighbours. Alexis I grew up in the States [she’s now 25], so I wasn’t super-familiar with any of them and was excited to meet them all. What are you hoping for in a celebrity dance partner? Alexis Someone with a good work ethic, who’s willing to get out of their comfort zone. There’s no comfort in your growing zone, and there’s no growing in your comfort zone. Julian All the celebs are really lovely people, with their own quirks. I just hope we can connect and have fun. Alexis, you live in Florida, while Julian, you’re based in Australia. Are you ready for autumn in Elstree? Julian I’m hoping I’m going to be very busy! But I do miss going to the beach for a swim… Alexis I’m more stressed trying to figure out all the cultural differences. Someone will say “quarter past” – and I don’t know that term. We say 9.15! Alexis, you won the US series So You Think You Can Dance in 2022 — does that help you understand the celebs’ mindsets? Alexis Oh, absolutely. I feel like I’ve experienced all the highest highs and lowest lows you can feel in a TV show. So I do understand what they’re going through. Julian, you compete in Iron Man contests and triathlons. What’s tougher – those or Strictly? Julian Obviously, triathlons are very physically demanding! But I think the mental and creative challenges of being in a show like Strictly are underestimated. Anything you can tease about the new series? Julian We have a fun group routine like a pool party in a 1980s movie. Alexis Jules and I got to film a really cool dance sequence underwater – I was living my best life. And finally... describe yourself in three words. Alexis Curious, dedicated, adventurous. Julian Driven, positive, high-energy. That’s four words, but close enough! The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
13 must-watch crime dramas based on books – from Slow Horses to The Day of the Jackal
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Magpie Murders – available now on iPlayer Literary editor Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville) receives inspiration from a famous fictional detective. Sequel Moonflower Murders is also available, while filming has just wrapped on the third and final instalment in the trilogy, Marble Hall Murders. Adapted from the novels by Anthony Horowitz Murder Most Puzzling – available now on 5 A crossword-setter (Phyllis Logan) with a secret moves to a supposedly sleepy market town and starts solving murder cases. The police, naturally, take umbrage. Adapted from A Clue for the Puzzle Lady (2000) and its sequels by Parnell Hall. The Marlow Murder Club – available now on U Upmarket Buckinghamshire is the setting for this cozy whodunnit which finds a trio of female sleuths (led by Samantha Bond) taken on as helpers to the official force. Adapted from the 2021 novel (and its sequels) by Robert Thorogood A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – available now on iPlayer/Netflix Student Pip (Emma Myers) isn’t satisfied with the verdict in the case of a missing teen and turns investigator herself. A follow-up is currently in the works. Adapted from the 2019 novel (and its sequels) by Holly Jackson Virdee – available now on BBC iPlayer Bradford detective Harry Virdee (Staz Nair) hunts a killer targeting the Asian community, just as his new wife scandalises his family. Adapted from AA Dhand’s 2018 novel City of Sinners Department Q – available now on Netflix Matthew Goode stars as an arrogant copper who’s assigned a basement office and a stack of cold case files. Think Slow Horses with detectives instead of spies. Adapted from 2007 Danish-language novel The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen Dalgliesh – available now on 5 Poet and police officer Adam Dalgliesh (Bertie Carvel) lays claim to being TV’s most cerebral detective in these elegantly plotted mysteries set in the 1970s. Based on the PD James Adam Dalgliesh novels (1962-2008) The Gold – available now on BBC iPlayer Neil Forsyth’s account of the 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery – starring Hugh Bonneville and Jack Lowden – tracks stolen bullion across the decades. Both series available now. Forsyth and Thomas Turner’s tie-in non-fiction book The Gold: The real story behind Brink's-Mat: Britain's biggest heist was published in February 2023 The Beast Must Die – ITVX Cush Jumbo’s Frances seeks revenge on her son’s murderer in this twisted thriller. Also stars Billy Howle as detective Nigel Strangeways and Jared Harris. Adapted from the 1938 novel by Cecil Day-Lewis, under the pen name Nicholas Blake The Day of the Jackal – available now on Now Eddie Redmayne is the well-paid assassin and Lashana Lynch the intelligence operative on his tail in this classy reimagining of the classic thriller. A second series is in the works. Adapted from the 1971 Frederick Forsyth novel The Night Agent – available now on Netflix A lowly FBI agent (Gabriel Basso) on the night shift in the White House finds himself caught up in a grand conspiracy as he attempts to unmask a traitor. Adapted from the 2019 novel by Matthew Quirk Killing Eve – available now on BBC iPlayer Jodie Comer’s breakout role came as an unhinged assassin hunting a spy (Sandra Oh). A new prequel, called Honey, is currently in production. Based on the Villanelle novellas (2014-2016) by Luke Jennings Alex Rider – available now on Prime Video The teen spy (Otto Farrant) battles tech billionaires and secret assassins over three series of globe-trotting adventures. Also starring Vicky McClure and Stephen Dillane. Based on the Alex Rider books (2000-2023) by Anthony Horowitz ... and 5 more to watch soon Down Cemetery Road – coming soon to Apple TV+ Two women (Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson) team up to find a missing child. Adapted from the 2003 novel by Slow Horses’ Mick Herron. Murder Before Evensong – due in the autumn on 5 Canon Daniel Clement (Matthew Lewis) follows in the footsteps of Father Brown and Grantchester’s clerical crime-solvers in a 1980s murder mystery. Adapted from the 2022 novel by Richard Coles Lynley – due in the autumn on BBC1 He’s upper crust, she’s working class - together they make for a formidable pairing. Leo Suter and Sofia Barclay stars as the aristocratic DI Lynley and the maverick DS Havers. Based on Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley novels (1988-2025) Atomic – coming soon to Sky Atlantic/NOW Two friends caught in a uranium-smuggling plot vow to prevent a nuclear holocaust while evading MI6 and the CIA. Stars Alfie Allen and Shazad Latif. Inspired by the 2006 non-fiction book Atomic Bazaar by William Langewiesche Night Manager 2 – due in 2026 on BBC1 Tom Hiddleston’s sharp-suited inside man returns in a long-awaited sequel to the glossy John Le Carré story – with Hugh Laurie back as executive producer. In the meantime, the first series is available to watch on iPlayer. Based on The Night Manager (1993) by John Le Carré The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The 10 best page-to-screen adaptations to watch now
Amateur sleuths, cops and spooks lead our list of the best TV adaptations of novels. Which ones will you add to your watchlist?
