Classic Doctor Who villain the Rani returns to show played by Archie Panjabi
Emmy Award-winning Panjabi's character, who first appeared in the BBC sci-fi series in 1985 in the Mark Of The Rani episode, has been hiding as Mrs Flood, 'meticulously waiting for her time to face the Doctor', according to producers.
Speaking about taking on the role, Panjabi, 52, said: 'It seems there's been quite a bit of speculation about the Rani's return, and who can blame you?
'Kate O'Mara's portrayal was brilliant, ruthless and unforgettable. Now, under Russell T Davies, she's back- and I'll ask, what in the Whoniverse will we bring to her? Let's just say, you might not be ready.'
Both Panjabi and Dobson will appear in the two-part series finale Wish World and The Reality War, which will see the Doctor and the Rani go head to head in a battle, which it is said will 'send shockwaves through the Whoniverse'.
Showrunner Davies said: 'Ncuti (Gatwa) always said he wanted to face the Rani, so after 32 years, she's back.
'It's an honour to work with Archie – I've been a fan for years, and what a joy, to see her twinned with Anita Dobson. It's the greatest threat the Doctor has ever faced, and there are even more villains to come.'
The Rani last appeared on screens in a 1993 BBC Children In Need special of the show called Dimensions In Time, which saw the Doctor's Tardis land in Albert Square for a crossover between Doctor Who and EastEnders.
Wish World will launch on Saturday, May 24, on BBC iPlayer at 8am, while The Reality War will premiere simultaneously on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday, May 31, as well as in more than 450 cinemas across the UK and Ireland.
Panjabi is known for her roles as Zahra Gahfoor in Hijack, Kendra Malley in Departure, and Kalinda Sharma in The Good Wife, for which she won a Primetime Emmy award.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
8 minutes ago
- Time Out
Everything to know about Doja Cat's Australian tour: tickets, pre-sale, dates and more
The cat is finally out of the bag! Grammy-winning pop-rap princess Doja Cat is coming to Australia for her first-ever arena tour Down Under later this year. The news comes fresh off the back of her announcing the release date for her upcoming album 'Vie', with Doja Cat set to stop in four Aussie cities this November. Keen to yell 'Say So' into the sky? Here's everything you need to know about getting tickets to the Ma Vie World Tour in Australia. Where is Doja Cat's Australian tour? The queen of pop-rap has announced four Australian dates, including: Perth 's RAC Arena – Saturday, November 22 Melbourne 's Rod Laver Arena – Tuesday, November 25 Brisbane Entertainment Centre – Saturday, November 29 Sydney 's Qudos Bank Arena – Monday, December 1 When do Doja Cat tickets go on sale in Australia? General release tickets for Doja's Aussie shows go live at 11am local time on Thursday, August 28 via Doja Cat's website. Is there a Doja Cat Australia pre-sale? You better believe it. The artist pre-sale, Vodafone pre-sale and Commbank Yello Mastercard pre-sale will go live on Monday, August 25 at 10am local time. The Live Nation pre-sale will go live a day before general release – at 10am local time on Wednesday, August 27. How much are Doja Cat tickets? Exact prices haven't been released yet, but based on artists of a similar calibre at the venue, we expect them to be priced around the $150 mark for entry-level tickets. Keen to upgrade to a deluxe experience? A heap of different VIP package options are available – including cocktails, access to an exclusive dance floor close to the stage and a whole lot of VIP Doja Cat merch. Who is the support act for Doja Cat in Australia? The support acts for the Ma Vie World Tour are yet to be announced; we'll keep you posted when we learn more.
