The Fab Four are no more. Doctor Who stars Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh—who’ve played companions Ryan and Graham for the past two seasons—have confirmed that they’re set to depart the TARDIS after the upcoming New Year’s holiday special.
In an interview with BBC Studios, Cole and Walsh revealed that “Revolution of the Daleks” will be their final episode of Doctor Who, confirming a long-standing rumor that two of Jodie Whittaker’s three companions would be leaving the series—leaving only Mandip Gill, who plays Yaz.
Walsh called their final turn as Doctor Who companions “sad and poignant,” with both actors noting how much they’ve loved being a part of the iconic sci-fi series—especially since their time on the series featured the first female Doctor. Cole, in particular, noted how much he’ll miss the fandom.
“It’s been an honor to work on such a cultural institution with fans across the world. The people like me on the screen come and go, but it’s the people behind the scenes and the fans that will always be there keeping the Doctor Who world alive and exciting,” he said.
Whittaker also confirmed the news, saying she was “devastated” to lose Cole and Walsh as costars: “On a personal note, absolutely devastated. Both of them had to carry me to my trailer. I haven’t cried like that for such a long time. Brad couldn’t cope with it at all. Tosin was like, ‘I really can’t cope with you getting this upset.’”
As of now, it’s unclear whether Doctor Who will return to its more traditional pattern of “one Doctor, one companion,” or if new cast members will be added to the series. But for now, it will be a sad but sweet goodbye to one of the show’s greatest father-son teams. Doctor Who’s “Revolution of the Daleks” arrives on January 1, 2021. In addition, the series is entering production for its 13th season, which is set to have eight episodes.
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DISCUSSION
I’m okay with this. Their arc was “accept that they’re family even if they’re blood”, and they got there relatively early in the run. Not much character development left to do without introducing something new. But Yaz? Yaz has a lot of room to grow. This should be just fine.