With the news that Mark Gatiss is unconventionally making a novel out of his TV drama Bookish, our RT experts have chosen ten of the best TV shows that started life on the page. We start with the amateur sleuths of "cosy crime" before moving on to cop and spy dramas – and if you like TV with such a literary touch, there's more good news, as many more highly-anticipated adaptations are in the pipeline. For example, there’s Down Cemetery Road from Slow Horses author Mick Herron (on Apple TV+ later this year), the Rev Richard Coles-penned cosy-crime show Murder Before Evensong (due this autumn on 5), Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley cases (BBC1, this autumn), a nuclear-war spy drama called Atomic (coming soon on Sky) — and the small matter of The Night Manager 2, expected on the BBC in 2026…
Marvel Studios' Blade: Release date, cast and latest news
The superhero vampire hunter is certainly taking his time on his way into the MCU.
It's been six years since a new Blade film starring Mahershala Ali was first announced, yet a troubled development process has meant cameras have yet to even start rolling on the project. Both Bassam Tariq and Yann Demange have at one time or another boarded and subsequently exited the project as director, the script has reportedly undergone numerous rewrites and a number of supporting actors have pulled out after they were cast, including Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo. Even Ali's own lawyer described all the goings-on as "the craziest thing in my professional experience". Late in 2024, Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed that the film is still in the works, saying: "We love the character, we love Mahershala’s version of him. And rest assured: whenever we change direction with a project, or are still trying to figure out how it fits into our schedule, we let the public know. "You’re up to date on what’s going on. But I can tell you that the character will be coming to the MCU." However, more recently, while promoting the release of his film Jurassic World Rebirth, Ali has been slightly less assured that the project will actually happen – even if he himself is still keen. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I’m just taking it a day at a time. I’m doing the best work I can. I just did a movie called Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother that I'm very excited about, that I got to scratch my stunts itch. "I got to do some sword work in that, it's a wonderful story. I would love for Blade to happen. We’ll see. I don’t know where Marvel is at right now. I’m just looking for the next great part, I really am." Reiterating his desire to make the film, he also told Variety that they should "call Marvel" when asked about Blade, adding: "I’m ready. Let them know I’m ready." But what else do we know about the current status of Blade, is it still happening, and when might we finally see it on the big screen? Read on for everything you need to know. Marvel Studios' Blade release date speculation If the original plan had been stuck to, the film would already have come and gone. It was initially slated to arrive in cinemas on 3rd November 2023, before that was then moved to 6th September 2024 and then again to 7th November 2025. Now, there's no release date currently slated at all and it's not clear when it will finally be released. Despite a few false starts – including Kevin Feige telling Entertainment Weekly in February 2023 that "cameras roll in, like, the next 10 weeks or so," – there is also still no sign when production will even begin on the film, which still doesn't even have a director attached. The earliest we can therefore expect to see the film, realistically, is at some point in 2027, although even that seems unreasonably optimistic at this juncture. It may even be 2028 before we've had the chance to see Blade, if it indeed does make it to the big screen – but whatever happens we'll be keeping a close eye out for any updates. The film was first officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 by Kevin Feige and he was joined on stage by star Mahershala Ali. Who’s in the cast of Blade? The following cast members have been confirmed for Marvel Studios' Blade. Mahershala Ali as Blade/Eric Cross Brooks Mia Goth as Lilith As noted, double Oscar winner Mahershala Ali has been cast in the central role of Blade, the half-vampire daywalker who hunts down creatures of the night in the Marvel universe. Ali previously appeared in Netflix’s tie-in Marvel series Luke Cage as villain Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes and in the animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, so he definitely has some superhero pedigree, and apparently, he was pivotal in getting the Blade reboot made in the first place. According to Marvel boss Kevin Feige, immediately after bagging his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Green Book, Ali called him to set up a meeting, and then pitched the concept of a Blade movie starring himself. "When Mahershala calls, you answer," Feige told the Hollywood Reporter. Mia Goth has also been confirmed to star in the film as Lilith, a comic book supervillain. In 2024, she said of the delays to the film's production that those behind it "really care, they do. They want to make a great movie. That’s the sense that I get from them and that feels good." Beyond that it is currently anyone's guess as to who will star. Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) and Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) had previously been attached in mystery roles but both have subsequently exited the project, and there is no word yet on who might replace them. We'll keep you updated when we hear more. Is there a trailer for the new Blade film? As the new Blade film has yet to officially begin filming, there is no sign of a trailer for the new film. We will update this article and share the footage as soon as it becomes available. Wasn’t there a Blade movie before? Yes there was – three in fact, all of which starred Wesley Snipes as the titular vampire-hunter from 1998 to 2004, and which are sometimes credited with kicking off the modern age of superhero cinema in which we’re now living. The first Blade and Blade II were particularly critically acclaimed and also starred Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Dorff, Donnie Yen, Danny John-Jules and Donal Logue among others, though third movie Blade: Trinity (which added Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel to the action) was less popular and ended the franchise (apart from an attempted TV reboot with a new cast in 2006). And despite some consternation from his fans (who would have liked to see him return) Snipes previously gave Ali his blessing in taking over the role. “To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx,” said Snipes in a statement to TheWrap. “Although the news comes as a surprise, it’s ALL GOOD. Such is the ‘business’ of ‘entertainment!’ Much peace to the MCU crew — always a fan. Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan. “Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together.” Of course, Snipes then returned to play Blade in a supporting role in Deadpool & Wolverine, as one of band of forgotten characters in the void who the title characters recruited. In that film, he joked that "there's only ever gonna be one Blade" - with all the delays to this new film's production, it's now not so clear how much of a joke it will end up being. Little is known about the plot of the reboot, but Blade’s backstory – a half-vampire called Eric Brooks determined to exterminate all bloodsuckers using his skills and supernatural abilities – is sure to make for a very different entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it eventually does arrive. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Death Valley's Gwyneth Keyworth is "desperate" to make a season 2
