Indira Varma Returns To The Whoniverse With Role In 'Doctor Who' Series 14

The actress previously appeared in episodes of 'Torchwood'

Jesse Grant, Getty Images

The guest stars keep coming for Doctor Who, and this time, she’s been in the world before. Indira Varma, who had previously appeared as Suzie Costello in two episodes of the spinoff Torchwood, has joined series 14 of the mothership as the mysterious “the Duchess”.

Suzie Costello appeared in Torchwood’s first episode “Everything Changes”, being behind the murders that brought Gwen Cooper into the Torchwood organization. Having committed suicide, she was resurrected seven episodes later in “They Keep Killing Suzie” to help with a case. Through circumstances, she ends up slowly draining the life out of Gwen, and Gwen is dying in her place thanks to the resurrection gauntlet, which has to be destroyed so Suzie can die as she’s supposed to. Apparently, the character was supposed to be pulled out of storage once a season, but Varma’s pregnancy prevented it in season 2, and then the arcs became seasonal so it never came to be.

On joining Who, Varma said, "I’m thrilled to be in Doctor Who and particularly excited to be crossing cosmic paths with Ncuti [Gatwa], as the Doctor, and look forward to creating interplanetary mischief with him.” She also expressed thrill at returning to the universe and working with returning showrunner Russell T. Davies, who reciprocated "I’m overjoyed to be reunited with Indira after our Torchwood days, and this part is truly spectacular! A whole new audience will be hiding behind the settee when the Duchess unleashes her terror." With Gatwa as Fifteen and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart is set to return, series 14 also features currently-undisclosed roles for Jonathan Groff, Aneurin Bernard, Anita Dobson, Michelle Greenidge, and Jinkx Monsoon. It is unknown if The Duchess comes from the Victorian episode images have already been released from, but it’s interesting she’s got a character name while Groff and Monsoon’s haven’t been revealed yet.

Varma’s resume has grown to have a lot of major credits, most of all being Ellaria Sand on Game of Thrones, but also Carnival Row, the miniseries Patrick Melrose, Human Target, The Legend of Vox Machina, and as Tala Durith in Obi-Wan Kenobi. She was recently announced to be cast as Bride of Frankenstein in the new DC Universe, starting with voicing the character in the animated Creature Commandos series. She is also set to appear in the Dune prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood on Max.

Image source: Doctor Who

Series 14 will be the first full to air internationally on Disney+, including the United States, while the series continues on its BBC home domestically. It is scheduled to premiere in the spring, and will reportedly be accompanied by a Doctor Who Confidential successor companion series, Doctor Who Unleashed.

Source: Doctor Who TARDIS Data Core