Alan Cumming to guest star in new Doctor Who series as ‘runaway cartoon’
The stage and screen star will feature alongside Ncuti Gatwa as he returns for his second series as the fifteenth incarnation of the Doctor.
Scottish actor Alan Cumming will guest star in the upcoming series of Doctor Who as “runaway cartoon” Mr Ring-a-Ding.
The stage and screen star will feature alongside Ncuti Gatwa as he returns for his second series as the fifteenth incarnation of the Doctor.
Gatwa will be joined in the Tardis by Belinda Chandra, played by Jurassic World actress Varada Sethu, when the show returns to BBC and Disney+ on April 12.
Bafta-winner Cumming will make his animated appearance in episode two as Mr Ring-a-Ding, a “happy, funny, singalong cartoon, who lives in Sunny Town with his friend Sunshine Sally”.
“However, in 1952, after years of repeats in cinemas across the land, Mr Ring-a-Ding suddenly looks beyond the screen and sees the real world outside – and the consequences are terrifying,” the episode synopsis adds.
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies said: “Only Alan Cumming could give a runaway cartoon so much wit, malice, danger and fun.
“He makes the whole universe of Doctor Who wilder and madder than ever, and it’s an absolute honour to welcome him on board the Tardis.”
In the new series Millie Gibson returns as the Time Lord’s companion Ruby Sunday, while EastEnders actresses Rose Ayling-Ellis and Anita Dobson are among the other stars adventuring through time and space.
Slow Horses actor Christopher Chung, Mandy actress Michelle Greenidge, The Little Mermaid star Jonah Hauer-King, Years And Years’ Ruth Madeley, Cold Blood’s Jemma Redgrave and Coronation Street actress Susan Twist will also appear in the upcoming series.
The new series has also had an injection of new writers, including This Book Is Gay author Juno Dawson, who created the first official Doctor Who-scripted podcast, and Pete McTighe, who is a writer and executive producer for forthcoming spin-off The War Between The Land And The Sea.
McTighe also wrote Doctor Who episode Kerblam! while Chris Chibnall was at the helm.
Screenwriter Sharma Angel-Walfall and writer and curator Inua Ellams have also written for the forthcoming series.
Gatwa’s first series as the Time Lord premiered on May 11 last year with a double bill.
The second season of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor will launch on Saturday April 12 at 8am on BBC iPlayer and later that day on BBC One in the UK.