The actor speaks to Radio Times about the possible future of her BBC comedy-drama, co-starring Timothy Spall.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Tell us about your character in Death Valley. I play DS Janie Mallowan. On a murder case she meets John Chapel, her all-time hero from her favourite TV show. What first seems like the best thing ever to have happened, sort of turns when she realises she can’t get rid of him… To start with, Janie hero-worships Chapel – does that reflect your own experience working with the great Timothy Spall? Not far off. It’s Timothy Spall! There was a bit of hero worship when we started. But I’d worked with his son Rafe before on stage [in Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill a Mockingbird adaptation] — he was so nice, so I thought his dad would probably be nice as well. And I was not disappointed! Are you hoping that continues – could this become one of those long-running detective partnerships, like Morse and Lewis? I really hope so. I haven’t been told anything yet. But I’d be desperate to do it. Getting to hang out with Tim again would be an absolute treat. Death Valley is full of murder mysteries – but it’s also a very Welsh story. Was that part of the appeal for you? Definitely. It shows off Wales in all its scope and diversity. But also, I think Wales has a really good sense of humour about itself. We all watched the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special! And as a Welsh speaker, it’s nice to be able to speak some Welsh in the show. Do you ever worry about it being stereotypical, or tokenistic? There’s a definite worry. I’ve gone up for things before set in Wales that have clearly been written by people who are not from Wales. Suddenly everyone’s in a choir, no one has a degree and we’re all down a mine. And it’s disheartening, because you know that there is so much vibrancy and so much diversity within Wales. That’s what’s great about this — we’re showing a vibrant, modern version of Wales on primetime. The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Death Valley is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The break-out star of Slow Horses almost gave up acting. Now he has a guest spot on Doctor Who — but is he a man who can keep a secret?
Add Doctor Who to your watchlist Australian actor Christopher Chung, 36, had only a handful of screen roles to his name when he landed the part of the swaggering, socially awkward tech expert Roddy Ho in Slow Horses, Apple TV+’s hit spy series starring Gary Oldman. Four series later he’s the toast of the industry with a surprise Bafta nomination, a central role in the next series and more parts pouring in — including a guest spot in a brand-new episode of Doctor Who. Though apparently, it’s more top-secret than anything in the files at Slough House… Hi Chris. First of all, congratulations on your Bafta best supporting actor nomination. Was it a surprise? Thank you! It was completely unexpected. It’s funny because I was having a drink with someone the night before, and I was saying I thought Slow Horses had a really good chance of getting [nominated], and then maybe next year, because season five is a little bit more based around my character, I might get a look in. So it blindsided me. As you say, there’s more Slow Horses coming later this year — what can we expect? There’s a really central focus on Roddy, where he does something to set off the chain of events that occur. Season five is based on Mick Herron’s book London Rules. But there’s a lot of deviation away from the books now – we’ve just kind of enhanced that world a little bit more and given it more colour and depth. It’s a massive hit — partially because, unusually in these days of streaming, you actually make a series every year. What’s the secret? Don’t sleep! No, we actors swan in and out, but the production team really are there 24/7, working on the last or the next series. We’ve been doing it since 2020, and it’s a finely oiled machine. Crew tend to stay on the show, so there’s a shorthand, which makes things easier. For my part, as long as I’m allowed to keep playing Roddy, I’ll keep being the obnoxious p***k that he is! Seriously, Slow Horses has opened up all these doors for me. Before I got it I was thinking, “I don’t know if this career is going to go the way I want it to.” You’d been in the UK eight years at that point — had you considered giving up acting? Well, I did a lot of theatre, and I was in Waterloo Road, and learnt a lot there. And I did video game voiceovers and things. But yeah, my faith kind of wavered at points in time. But then I met my wife [actor Frances Mayli McCann] on a job at the National Theatre. If it weren’t for her, I would have definitely moved back to Australia. She has always lifted me up when I’ve been in those moments where I don’t think I can do it any more. She always screams when I get a job, which is lovely. She screamed when I got Doctor Who! She knew how much I wanted to be a part of it. So you were a fan? Did you watch Doctor Who growing up in Australia? When I was younger, I tried to watch it, but I was just too scared! I couldn’t watch anything that was even a little spooky. Even the intro music creeped me out a bit. But when I moved here, and saw what a cultural phenomenon it is, I started watching it – and started auditioning! You’ve tried to be on before? I’ve been auditioning for Doctor Who since I moved to the UK 13 years ago! I think this is my third try. I can’t remember all the parts, but I definitely auditioned for a role in an episode called Knock Knock [in 2017]… and I actually auditioned for another part this series. I probably would have been a supporting artist in it just to get on set! Who did you finally end up playing? And what’s the story? I can’t tell you a lot… but I play a space trooper called Cassio. The Doctor [Ncuti Gatwa] arrives on our spaceship as we’re about to land on a planet to do a mission, because a colony has stopped communicating with us. And then a lot of mayhem ensues. I’ve been told that it’s the most secretive episode of the season… Was it strange to flit between a world of lasers and spaceships and the grimy environs of the Slow Horses’ Slough House HQ? Oh yeah. We were actually filming them at the same time. There was one shoot in particular where I had to leave Cardiff and go back to Slow Horses to film a scene with Jonathan Pryce. We were hiding from an assassin in this tiny cubicle with a really dirty toilet. And then I went back to a spaceship. It was kind of mind-boggling. “Where were you yesterday?” “Spent the day in the toilet with Jonathan Pryce.” You must get stopped by a lot of Slow Horses fans — are you prepared for that to switch to obsessed Whovians? I don’t know. I was already invited to do a sci-fi convention, and the episode isn’t out yet! I’m always looking at demographics of people who come up to me. With Slow Horses it’s anybody and everybody. I guess maybe it’s the same with Whovians? Maybe I’m just expecting people to come up to me dressed as a Dalek or a Weeping Angel. Well, perhaps you didn’t notice how many Slow Horses fans were dressed like Jackson Lamb… You know what… that’s true! That’s so true. Doctor Who, Sat 8am iPlayer, 7.20pm BBC1. Slow Horses is on Apple TV+
