Varada Sethu says Doctor Who makers doing the ‘right thing’ with diversity
The Indian-born actress will join the series as Belinda Chandra, a new companion to the Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa.
Actress Varada Sethu has said the makers of Doctor Who are doing the “right thing” with a more diverse cast and storylines.
The Indian-born star, who grew up in Newcastle and has had roles in Star Wars spin-off show Andor and horror film I Came By, has joined the series as Belinda Chandra, a new companion to the Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa.
Sex Education star Gatwa became the first black Doctor on the show in 2023, but although the response was largely positive, there was some criticism online when his casting was first announced.
Speaking to Radio Times, Sethu said: “I’m really excited about it because the show has been this intangible, beautiful thing in my head, but the moment it comes out, I’ll have to deal with people’s opinions.
“There’s been a couple of Doctor Woke (references) or whatever, but I just think we’re doing the right thing if we’re getting comments like that.”
“Woke just means inclusive, progressive, and that you care about people. And, as far as I know, the core of Doctor Who is kindness, love and doing the right thing.”
The 32-year old actress previously appeared in Gatwa’s first series of the BBC show as Anglican army soldier Mundy Flynn, and said she thought the producers had made a mistake when they offered her the companion role.
She said: “The turnaround was like whiplash. I was dropped into (filming) within two weeks of being told I had it.
“So a lot of the confusion and stress that (Belinda is) going through is the confusion and stress that I was going through.”
Gatwa, 32, told Attitude magazine last year that he tries not to pay attention to online abuse.
He said: “The hate? It is kind of fascinating to me because there’s so much energy they’re putting into it. You are so angry over something so inconsequential that you can’t be an interesting person.
“You can’t have much in your life. I don’t have the time to do that. And so, I think they need to go find a hobby is one thing.
“But another thing is that we do see a shift happening in casting, in positions of power and in the status quo.
“I mean, not a fast shift, things could tip over the other way a little bit quicker, but you see people kind of malfunctioning because things are changing.”
Doctor Who will air on April 12 at 8am on BBC iPlayer and later that day on BBC One.
You can read the full interview on Radio Times.
