EntertainmentTVSci-Fi ShowsDoctor WhoDoctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies sent Jonathan Groff six key episodes to watch ahead of his debutWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVSci-Fi ShowsDoctor WhoDoctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies sent Jonathan Groff six key episodes to watch ahead of his debutWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: BBC)
Jonathan Groff may be most familiar to fans of the wildly different Mindhunter andFrozen, but you’re about to see another side to the star in Doctor Who.
“Oh my gosh, it’s totally surreal and incredible,” Groff tells us about joining the beloved sci-fi show. “I had heard of Doctor Who, I knew what it was before Russell [T Davies, showrunner] asked me to do it, but I hadn’t seen an episode. So he sent me six: the first one from 1963 and then several throughout the years to get educated on the institution of Doctor Who. So now that I’ve been fully educated, it means even more.”
Well, that selection is certainly intriguing, but unfortunately Groff is staying quiet on what the other episodes were. “I can’t tell you,” he laughs when we push him. “He sent me that first one. But I don’t want to blow up his spot.” He did divulge that they made him cry a lot though so take from that what you will.
However,Hamiltonstar Groff did share his verdict on the first ever Doctor Who episode, ‘An Unearthly Child’. “I loved it,” he says. “Knowing what Ncuti is bringing to this institution and his energy and who he is as a person, and who Russell is, and who Russell has represented to me as a young gay actor through the years – even in that first episode in 1963, there was something that felt alternative about it to me.”
Groff continues: “There was even something that felt queer about it to me. When the teachers come inside the ship, they can’t understand how something so small that they walk into is so expansive. The Doctor explains how it’s hard, it takes time to understand things that you don’t immediately know.” Well said, indeed.
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Doctor Who is airing weekly on BBC iPlayer in the UK and onDisneyPlus internationally. The above is just a snippet from our interview, available inthe latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available from Wednesday, May 15. See what you should be looking out for on newsstands below…
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That’s so Bridgerton! Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Jonathan Groff and Indira Varma make an all star line up of the latest @sfxmagazine! #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/m7MJgPHFUVMay 14, 2024
That’s so Bridgerton! Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Jonathan Groff and Indira Varma make an all star line up of the latest @sfxmagazine! #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/m7MJgPHFUVMay 14, 2024
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Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies teases season 2’s “scariest episode” and a “big surprise” from the mysterious Mrs Flood
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
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Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”