'It felt like old-fashioned film-making'
Photographer Des Willie discusses what it's like to be an on-set stills photographer for a Star Wars streaming drama
Add Andor to your watchlist For professional photographer Des Willie, the power of Star Wars’ iconography is undeniable. “The first time I saw a stormtrooper walk towards me, it was literally one of the most exciting moments of my life,” he tells RT. “It’s really, really good design — you’d recognise them from the silhouette, almost. I had the [John Williams] music in my head and I thought, ‘I’ve got to shoot this.’” Luckily, Willie — a fan of George Lucas’s galaxy from the very first film release in 1977 — was in just the position to do so. As the official “stills” photographer for Andor, he was on set throughout the series’ production taking pictures, later editing, cropping and “grading” (adjusting colour) 30 photographs every day to present to producers for review. “My favourite shot is the one of Cassian [Diego Luna] in the TIE fighter cockpit [see left],” he says. “You have so little time in those moments, but Diego would see me holding the camera and he’d just adopt a pose, check I’ve got it, then move on.” While some of Willie’s pictures become behind-the-scenes material, around 70 to 80 per cent are further tinkered with by Lucasfilm in order to reflect the show — for example, in another version of the cockpit shot, visual effects (VFX) artists added in the control panel lights. The final version (see inset, below left) is transformed into what you’ll see in the finished episode. Still, Willie stresses how “real” Andor was, compared to many other sci-fi series. Physical sets and custom-built spaceships were used wherever possible, rather than relying solely on green-screen backgrounds and special effects. “[Showrunner] Tony Gilroy told me, ‘We want to be real — to really build sets and use real-world lighting,” Willie says. “Obviously, CGI is still a huge part of it, but so much of it felt like old-fashioned film-making. And that’s how Star Wars started, isn’t it?”
Returning showrunner Russell T Davies has demanded a Christmas Day special for Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor. He tells Huw Fullerton about his hopes for the show’s bright new era
This article was published in RT in December 2023 and is part of our digital Doctor Who anniversary bookazine — click here to download it for free. Russell T Davies is a hard man to deny. I should know because he’s currently eating my lunch. He has a force of personality that’s taken him from Welsh fanboy to top-tier television writer and producer – and allowed him to revive his favourite childhood TV show. Twice. “I kicked in the door at the BBC,” laughs Davies, “and said, ‘Christmas Day, or else…’ I literally demanded it from day one because I think Doctor Who just suits it perfectly.” This autumn, we’ve already had three hour-long specials starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Now, we’re here to talk about a new Christmas special, the first that Doctor Who has had since 2017. Given how meekly I handed over my chips, it’s no wonder Davies persuaded the Beeb to give Who back that coveted Yuletide slot. “Look, it’s Christmas Day. It’s BBC1. It’s a new Doctor. It’s joy all around. I never liked Only Fools and Horses Christmas specials where they went to Hull or Spain. I think Christmassy things should look Christmassy. So, we have snow. We have Christmas trees. It’s properly, properly Christmassy, from beginning to end. We’re going to ride back into the job.” And as he says, Davies isn’t riding alone – because as well as bringing festive fun back to the show, the new episode will also usher in a new Doctor, played by 31-year-old Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa. “Every new Doctor should be a chance for brand-new viewers to step on board. And I think Ncuti will bring in a new audience,” says Davies. “So it’s an open door. It’s completely written with that in mind – you can watch it from scratch. It’s absolutely designed for new viewers.” Gatwa, who’s already filming his second series for 2025 at time of writing, was cast in 2022 after a rigorous round of auditions that Davies was part of – in fact, he read the role of the Doctor’s companion. The choice was, he says, obvious after Gatwa’s very first reading. “For the Doctor,” he recalls now, “we auditioned men, we auditioned women, we auditioned non-binary people. So I didn’t fix anything in that regard. But I did the reading with him, and he blasted me off the face of the Earth. “He was completely different from how he was in Sex Education,” he adds. “He had all this joy and menace and cheek. Many Doctors had a streak within them that’s withdrawn and guarded. Somehow, he manages to be all that, and yet he cries and he laughs. He’s a much more emotional Doctor, powerfully so. And that works beautifully. It makes us all reach into new areas, and try new things, and write new things. It’s very exciting.” A new Doctor is big news for Doctor Who. But in many ways, Gatwa’s journey to the Tardis has been overshadowed by Davies’s own surprising return to the show, 13 years after he handed the reins over to Steven Moffat. “I left Doctor Who and went to do other dramas. And life was easier!” says the 60-year-old. “There’s so much paraphernalia that goes with Doctor Who – the world around it, and the fans, and the profile of the show. Just the noise of it is phenomenal.” When Davies’s comeback was announced in 2021, there was surprise, even shock. No one could have seen it coming – not even Davies himself, until the BBC pitched the idea to him. He says that he’d kept thinking of ideas for the show, and of course, he still had Doctor Who in his bones, but Davies had hardly been short of work since he handed in his badge at the BBC. In fact, he’s been in a purple patch most writers would kill for, with hit dramas such as A Very English Scandal and It’s a Sin. “I’m not saying any of those shows were easy to make, but you deliver a script, you shoot it and that’s it. So, I never envisaged running Doctor Who again. Honestly, I hadn’t,” he insists. “And bear in mind, it was immediately after It’s a Sin, which was such a successful show. It’s never quite true that a writer can do whatever they want, but I was pretty close to