JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
‘They Had So Many Demands': Doctor Who Star Ncuti Gatwa Talks About Filming Episode 1 With 20 Babies
The Scottish actor joked about the babies calling them little divas with massive demands on set. The entire Doctor Who crew had to come together to keep the dozen of babies focused.
The season renewal of the age-old series, Doctor Who brings in new challenges for the fifteenth doctor of the franchise, Ncuti Gatwa. While Season 14 will follow the similar sci-fi plotline of The Doctor’s time-traveling adventures, filming the first episode was a task of its own. Gatwa worked with 20 infant babies as co-stars in the debut episode, Space Babies.
The Scottish actor playfully teased the babies, referring to them as tiny divas with enormous demands on set. The entire Doctor Who team had to unite to ensure that the dozen babies remained focused. Showrunner Russell T Davies also shared some interesting details about the challenges they faced in making the little characters talk using CGI effects.
Ncuti Gatwa’s first challenge as Doctor Who
The premiere night of the 14th Season of Doctor Who, following the show’s revival in 2005, hosted all of the cast and crew at the NeueHouse in Hollywood on May 8, Wednesday. After their red-carpet appearances, Ncuti Gatwa and co-star Millie Gibson talked about filming with 20 babies on set.
“They were such divas. They had so many demands,” the 31-year-old star quipped. He also added that the crew united to keep the babies “entertained” and turned it into a “magical” experience. But then again, “Chaotic though. Very, very chaotic,” the Sex Education star admitted to Variety.
Whereas, Millie Gibson who plays Ruby Sunday in the sci-fi series, shared how she was tasked to keep the toddlers' attention in Episode 1. Gibson’s resolve was to play a nursery rhyme alongside the central monologue about her character’s past because the babies were diverted by the on-set lights or simply dozed off in between. She explained it as the “most bizarre thing.”
Russell T Davies, the showrunner who returned for the series, also shared his thoughts on the difficulties faced while filming the babies on set and the additional challenges during post-production. In their quest to find the best way for the babies to talk, Davies disclosed that they initially experimented with using adult voices, but it ended up sounding "strangely creepy." Eventually, they settled on using voiceovers from 9 to 11-year-olds, and after several hours of hard work, the episode came to life.
Davies is also the writer and executive producer of Doctor Who Season 14. He has helmed the sci-fi series from 2005 to 2010.
What happens in the debut episode of Doctor Who Season 14?
In the first episode of Season 14, Gatwa's 15th doctor embarks on a thrilling time-travel adventure in the Tardis, a police box time machine. Joining him is Ruby, played by Gibson, who discovers his secret. Together, they find themselves in a spaceship filled with talking newborns in the distant future. However, their journey takes an unexpected turn when they become stranded in a chaotic baby farm. Now, their mission is clear - they must work together to return these precious babies to their rightful home planets.
The official trailer released in March, teases the thrilling adventures of Doctor Who while he befriends his new companion, Ruby Sunday. Other cast members include Jemma Redgrave, Bonnie Langford, Michelle Greenidge, Yasmin Finney, Indira Varma and others.
The new season marks 60 years of Doctor Who and the 40th Season overall, airing on BBC since 1963. Gatwa is sequentially the 16th doctor but canonically the 15th incarnation. A 2005 revival continued the Doctor’s time-traveling adventures after the original show concluded in December 1989.
Doctor Who Season 14 is available to stream worldwide on Disney+ starting May 10, Friday, and will premiere in The U.K. on BBC iPlayer, on May 11, Saturday.
Latest Articles
