June 4, 2024 – Doctor Who season one episode Rogue sees the Doctor and Ruby land in 1813 where guests at the Duchess’s party are being murdered, and a mysterious bounty hunter called Rogue is about to change the Doctor’s life forever.

Interview with Indira Varma who plays The Duchess in Doctor Who

How did your casting come about? And what was your initial reaction when you heard you’d be joining the Whoniverse?

I got an email from Russell, via my agent, asking me if I’d like to play the Duchess and was really excited. I worked with Russell on Torchwood back in the day. That was such a laugh. My character in Torchwood, Suzie, was only meant to be in the first episode. She was set up as one of the gang, but turned out to be the rotten egg and died. But then, as you can in the Whoniverse, was brought back to life for an episode as she was the only one who knew how to use the magic glove! It is so much fun to be part of this world and I really wanted to join the gang again.

What’s brilliant about Doctor Who is that it’s so British, which makes it very special to me as a Brit. Even though I wasn’t an avid watcher as a kid, I always feel like a fan, and I really appreciate the legacy. I love the fact that the Doctor regenerates. I am also in awe of how Russell is taking the Whoniverse to a different level. I don’t know how his mind works, but I feel like he lets his imagination run, and it’s always with generosity and compassion for his characters, and for the viewers. There’s something for everyone, and it’s always done with joy.

Can you tell us a bit about your character?

The Duchess is from Regency Era England. She’s a woman of society and is throwing an enormous party. It’s all very fabulous and fashionable, her costume is amazing. We find her at the centre of it all.

Did you have to do any dance lessons to learn the choreography?

Sadly, I didn’t get to dance. But I’ve actually worked with the choreographer, Jack Murphy, before! I worked with him years ago at the National, so it was lovely to see it all – it was beautiful! Everyone looked amazing on set. The costumes are incredible. As viewers will get to see, the costumes change throughout the episode and I had such fun seeing it all unfold!

How does Doctor Who differ from other projects you’ve worked on before?

I have been part of some massive shows with a huge history, including Star Wars and Game of Thrones. But with Doctor Who, I think it stands on its own within the genre and it’s uniquely British. I think that’s really important. I feel really proud to be in a British show. I really love the way that the companion is written as one of the viewers, an ordinary person, and they get to go on all these adventures. They are the eyes and ears of the audience and I think that’s brilliant.

Also the fact that the Doctor can go anywhere in time and space – anywhere, any universe, anytime in history. It’s not just the world that becomes your oyster, it’s the universe and beyond, isn’t it? And I just think that’s amazing. It can be silly and fun, and it’s also quite profound. There’s such humanity in it, and it can be incredibly moving. It’s got it all.

What was your first reaction when you read this script?

Well, I’ve always wanted to be in Jane Austen. So I was thrilled that it was Regency. I thought it was sort of a happy irony that because when I was growing up, they were always filming the Jane Austen adaptions, and being mixed race, I could never ever be in those shows. Now, it is all changing which is fantastic, with shows like Bridgerton, and similarly Doctor Who, it can do what it wants.

We are in a different time now and I was just so thrilled that I was going to be in a period drama from that time. Get the dress and wave the fan. It was a lot of fun to play the etiquette of that time. We had such a laugh, and I got to have so much fun with the Duchess character, doing all sorts of things! She’s the polar opposite to Suzie. The Duchess has her own agenda but she’s whimsical, greedy and playful.

Doctor Who is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for the BBC and Disney Branded Television.

The BBC is the exclusive home of Doctor Who in the UK as it premieres at 00:00 on Saturday May 11 on BBC iPlayer and will then airs on BBC One that evening. Outside the UK, Doctor Who began streaming 10 May at 7pm ET on Disney+ where available, giving audiences a simultaneous global launch.

An episode continues to drop on BBC iPlayer at 00:00 on Saturdays, followed by a primetime slot on BBC One each week following that.