that. And, yes, I had many things I wanted to write, and many things on offer. But actually, I love Doctor Who more than anything. I genuinely love it with all my heart.” There was also the fact that the BBC was keen to team up with an international streaming partner for Who. So with new money coming in and no successor lined up to replace Chris Chibnall as showrunner, someone had to steady the ship. “I completely agreed with everything the BBC wanted to do,” he says. “They wanted someone protecting the show. And I knew it would be hard work – but I love hard work.” Money from American partner Disney has poured in, raising the bar – and stakes – for the new series. “I’ve never worked with this kind of budget – never,” says Davies. “It’s been brilliant for me to learn.” Special effects are glossier, the stories more ambitious. Davies waxes lyrical about what he has planned for Gatwa’s first full series next year, including a controversial move into ground currently occupied by shows like Stranger Things and The Witcher. “I was just a bit jealous that all those other shows were getting a bigger taste of the pie, so this Christmas, the enemy is goblins,” he says. “The show is taking a sly step towards fantasy, which will annoy people to whom it’s a hard science-fiction show. Episode two next year [The Devil’s Chord] is wildly fantasy. Completely making up scenarios on screen that we’ve never been able to show before. But the following episode is proper hard science fiction.” During Davies’s first stint on the show, he was rushing to finish scripts five days before actors walked on set. Today, the scripts are delivered eight weeks before filming, which is done years in advance, with actors locked in for longer runs. There’s less improvisation and more long-term planning. This new iteration of Doctor Who is obviously more organised, calmer than his first run at it. In fact, when he left the show back then, he gave an unprecedented look behind the curtain in The Writer’s Tale, a warts-and-all book (co-written with Benjamin Cook) recounting the stresses and late-night crises of his time at the helm. And while there was plenty of joy and success, he also clearly found the job stressful and demoralising at times. By the end, he was relieved to leave, and resisted attempts by the BBC to keep him in post. It’s hard, I tell him, to reconcile his comeback with the person who wrote that book. “Oh God,” Davies mutters. “Yeah, I can see what it looks like from the outside. I would say, it was a book mostly written at two in the morning, so it has a melancholy about it sometimes. If you see me at ten in the morning, I’m laughing! I should write books at 10am.” And anyway, he says, it’s different this time. In the 2000s, he was overseeing two spin-offs (Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures) and a longer, 14-episode run of Doctor Who. “That was nuts,” he admits now. “How did I do that? I was significantly younger, I have to say. It’s not as bad now. I’m delivering nine episodes of one show.” The pressure, it seems, is off. Today’s Davies is older and wiser – and after years of having to sing for his supper on other dramas, he can now dictate his own terms. “It’s tough getting drama commissioned. A Very English Scandal, Years and Years, It’s a Sin – I had to tap-dance to get those made. I had to sit in front of commissioners, and perform, and dazzle, and do all the tricks. And all three of those came very close to not getting made.” It’s a Sin was actually rejected by the BBC and ITV before it landed on Channel 4, and even then, Davies was forced to cut his episode count from eight to five. “Now, I’ve just delivered a script for May 2025 that I know will get made,” he says proudly. “I don’t have to plead. I don’t have to pitch. And I think you write profoundly differently when you know your writing is going to get made, as opposed to something you hope will get made. In that situation, you’re kind of a beggar.” Back in the big chair, the beggar is gone. Some days later, Davies commands the room at a 60th-anniversary screening, and looks more like some minor feudal lord, fêted and mobbed by the onlookers swarming around him, hoping a little of that Doctor Who stardust will rub off on them. “Obviously, you’ve got so many responsibilities – to the channel, to the programme, to the viewers,” he tells me. “Nonetheless, it’s a greater freedom. And I like that.” It seems ultimately, while it can be a cage, Doctor Who is a gilded one.
As Doctor Who clocks up 60 years, David Tennant is back in control of the Tardis – but for how long? Huw Fullerton finds out about his triumphant return
This article was published in RT in November 2023 and is part of our digital Doctor Who anniversary bookazine — click here to download it for free. David Tennant had it all. As the tenth Doctor he was a fan-favourite with a run of episodes that reached more than 13 million viewers in the UK – a record for the modern revival of Doctor Who, which almost rivalled its 1970s heyday. He left on his own terms in 2010 rather than being shoved aside for a younger, cooler star (in fact, the BBC wanted him to stay longer). His legacy set him up for lucrative convention appearances and fan worship for life, while his post-Who career is flourishing. So why risk it all by returning? “I hadn’t thought about it like that,” Tennant laughs. “Thank God I made it to this point! It never really occurred to me to worry about that. Perhaps it should have done… but with Catherine [Tate] being part of it, and with Russell [T Davies] writing the scripts, I never actually worried about anything other than my own ability to run as fast as I used to.” In fairness, while the return of old favourites to a stage they’ve vacated can sometimes tarnish a legacy, Tennant’s Doctor is a special case. Apart from Tom Baker, it’s hard to think of a Doctor Who star who so captured the public’s imagination. At the height of his career on the show, Tennant was plastered on magazine covers and lunchboxes; he was accosted in the street. In 2009, he was the BBC’s Christmas ident. By the time he left, aged 39, one suspects he could have been reading the phone book to a Dalek and viewers would still have tuned in. Happily this comeback, announced to great fanfare last year, is a little more involved than that. “The first conversation we had about it was very casual,” Tennant recalls. “Russell and Catherine were talking about the notion of: ‘What if we got the band back together for one last special? But David would never do it.