Who is Jonathan Groff's character in Doctor Who?

The sixth episode of the season, which has been written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman, sees the Doctor and Ruby attending a party in Regency-era England, where they find that the guests are being murdered.

Meanwhile, the Doctor meets the mysterious titular character, Rogue, played by Groff - and makes a bit of Doctor Who history along the way.

But just who is the character and what has Groff said about starring in the series?

Read on for everything you need to know about Jonathan Groff's character in the Doctor Who episode, Rogue.

Who is Jonathan Groff's character, Rogue?

Jonathan Groff's character is a smouldering alien bounty hunter in the sixth episode of Doctor Who, who "is not necessarily who he appears to be when you meet him".

The Doctor meets Rogue when he and Ruby attend a party in Regency-era England, with the smooth operator promising to "change the Doctor’s life forever".

Rogue boasts a cool Han Solo-esque blaster and impressive spaceship - which he brags about to Gatwa's Time Lord - and is hunting a member of the shape-shifting Chuldur species who is wanted for crimes.

Along the way, he and Fifteen begin to butt heads, but soon develop an affection for each other, with the pair of them causing a scandal on the dance floor and Rogue fake proposing, before their relationship reaches a romantic climax - soon before Rogue appears to give up his life.

While he may not be from Planet Earth, he does seem in-the-know about a range of pop culture references, responding to the Doctor's dig that his name was inspired by Dungeons & Dragons with the twinkle-eyed retort, "Roll for insight."

Do the Doctor and Rogue kiss?

Yes! After tensions simmer under the surface throughout the episode, the Doctor and Rogue eventually share a heartwarming kiss before a heartbreaking ending.

Will Rogue return to Doctor Who?

It is not yet known whether Jonathan Groff's Rogue will return to Doctor Who. However, the door certainly seems open for the possibility.

After all, Rogue's final words to the Doctor were, "Find me," which certainly hints that there's a chance we'll see the bounty hunter again.

Also, Groff has made it no secret that he had a ball (ahem) on Doctor Who, saying: "I spent most of my time with Ncuti and I am obsessed with him. I think he is such a star. He's so unpredictable and thrilling to act with because you never see the same thing twice. He's so spontaneous, and yet so deeply connected to what he's doing. He really cares.

"He's really in it fully, and he's got this force and positivity that is completely unique to him. It's just phenomenal. I just adore him. I think he is one of the most exciting actors working today."

What has Jonathan Groff said about joining Doctor Who?

Groff explained that he joined the show after getting "a very exciting text message from Russell T Davies", who he was "a huge fan of" after seeing It's a Sin.

He admitted that he had known of Doctor Who but never seen an episode until Davies sent him "about five episodes", including the first ever instalment, An Adventure in Time and Space.

Asked about the biggest challenge in starring in the show, he said: "I would say the biggest challenge would be trying to understand and fit into the tone of the show – when you're coming in as a guest star, jumping into a world, and Doctor Who is such a specific thing!

"In the episodes that Russell showed me, and in the experience of playing a role in it, Doctor Who has such a fascinating tone. It's big, and it's larger than life, but it's also quite real and even though it's fantasy, there is depth to the storytelling and to the relationships.

"I'd say the biggest challenge was coming in and trying to digest the tone as fast as possible, and to really articulate the character in the proper way in the world of the show."

Groff also spoke about working with Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, saying they were "both so warm and welcoming".

He added: "Big smiles and full of laughs and embraces, they could not have been more warm. As an outsider, coming into the Whoniverse for the first time, they were the greatest hosts! They took such good care of me and everybody, truly everybody on the set, the crew, everyone!"

What has Jonathan Groff starred in before?

An actor of stage and screen, Groff shot to prominence in roles such as Jesse St James in Glee and King George in hit Broadway musical Hamilton.

He went on to star in shows such as Looking and Mindhunter, as well as in films including Frozen, The Matrix Resurrections and Knock at the Cabin.

Doctor Who continues on Saturday 15th June on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

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