Speaking to Doctor Who Unleashed, Davies said: “So that’s goodbye to Millie Gibson, except it’s not! You’d have to be mad to say goodbye to talent and a character like that!”
He added: “This is a pause. I genuinely felt Ruby’s story paused there. She couldn’t get all that information about her family, all that emotional overload, and run off in the TARDIS. It pauses there. She’s coming back.
“A new companion is coming in, but you’ll see the three of them together. Three people in this TARDIS fighting evil. There’s good stuff to come. There are really crucial stories for Ruby to come, and her family – the story of that family hasn’t finished yet – that will all make sense when you see it. So more to come.”
It’s gratifying to see how much the fandom — however split people are about this season — has embraced Mille Gibson, because she’s truly phenomenal.
I was worried when people ran with the “she’s being replaced” story (which they thankfully clarified) and started to go with a classic sexist “she’s hard to work with” story (which turned out to be that she got tired on night shoots, being basically an actual child when they started filming) that the fandom would pile on her, and I’m glad that people are recognizing her talent. However the character turned out, she was pretty flawless in the role. Delivering a performance like 73 Yards on your first week at a new job when you’re eighteen years old is pretty impressive.
Yeah, there have already been photos featuring both Gibson and, Varada Sethu, so I’m not too worried.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a companion who wasn’t living in the TARDIS full-time, and RTD tends to focus on companions’ home lives.
I wish we had a few more Jackie Tyler opportunities for Carla and Cherry. I was sort of bummed we didn’t get a hero moment for Carla in the finale — and Ruby going on about her “real mum” with Carla right there made me feel just awful for her.
For sure - that’s a possible side-effect of the shorter season.
To be honest, as good as Millie Gibson has been, I don’t feel like I’ve got a really good handle on Ruby as a character just yet, either.
Carla has been so supportive of Ruby’s search for her birth mother - a real unsung hero of the season.
I will say, though, that I interpreted one of Ruby’s references to “my real mum” as a reference to Carla. I think it might have been in episode seven, but I forget the details.
