Doctor Who's Russell T Davies responds to "tabloid" rumors of Millie Gibson's exit, as Ruby Sunday is confirmed for season 2

Ruby Sunday is here to stay. Rumors that Millie Gibson would be exiting as companion in Doctor Who season 2 began swirling following a report earlier this year, which indicated that, while she'd be present in the second season, Ruby Sunday would no longer be Ncuti Gatwa's companion and would only appear in a handful of episodes. 

But, it's since been revealed that Gibson's Ruby will indeed be back properly in season 2 and will continue to be a companion alongside Andor star Varada Sethu. 

"Not leaving. Not at all. We were ordered for two years of a series off Disney, and we're delivering two years, and the Ruby Sunday story literally spans those two years," Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features the sci-fi show on the cover. "We are planning [to] shoot the [season 2] finale in which Ruby has the most magnificent scenes, and Millie, it's some of your most challenging material yet, isn't it? It will all make sense once you see it play out.

Latest Videos From

"It's very unfortunate that these things make the papers," he continues. "We're in a very difficult position, because you can't answer rumour, you can't speak to rumour, we can't try and pin it down because the internet will just run away and will either misinterpret or will decide that the Princess of Wales has been replaced by four cats in a wig. So, it's that you cannot begin to answer this sort of stuff. But you will see the love that we have for Millie and the extraordinary stories that Ruby's about to go on over the next two years. I guarantee you that. That is a problem with shooting the second series while you're still doing the first series. All sorts of problems can happen that way that we saw coming, but what do we do? Stop shooting? No. We're making such a good show." 

Davies also gives a tiny tease about what to expect from Ruby moving forward. "I'm burning for people to see the story of Ruby Sunday," he adds. "It's amazing and has so much mileage in it. And it's still burning. It's wonderful. I can't wait for you to see it."

Not a subscriber to SFX? Then head on over here to get the latest issues sent directly to your home/device!

Doctor Who releases on May 10 in the US on Disney Plus and May 11 on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK. The above is just a snippet from our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, April 17. 

For even more from SFX, sign up to our newsletter, which delivers all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.