One of the most intriguing characters in Doctor Who’s final season was undoubtedly Mrs Flood. Played by Anita Dobson, Flood seemed to be much more than she let on, and now Who showrunner Russell T Davies is hinting that Dobson’s character has “the best thing ever” coming in the next season, while also hinting at her possible true identity.
In an interview with SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar), Davies discussed Dobson’s appearance in Doctor Who season 14, mentioning one scene in particular in the finale, Empire of Death, where she broke the fourth wall to proclaim to the audience that the Doctor’s story “ends in absolute terror.” Davies said that thanks to her appearance, fans will certainly speculate about her true identity.
“She had us all laughing out loud with that scene, she’s so brilliant. I promise you next year there will be good answers to this, good solutions. Probably because she’s wearing white fur, people will think she’s [Time Lord companion] Romana, isn’t it?
Doctor Who
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Originally premiering in 1963, Doctor Who is a science fiction television series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels through time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help to avert catastrophe as much as they nearly cause it. Although the Doctor is always the same character, he undergoes regenerations, allowing him to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.
Release date December 25, 2023
Genre principal Science-fiction Acteurs Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Susan Twist, Michelle Greenidge, Angela Wynter, Jemma Redgrave, Yasmin Finney, Anita Dobson
First appearing in 1978, Romana was a Time Lord and the companion of Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. Much like the Doctor himself, she was able to regenerate over time, with two incarnations of the character being played by Mary Tamm and Lalla Ward respectively. She has not been seen on screen since the 1993 30th anniversary special, Dimensions in Time, although Romana has appeared in various radio serials, novels and comics over the years.
Since Mrs. Flood knows about the Doctor, the TARDIS, and Sutekh’s return, it would make sense that she’s Romana, but if you’re hoping for definitive answers from Davies, you’re not going to get them. In essence, the showrunner said fans will just have to tune in to the next season to find out, calling Dobson’s upcoming storyline “one of the best things ever.”
I will leave this echo in the pages of SFX. I promise you answers to this. Again, it will be next year. I can’t tell you how much joy and fun we had with this story. Anita Dobson – I laugh out loud! – Anita Dobson has the best stuff ever. Glorious.
Doctor Who is more controversial than ever
Ms Flood aside, Doctor Who’s final season was one of the most divisive in recent memory. From the return of Davies and the Doctor as black, to the appearance of the show’s first transgender character in actress Yasmin Finney, people loved nothing more than to complain about season 14, portraying it as the end of Doctor Who while spewing racial and homophobic rhetoric.
While Davies admitted that the ratings weren’t exactly where everyone had hoped, it’s clear that Doctor Who is in a rebuilding phase. Despite the backlash and hate towards the new season online, it still managed to debut with an impressive 100% on Rotten Tomatoes among critics, and while that figure now stands at 94% after its conclusion, it’s still quite an achievement for the long-running franchise.
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As always, haters gonna hate, but we’ll definitely be tuning in to the next season to learn more about Ms. Flood and to see where the show goes next. Why? Because in all honesty, it’s probably the most fun show to watch in years, and we can’t wait to see what Davies and company have in store for us in this new Disney+ era of the iconic series.
Check out our interview with Davies below, where he shares his vision for Doctor Who going forward.