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean, I’d never do it? I’d do it in a shot. And then suddenly, we were back for three in a row. “I mean, why not?” he laughs. “It was such a joyous time, and these are people I love as humans, and certainly love as people to work with. And Doctor Who is something that will always be hugely important to me.” In fact, there’s a case to be made that the 52-year-old Tennant – who’s speaking to us the day after his birthday, ever committed to the show – never really left Doctor Who behind in the first place. Yes, he’s had many successes since – Broadchurch, Good Omens, Des, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and Staged to name but a few – but he’s always kept a foot in the Tardis door. After all, it was just three years after his dramatic regeneration that he teamed up with his successor Matt Smith for 2013’s 50th-anniversary special. “I was sort of a member of the guest cast on that, because it was Matt’s show,” says Tennant now. “It’s different when you’re in charge of the Tardis again. There’s a lot more work to do. I remember on the 50th, going, ‘Oh, this is easy. I used to have to learn far more lines than this!’” Two years after that, Tennant was back headlining his own Doctor Who stories for a series of audio dramas co-starring – and this sounds familiar – ex-companion Catherine Tate. He’s kept playing the Doctor that way ever since, lending his voice to audio plays and (more recently) video games starring his character. This Doctor even looms large in Tennant’s personal life. He married a guest actor on the series – Georgia Moffett, who appeared in a 2008 episode with him – which means his father-in-law is former fifth Doctor Peter Davison. He also has a police box cut-out in his garden. Given all this, it’s hard to imagine why Davies and Tate thought this on-screen return would be a hard sell. “The truth is, it’s a rather lovely, benevolent, generous thing to be connected with. I love it. I always have, and I’m sure I always will,” says Tennant. “I grew up with posters on my wall signed by Tom Baker. It’s very peculiar that I should end up in the show that was, to a greater or lesser extent, the thing that inspired me to be in the profession I’m in. “It runs through my life as if through a stick of rock, really. As you say, I met my wife on the set of Doctor Who, and I’m now a father. I’ve given up trying to resist the inevitability that Doctor Who will be following me around for the rest of time.” Instead, he’s embraced it. So, this week he returns as the Doctor on BBC1 – but not the same one he played before. Originally, Tennant says the plan was for him and Tate to return for the anniversary in a flashback episode, set during their shared 2008 series and with a storyline completely different from the specials as they now exist. “It would have been an unseen adventure from years before,” he says. “Russell immediately had an idea for a story, which I’m not going to mention because I don’t think it’s yet seen the light of day. It certainly wouldn’t have been part of an ongoing story. But I hope one day he does use it because it sounded great.” But Davies’s return to the BBC fold as the new Who showrunner changed everything. “Then Russell decided he was coming back full-time and the whole thing blossomed,” says Tennant. Suddenly, the one-off had turned into a trio of specials for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary. Davies tells me later: “It was simply as many episodes as David and Catherine could do. If they had said, ‘We’ve got time to make 12,’ we would have made 12. If they had said, ‘We’ve got time to make one,’ then we’d have made one. But I think a one-off would have been a disappointment.” And it was a flashback no longer. Instead, Tennant plays a new (and official) incarnation of the Doctor that follows on from his younger self and the Doctors that came after – Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker – in a way that’s woven into the story of the specials (titled The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle). “That’s part of what the Doctor himself is struggling with: why is he here?” says Tennant. “Why has he got this face back, and what might that mean? Though you’re still in a recognisably Doctor Who world, and I think that’s right and proper,” he adds. “It gets you back into those stories that you know and love and recognise, with some elements in there that are unexpected.” In particular, he says that the second and third specials go in unusual directions for the series. “With two and three, Russell has written Doctor Who like I have never seen it before,” he reveals. “He’s come back to it with a whole new raft of ideas and enthusiasm. I’m just very chuffed to be able to be part of that.” But of course, he’s not going to be part of it for long. Davies describes Tennant’s new incarnation as a “Magnesium Doctor” – in other words, he burns brightly but not for long – because at the end of the third special, he’ll regenerate into new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa. The 31-year-old Sex Education star takes over for the Christmas special, followed by a full series next year (and beyond – he’s already filming episodes that will be shown in 2025). “I have seen a bit of Ncuti, and he’s magnificent,” Tennant says. “He’s just got such an energy. He’s so creative, and he’s inventive, and he’s funny, and he’s a proper actor. I think he’s going to be great. “I’ve met Millie Gibson [new companion Ruby], and she seems lovely, too. I haven’t got a chance to see any of her stuff yet, but they seem great together. I’m jealous of the adventure they’ve got in front of them.” When asked if he has any advice for his successor, Tennant seems vaguely horrified – “What would I say? I mean, literally, what would I say?” I suggest he might prepare Gatwa to return in about 18 years. “Well, he’s young,” Tennant laughs. “He’ll get into the 100th anniversary, probably. I don’t know if I’ll make it that far. Though if I can keep running fast enough – I don’t know. I never imagined that I would be sitting there for the 60th anniversary, talking about three specials we’d made. This show continues to surprise everyone involved with it.” Still, it must be hard to hand over the Tardis so soon after getting hold of it again. Was there a moment, just for a second, where he thought about snatching back the sonic screwdriver, barricading the studio and staying on for a full series? Even as a lifelong fan, he says not. “It was never on the table,” Tennant says firmly. “The story – well, as soon as I start to talk about this, we get into the area of spoilers, so I’m not going to say any more. All I know is that I’m excited and jealous of everything that Ncuti has in front of him. And I can’t wait to enjoy it as a viewer, because I think he’s magnificent.” He laughs. “I think they thought, ‘Let the old man run around for a minute – and then we’ll get a nice, young bloke in.’ ”
In 2005, Russell T Davies defied the critics to bring Doctor Who back to life. Now, he tells Huw Fullerton, it’s invulnerable – but it didn’t always feel that way
