Fans of long running sci-fi show Doctor Who have got their first look at drag star Jinkx Monsoon in costume for her upcoming guest appearance on the show.
Show runner Russell T. Davies has revealed that Monsoon will play a character who is the protagonist’s “most powerful enemy”, but little else is known about the part Monsson will portray.
The inclusion of a piano on the character’s lapels immediately lead to speculation that the new series might be including a ‘musical episode’ something that the show has never done in its 60-year history.
Monsoon commented on her casting earlier this month saying it was a dream come true.
“I’m terribly excited. It’s not easy to encapsulate how excited I am with words,” the star said. “I was saying to the director yesterday, the role that I’m playing, it’s like everything I ever dreamed about doing as an actor in one character.” the RuPaul’s Drag Race star said.
Alongside releasing several albums, appearing on countless television programs and constantly touring the world, Monsson has also appeared in many musicals. Spring Awakening, Rent, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Hairspray are a few of the shows they’ve taken part in, and they just did a stint as Mama Morton in Chicago on Broadway.
The British sci-fi series Doctor Who first aired in 1963 and it ran for 26 seasons through to 1989. It later continued as a TV movie before the series was brought back in 2005 under the guidance of writer and producer Russell T Davies. The show has told an ongoing story and it now celebrating its 60th anniversary.
The shows longevity is due to a clever storytelling device which sees the central character, the Doctor, regenerate into a new body and personality every few years, and more recently the character has also had a new gender.
The most recent actor to play the role was Jodie Whittaker. It was announced that Sex Education actor Ncuti Gatwa would be taking over the role, but when Whittaker’s doctor regenerated at the end of the last series fans got a surprise when she turned into a previous incarnation of the character played by David Tennent.
Tennent will return to the role for three anniversary specials before handing the reins over to Gatwa for the next series which is expected to air in 2024. Russell T Davies is returning as writer and producer of the show.
The series marks a major change for the program with a new production deal between production house Bad Wolf, the BCC and Disney Plus. For the first time the show will premiere on the streaming service after decades of airing in Australia on the ABC.
So far only a few casting decisions about the next series have been announced. The Doctor’s new companion will be Ruby Sunday, played by British actor Millie Gibson. Jemma Redgrave will return as UNIT boss Kate Stewart, and there will be appearances form Anita Dobson, Aneurin Barnard and Michelle Greenidge.
The show had also just announced that Murray Gold will be returning to compose the score for the program. Gold previously scored the show from 2005 until 2018, but was replaced by Segun Akinola during Jodie Whitaker’s tenure in the lead role.
OIP Staff
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