Doctor Who star Anita Dobson on 'understanding Mrs Flood's psyche'
"Trying to find that trigger is fascinating."
The mystery of Mrs Flood continues, as fans are none the wiser as to how she slots into the ongoing series of Doctor Who.
While she was initially introduced as merely being Ruby Sunday's kind neighbour, her ability to break the fourth wall paired with the latest season finale - which saw her don a pretty iconic white fur coat - has continued to bemuse and intrigue viewers.
Well, it looks as though we've got plenty of Mrs Flood content to come in the upcoming season of the show, according to Anita Dobson, who plays the ominous character.
Speaking in an interview in Doctor Who magazine, the actress said: "Russell T Davies called me into his office. It was scary! Like going to the headmaster. But I tootled in there and he was ever so nice.
"He said, 'We want you to come back,' and I said, 'I’m very happy to.' An immediate response, 'Will you stay?' 'Of course I will.' Then he said, 'And now I’m going to tell you what Mrs Flood gets up to in season 2…'"
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She went on: "He loves this show so much, and that’s what makes you want to be part of it. He’s lovely and encouraging, and always very jolly and excited, which is incredibly infectious, and these season 2 scripts are fascinating, extraordinary pieces of writing.
"You have to understand the character’s psyche. Why does Mrs Flood behave this way? There has to be a reason. People very rarely flip on a moment. Even if they do, there’s usually something that made that happen. Trying to find that trigger is fascinating.
"I think, if I hadn’t been an actress, I would have been a therapist!"
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So, at least we know she's definitely set to make a return in season 15, but in what capacity and how her mystery will unfold, we'll just have to wait and see.
We do know, though, that we'll be set to get some answers around Mrs Flood's identity sooner rather than later - thankfully.
Since her scene wearing the white fur coat in the finale, fans have speculated that Mrs Flood could actually be former companion Romana (Mary Tamm), who previously wore a similar costume.
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Addressing the rumours, Davies previously told SFX magazine (via GamesRadar): "She had us all roaring with laughter at that scene, she is so brilliant. I promise you next year, great answers to that, great solutions.
"Probably because she’s wearing white fur, people are going to think she’s [Time Lord companion] Romana, aren’t they?
"I promise you answers to that. Again, that’s gonna be next year. I cannot tell you how much joy and fun we had with this story. Anita Dobson – I’m laughing out loud! – Anita Dobson’s got the best stuff ever coming up. Glorious."
Doctor Who will return at Christmas on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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