Doctor Who star Jo Martin shocked fans back in 2020 when her character, Ruth, was revealed to be The Fugitive Doctor, a previously-unknown incarnation of the iconic Time Lord.
The actor made a handful of appearances during Jodie Whittaker's era of the BBC sci-fi series, and also had a brief cameo in one of Ncuti Gatwa's episodes. She's returning to the franchise soon, by fronting a new multi-platform adventure.
Titled 'Circuit Breaker', the story will unfold across audio dramas, website posts, games, magazines and books, and will showcase a lot more depth to the character than has ever been seen before.
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Speaking to RadioTimes to promote the release, Martin said: "There are so many layers to [The Fugitive Doctor], and we're just finding [them], which has been a real gift and joy. She's not one-dimensional, which is what she veers on in her TV appearances."
She explained that TV viewers have only seen a "no-nonsense" version of the character who is "very decisive". That won't be the case with 'Circuit Breaker', however, due to the amount of time spent with the figure.
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"We've got room for more nuance and for making her a far more multi-dimensional character", she stated. "There's so much more to her than just that - she does have a vulnerable side, and she does question herself and have regrets sometimes."
"[It's] really nice for Doctor Who fans to see that side of her, because it makes it all the better when she does switch back into this decisive, hard line Doctor," added the actor, who has also appeared in The Marlow Murder Club.
Martin also thinks that people will be able to relate to her incarnation more, explaining: "We all have stuff that we do to mask or to hide other bits of ourselves, and I think she sometimes uses her sarcasm and humour to hide behind."
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Another way we'll get to see new sides of the Fugitive Doctor is by witnessing her partner up with Ingrid Oliver's Osgood. There will be friction between the pair, but they'll come to understand each other over time.
'Circuit Breaker' comes amid a tumultuous time for the franchise, with the Christmas special for this year being cancelled. The show itself has been put out to competitive tender, a process which could take years to resolve.
Doctor Who launches 'Circuit Breaker' on 25 June on the UNIT website. The main series can be streamed on BBC iPlayer.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
