One of the many ways that the upcoming eleventh season of Doctor Who will revamp the show is by introducing three new companions for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor, as opposed to the usual one or two. Things are going to get pretty crowded in the TARDIS, then, but we’ve heard that the characters will develop a “family” dynamic throughout the season.
While speaking with Digital Spy, Who newcomers Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole – who play Yasmin Khan and Ryan Sinclair, respectively – spoke about what we can expect from their dynamic with the Time Lord and fellow companion Graham O’Brien (Bradley Walsh). First off, Cole teased that things are chaotic to start with before the four time travelers grow closer, saying:
“It starts off as a bit of chaos. It’s all over the place… and then we just kind of gel. There’s more of an understanding of each other and [a sense of] knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
Gill then went on to note that there’s a clear difference in how Yasmin and Ryan react to the Doctor. Ryan “challenges her from time to time,” while Yasmin’s “completely in awe” of the two-hearted Time Lord. This means that we get to see the Doctor when she’s not necessarily in charge.
“We all see the Doctor in a different light. I think that’s what’s very interesting. We don’t all believe what she says is gospel. My character does, but not everyone. You have people questioning her.”
Finally, Gill explained that the characters will come out the other end of this “chaos,” as Cole put it, stronger for it and will see each other as a family. In an interesting mild spoiler, she also hinted that Yasmin might even choose the TARDIS team over her own relations.
“It feels like a family by the end of it. For my character, there’s times where she wants to go home and make sure everything’s okay. But I feel like by the end of it, while she knows it’s always an option to go home, this is kind of her new family.”
Doctor Who season 11 completed production last month but we still have had no word on exactly when we can expect to see the 10-episode run hit our screens. As soon as that changes, though, we’ll be sure to let you know.