Doctor Who star on season 14: "I don't think the audience are going to be ready"

Greenidge debuted in this year's Christmas special The Church on Ruby Road and will return for further appearances in episodes set to air in 2024.

The festive episode teased the mysterious identity of a hooded figure – the birth mother of Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) – with Greenidge hinting to RadioTimes.com that she knows how the story arc will resolve.

"I might know the answer to that!" she said. "What I will say is, when the series airs… I don't think the audience are going to be ready. It is incredible. The story arc, the writing... you'll be gripped. I'm so ecstatic with how things have played out."

The Church on Ruby Road saw the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and new companion Ruby go up against a horde of time-travelling goblins. As the episode unfolded, the goblins travelled back in time and snatched up Ruby when she was a baby, temporarily creating a new timeline in which she was never adopted by Greenidge's character Carla.

In scenes reminiscent of Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life, the special explored how Carla's life would be different if she'd never met Ruby, with Greenidge admitting that playing a darker, more cynical Carla was "challenging".

"The fact that I was working with Ncuti a lot in those scenes, it was amazing," she said. "I mean, I really had to dig deep to go there.

"Carla is a loving mother to so many foster children in her past and she's got so much love for Ruby, so it was genuinely emotional when her characteristics change. It was amazing to do those scenes with Ncuti and have him to bounce off."

Read more:

• Doctor Who star Michelle Greenidge: "Ncuti was born to play the Doctor"
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Greenidge, who previously worked with showrunner Russell T Davies on his Channel 4 series It's a Sin, applauded Doctor Who for its positive portrayal of a foster mother, highlighting how Carla's efforts had improved the lives of her adopted children.

"We don't see it often enough," she said. "Especially at this time of year – it's Christmas, there will be lots of people who have been adopted that perhaps feel isolated or different, and this show has really brought to life the bonds within those families, and how important the relationships are.

"I was hugely proud to play, Carla and the storyline that followed was amazing."

Doctor Who will return in 2024, with guests star including Aneurin Barnard, Indira Varma, Lenny Rush and Jonathan Groff joining leads Gatwa and Gibson.

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