Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has divulged details of a "very different" introduction to new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), which was filmed before being cut from the episode edit.

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The character made her first appearance in season 15 premiere The Robot Revolution, in which she was abducted and taken to a distant planet orbiting a star that was named after her – as a novelty gift from her then-boyfriend.

However, writing in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, on sale now, showrunner Davies explained that he had initially envisioned a separate sequence that would offer a glimpse of Belinda's closest relatives.

"There was a very different opening for Belinda, starting on the day of her birth, with her mother, Lakshmi, and Aunty Devika... but we didn't use them," he wrote in his latest column.

"They didn't survive the first edit. It's common sense, really: a story about Belinda having a star named after her should start with Belinda having the star named after her. Simple as that. Sometimes you can't see the obvious until it's staring you in the face."

It's not yet clear whether we'll get to meet Belinda's family and get an insight into her home life, given that the very crux of this latest season is that the Doctor can't seem to simply return his reluctant companion to the point at which she was taken.

The precise reason why is a mystery sure to run through much of the season, with the presence of an ever more sinister Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) perhaps having something to do with it.

At the very least though, Davies has expressed a desire to see the deleted scenes of Belinda, with her loved ones Lakshmi and Devika, to be released to fans – but didn't name exactly how they might be distributed.

Davies added: "The deleted scenes are good! Hang around, I'm sure Doctor Who Magazine will cover them, and hopefully they'll be released one day soon."

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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