Add Doctor Who to your watchlist This time 20 years ago, screenwriter Russell T Davies was under pressure. His passion-project revival of Doctor Who was about to air, starring Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion, Rose Tyler. It was 16 years on from the BBC’s original cancellation of the show, which to most of the world was a distant memory of wobbly sets and Daleks foiled by stairs. In 2005, TV was on a different planet. Could a series about a time-travelling alien in a police box really work in the era of The Sopranos and The Wire? “It all felt terribly important,” Davies says now. “I’d loved Doctor Who all my life, and I think its return has now proved that it’s invulnerable. But it didn’t feel like that then. It felt very much last chance at the saloon.” There was a lot at stake. But Davies found himself oddly confident. “In that build-up to transmission, I felt like we had a secret weapon – and that was Billie Piper,” he says. “Everyone knew Christopher Eccleston was a great actor, but knowing how good Billie was, was a terrific feeling. Because people came to criticise, people came to mock, and people came to scorn.” In the end, Davies’s confidence was borne out. The Doctor Who revival became an overnight success, kickstarting a new era for the show that has spanned another two decades. Eccleston was succeeded by David Tennant, who recalls, “When I signed on, the first series of the new version hadn’t even transmitted. I sort of signed up to be in a second series that nobody could really be certain would ever arrive. I could have appeared in a regeneration scene at the end of series one, and that could have been it. I would have been not even the George Lazenby of Doctor Who; if I can make a slightly obscure Casino Royale reference, I’d have been the David Niven of Doctor Who!” Following Eccleston and Tennant’s time, new Doctors – Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi – came in with Davies’s successor as series boss, Steven Moffat, while third showrunner Chris Chibnall cast Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor in 2017. New mythology, monsters and fan-favourite episodes were born. Today, Davies is back in charge, with Ncuti Gatwa about to embark on his second series of adventures. He was just 12 years old when the Doctor was given a new lease of life in 2005, “probably being a nuisance somewhere in Boroughmuir High School corridors,” he jokes. “Now, I’ve just done my first Comic Con and as much as it was intense, it was a really nice way to finally get close and personal with the fans. A big, beautiful family of all kinds of people. “It’s really special to have a character like the Doctor on our screens. He tries to leave everyone happier than when he first meets them and that’s a beautiful trait. He inspires and represents a sense of curiosity, courage and compassion in all of us.” Doctor Who is a 20th-century show, successfully reinvented for the 21st. But perhaps more pertinently, it’s also a 2005 show that’s survived the changes in the TV landscape since then – the rise of streaming and the supposed “death” of traditional broadcasting. Doctor Who has become one of the biggest streaming successes for BBC iPlayer, with 36 million hours of New Who (specifically between 2005 and 2022) watched on the platform just last year. The BBC tells RT there were over 70 million hours of Doctor Who watched in 2024, including its various spin-offs and iterations. So how does it keep going? “It’s a constant battle,” Davies admits. “It’s different every single week – not just on a different planet, but often a different genre, the cast keep changing, and that keeps people excited. And there’s nothing quite like that on TV. There’s nothing quite like that anthology- show imagination of Doctor Who, where it takes these wild leaps from one episode to another. “Never, never, never, never would you have thought we’d be here 20 years later,” he adds. “No programme would ever think that. It’s astonishing. We were literally just hoping for a second year.” Amazingly, since its return not only did Doctor Who get a second series, it has managed to air at least one episode every single year since. So, let’s step into the Tardis and take a trip back through 20 years of New Who and remember how we got here… The Steven Moffat era Regular Who scribe Steven Moffat took over from Russell T Davies in 2010, staying in the showrunner role for seven years with two Doctors — Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi. “Those extraordinary days [Doctor Who plus Sherlock] are a blur to me now,” he says. “I was working too hard and fast to properly remember any of it. I have a dim impression of panic, guilt and trying to cut down on sleeping so I could get more done. It didn’t work. “But you know what? When I told people I was a screenwriter and they asked if they’d have seen anything I’d done… boy, did I have one hell of an answer. Ah, those days, those amazing days — I wonder what they were like.” Moffat’s second Doctor, fellow Scot Capaldi, also has fond memories. “It reawakened the child in all of us,” he tells RT. “The revival of Doctor Who was, and is, one of the most welcome sights on TV.” “No other epic yarn is like Doctor Who,” adds Moffat. “It’s brand new and ancient at the same time. That’s the Doctor for you: you’ve known him all your life and he’s the new kid on the block. How do you live for ever? Simples. You don’t age.” The Chris Chibnall years In 2018, Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall took over the show, staying for four years alongside 13th Doctor Jodie Whittaker — the first woman to take on the lead role. “Running Doctor Who, you really are ‘running’ a million miles an hour,” Chibnall says now. “Each episode is a new world, new characters, new monster. It’s exhilarating, exhausting, amazing. The best job.” “It was one of the biggest gifts I’ve ever been given, playing the Doctor,” agrees Whittaker. “There’s no right or wrong way to play that character. And the most exciting thing was that, as a woman, I got to play that part! I hope the show continues to celebrate change.” “Regeneration is literally built into the show, on and off screen,” adds Chibnall. “Some people get frustrated that it doesn’t stand still, but that’s why it’s so enduring. It can constantly surprise. And if there was any young girl aged five upwards who saw Jodie and could suddenly see themselves in the Doctor, that’s all I ever wanted to do.” NEW SEASON PREVIEW Robots, cartoons and an interstellar song contest 2025 isn’t just an anniversary year — it also brings a second series of Doctor Who for Ncuti Gatwa’s incumbent Time Lord, now accompanied by new pal Belinda, played by Varada Sethu. “Belinda challenges the Doctor in ways he hasn’t been before,” Gatwa tells RT. “She has absolutely no desire to be in the Tardis and really wants to get back home. Which is hilarious! “This Doctor has been used to using his charm or the mystery of his life to win people over, but none of that works on Belinda. And she challenges the way the Doctor has been used to doing things, as she’s equally headstrong. They push each other’s limits.” In other adventures, the Doctor will face 1950s cartoons coming to life and some seriously scary new monsters — as well as an outer-space version of the Eurovision Song Contest, airing the same night as the real competition. “It’s just wilder swings than ever, really,” showrunner Davies says. “Episode three is absolutely terrifying and we’re still working on the finale right now, which is astonishing. But the episode I keep going back to and rewatching, is the Interstellar Song Contest. It’s terrific in all sorts of ways.” HF Doctor Who returns to BBC1/iPlayer on Saturday 12 April
The best and most important Doctor Who adventures from every year since the 2005 revival – plus the showrunners’ favourites!
