At the time of her role being announced, Monsoon said that she is "honoured, thrilled, and utterly excited to join Doctor Who" while adding that "Russell T Davies is a visionary and a brilliant writer".
Now, speaking with PRIDE, Monsoon opened up about how her casting came about, explaining that Davies, who is a personal friend, was influenced by seeing her in a stage show.
Jinkx Monsoon. Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
Monsoon said: "It was kind of a perfect storm, how we became friends. I was dating my now-husband, Michael Abbott, who’s a good friend of Russell’s. So our holiday show was coming through Manchester at a time that Russell was in Manchester, and my husband reached out and he came and saw the show. And that was maybe four years ago."
Monsoon continued: "And then over the years, Russell has come to see many of my shows. And I’ll tell you candidly, after I was offered the role and I accepted it, Russell told me that he saw my show Together Again, Again with my music partner, Major Scales, which is a show where I play myself in my '80s, a kind of dystopian look at my future.
"Russell said that he walked home from the show that night and decided, 'Jinkx is the person I want to have play this role.' So he advocated for me to play this role, and it’s just one of those moments where everything fell into place at the perfect time."
Monsoon also teased that her role, which is currently still under wraps, is "everything I ever dreamed about doing as an actor in one character".
Davies recently praised incoming Doctor Ncuti Gatwa's performance in the episodes he has filmed so far, saying: "Sometimes you know you've got a secret. And you hold it close to your chest and let it burn, because secrets are so delicious.
"I've got that right now, because my secret is seeing Ncuti with Millie Gibson on the rushes of Doctor Who, every single day, and oh my God, this is so good!"
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