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Hollyoaks, Coronation Street and Waterloo Road stars sign up as fan-favourite hit drama lands SIXTH series
Series six of All Creatures Great and Small is set to feature lots of big names FAMILIAR FACES Hollyoaks, Coronation Street and Waterloo Road stars sign up as fan-favourite hit drama lands SIXTH series Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ALL Creatures Great and Small is making a return to screens this autumn, and it's set to feature some familiar faces. Chris Gacoyne from Coronation Street, Philip Martin Brown from Waterloo Road and Lucy-Jo Hudson from Hollyoaks are three of the latest cast members revealed in the lineup for the sixth series. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Chris played Peter Barlow in Corrie Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 6 You may know Lucy-Jo as Donna-Marie Quinn in Hollyoaks Credit: Channel 4 6 Philip Martin Brown was once the well-known English teacher, Grantly Budgen, in BBC drama series Waterloo Road Credit: BBC The period drama, based on James Herriot's beloved books, has amassed millions of viewers across the UK and US after first airing back in 2020. Series six will take viewers back to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales for more heartwarming tales, but this time the scenario the Skeldale gang find themselves in is entirely different. The cast shall exist in 1945, just as the war in Europe is coming to a close. On their way back to Darrowby, they will discover veterinary advancements, expanded families and, hopefully, a future filled by more brightness and peace. Many of the programme's fan-favourites will be continuing their stories, including Nicholas Ralph in his role as devoted vet James Herriot. Samuel West (Siegfried Farnon), Anna Madeley (Mrs Hall), and Rachel Shenton (Helen Herriot) will also be back under the spotlight. Though the stellar acting history of All Creatures Great and Small's new additions is bound to bring something flavourful. Lucy-Jo recently took to Instagram to gush about her new role. "So remember when I got a job I was beyond excited about earlier this year? Well this was it... All Creatures Great and Small. "And I have been stepping into a world of countryside charm and storytelling magic. All Creatures Great and Small viewers break down in tears at Christmas special as they say 'my heart was in my mouth' "I am finally able to share this with you. The scenery was out of this world, and it was a dream to be working with such a wonderful bunch of people." As well as these three new faces, Gaia Wise from The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and Jonathan Hyde from Titanic have been revealed as part of the lineup. Viewers in the UK can expect the show to be available on 5 this autumn, but fans based in the US will be able to enjoy it on PBS in early 2026 - and there's going to be a Christmas special. 6 Lucy-Jo sports a short brunette hairdo as Susan in All Things Great and Small Credit: Helen Williams 6 The Aldersons and Herriots are promient families in the show Credit: Helen Williams
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
BBC shares major update on Doctor Who future amid hiatus
Doctor Who will return with or without the extra funding from Disney, the BBC has now confirmed whilst the series is on hiatus following the departure of Ncuti Gatwa Doctor Who will return with or without the extra funding from Disney, BBC bosses confirmed yesterday. The sci-fi show is currently on a hiatus following the end of the two-year deal with Disney, which culminated with the departure of Ncuti Gatwa in the title role. Crushing rumours that the show would not return if Disney's huge cash injection did not return, the BBC's new head of content Kate Phillips said: "Rest assured Doctor Who is going nowhere. Disney has been a great partnership and it continues with The War Between The Land And The Sea next year." Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival Kate, who is just two months into her job, stressed: 'With or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC." The uncertainty around the series has been caused by Disney's continuing reluctance to commit to either renewing its funding deal with the BBC - or pull out. But show creator Russell T Davies has indicated he's already working on scripts for the next series, and also for another one after that. Later in the session, the BBC's drama controller Lindsay Salt said she had 'no update' in terms of timings " on Doctor Who but said that information would be made public as soon as it was possible. Agreeing with Kate, she said the BBC commitment to Doctor Who as one of its biggest brands was water-tight, adding that the show was "hugely important to us"." Now Doctor Who fans have the spin-off show, The War Between the Land and the Sea, which expected to start around Christmas. Disney reportedly injected around £100million into Doctor Who, which gave a a significant boost to the show's production budget, allowing for CGI use of dinosaurs and other stunts. There is still a chance that the deal will be renewed, or that BBC Studios will find another partner to join forces with. In the session about the BBC, Kate also said the corporation 'acted fast' after misconduct allegations against former MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace. And she urged anyone who felt they had grievances to air against top talent to come forward, stressing that they would be taken seriously. 'No one is irreplaceable,' she said. On MasterChef, she said she'd acted on the information she'd had in 2019. 'So there were two complaints. I dealt with them. I acted on them fast. I think I acted responsibly. I left him in no doubt of the expected behaviour that we expect at the BBC, if you like. I stand by the actions I took at the time with the knowledge that I had. Other allegations didn't come to us until much later, sort of at the end of 2023, and at that point we did act, and we acted fast.' Wallace was dropped from the series after multiple claims of inappropriate language and behaviour against him were upheld. Later his co-host John Torode was also dismissed after a complaint over his 'racist language' was upheld.