New Doctor Who turns 20: "I think its return has now proved that it's invulnerable"
Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall speak to Radio Times as the modern era of the sci-fi show celebrates a big anniversary.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. This time 20 years ago, screenwriter Russell T Davies was under pressure. His passion-project revival of Doctor Who was about to air, starring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion, Rose Tyler. It was 16 years on from the BBC’s original cancellation of the show, which to most of the world was a distant memory of wobbly sets and Daleks foiled by stairs. In 2005, TV was on a different planet. Could a series about a time-travelling alien in a police box really work in the era of The Sopranos and The Wire? "It all felt terribly important," Davies says now. "I’d loved Doctor Who all my life, and I think its return has now proved that it’s invulnerable. But it didn’t feel like that then. It felt very much last chance at the saloon." There was a lot at stake. But Davies found himself oddly confident. "In that build-up to transmission, I felt like we had a secret weapon – and that was Billie Piper," he says. "Everyone knew Christopher Eccleston was a great actor, but knowing how good Billie was, was a terrific feeling. Because people came to criticise, people came to mock, and people came to scorn." In the end, Davies’s confidence was borne out. The Doctor Who revival became an overnight success, kickstarting a new era for the show that has spanned another two decades. Eccleston was succeeded by David Tennant, who recalls, "When I signed on, the first series of the new version hadn’t even transmitted. I sort of signed up to be in a second series that nobody could really be certain would ever arrive. I could have appeared in a regeneration scene at the end of series one, and that could have been it. I would have been not even the George Lazenby of Doctor Who; if I can make a slightly obscure Casino Royale reference, I’d have been the David Niven of Doctor Who!” Following Eccleston and Tennant’s time, new Doctors – Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi – came in with Davies’s successor as series boss, Steven Moffat, while third showrunner Chris Chibnall cast Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor in 2017. New mythology, monsters and fan-favourite episodes were born. Today, Davies is back in charge, with Ncuti Gatwa about to embark on his second series of adventures. He was just 12 years old when the Doctor was given a new lease of life in 2005, “probably being a nuisance somewhere in Boroughmuir High School corridors,” he jokes. “Now, I’ve just done my first Comic Con and as much as it was intense, it was a really nice way to finally get close and personal with the fans. A big, beautiful family of all kinds of people. "It’s really special to have a character like the Doctor on our screens. He tries to leave everyone happier than when he first meets them and that’s a beautiful trait. He inspires and represents a sense of curiosity, courage and compassion in all of us." Doctor Who is a 20th-century show, successfully reinvented for the 21st. But perhaps more pertinently, it’s also a 2005 show that’s survived the changes in the TV landscape since then – the rise of streaming and the supposed “death” of traditional broadcasting. Doctor Who has become one of the biggest streaming successes for BBC iPlayer, with 36 million hours of New Who (specifically between 2005 and 2022) watched on the platform just last year. The BBC tells RT there were over 70 million hours of Doctor Who watched in 2024, including its various spin-offs and iterations. So how does it keep going? “It’s a constant battle,” Davies admits. “It’s different every single week – not just on a different planet, but often a different genre, the cast keep changing, and that keeps people excited. And there’s nothing quite like that on TV. There’s nothing quite like that anthology-show imagination of Doctor Who, where it takes these wild leaps from one episode to another. “Never, never, never, never would you have thought we’d be here 20 years later,” he adds. “No programme would ever think that. It’s astonishing. We were literally just hoping for a second year.” Amazingly, since its return not only did Doctor Who get a second series, it has managed to air at least one episode every single year since. So, let’s step into the TARDIS and take a trip back through 20 years of New Who and remember how we got here… Steven Moffat Regular Who scribe Steven Moffat took over from Russell T Davies in 2010, staying in the showrunner role for seven years with two Doctors — Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi. “Those extraordinary days [Doctor Who plus Sherlock] are a blur to me now,” he says. “I was working too hard and fast to properly remember any of it. I have a dim impression of panic, guilt and trying to cut down on sleeping so I could get more done. It didn’t work. “But you know what? When I told people I was a screenwriter and they asked if they’d have seen anything I’d done… boy, did I have one hell of an answer. Ah, those days, those amazing days — I wonder what they were like.” Moffat’s second Doctor, fellow Scot Capaldi, also has fond memories. “It reawakened the child in all of us,” he tells RT. “The revival of Doctor Who was, and is, one of the most welcome sights on TV.” “No other epic yarn is like Doctor Who,” adds Moffat. “It’s brand new and ancient at the same time. That’s the Doctor for you: you’ve known him all your life and he’s the new kid on the block. How do you live for ever? Simples. You don’t age.” Chris Chibnall In 2018, Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall took over the show, staying for four years alongside Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker — the first woman to take on the lead role. “Running Doctor Who, you really are ‘running’ a million miles an hour,” Chibnall says now. “Each episode is a new world, new characters, new monster. It’s exhilarating, exhausting, amazing. The best job.” “It was one of the biggest gifts I’ve ever been given, playing the Doctor,” agrees Whittaker. “There’s no right or wrong way to play that character. And the most exciting thing was that, as a woman, I got to play that part! I hope the show continues to celebrate change.” “Regeneration is literally built into the show, on and off screen,” adds Chibnall. “Some people get frustrated that it doesn’t stand still, but that’s why it’s so enduring. It can constantly surprise. And if there was any young girl aged five upwards who saw Jodie and could suddenly see themselves in the Doctor, that’s all I ever wanted to do.” The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe here. Doctor Who will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 12th April, while previous seasons are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. Dive into our Doctor Who story guide: reviews of every episode since 1963, plus cast & crew listings, production trivia, and exclusive material from the Radio Times archive. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.