May 15, 2025
Cast members Freddie Fox and Rylan Clark, director Ben A. Williams and writer Juno Dawson take us on a trip to The Interstellar Song Contest.
It’s time for the Doctor and Belinda to take us on a trip to the most fabulous night in the galaxy – The Interstellar Song Contest! But a night of fun soon becomes a battle to the death...
Ahead of the forthcoming episode, we spoke to stars Freddie Fox and Rylan Clark (playing himself!), along with writer Juno Dawson and director Ben A Williams, about twists, turns, and how it compares to working on the actual Eurovision Song Contest…
Freddie Fox (Kid)
How did you come to be cast in Doctor Who?
I worked with the amazing Russell T Davies about ten years ago on a [Channel 4] show called Cucumber. It was one of the greatest experiences of my working life on that show. It was so formative for me as an actor, and a person, that I would do anything he asked me to. And when he called me and said, “Would you do a part on Doctor Who?” I was like, “Yes, yes, yes, I'll play a tree in the background! [laughs], whatever you want.”
I watched Ncuti’s first episode as the Doctor, which was so brilliant as a piece of sci-fi storytelling. But also, Ncuti as an actor, is so compelling to watch. This show is a proper piece of sci-fi movie making.
How did your family and friends react to the news?
After it had been announced that I was in it, I had more people say how excited they are about me being in Doctor Who than almost any other job I've ever been in! I took my godson to the premiere, he was very excited.
How would you describe your character, Kid?
Kid is a charismatic, devious, revolutionary leader of a group. They are trying to get justice for wrongs that he wants to tell the galaxy and the universe about.
What was it like working with Ncuti and Varada?
Bliss. Ncuti’s an actor I've admired since I first saw him in [Netflix series] Sex Education. Working on set with him was so interesting, he’s so clearly a star. You just walk into his presence, and you're like, “Oh, this guy is a star.” He was just so generous and playful and laughing all the time, and sweet and inclusive. I felt very much at home immediately and like I could just get on and do my work in great comfort. Varada was just so lovely, and I love what she does with her character.
What can audience expect to see from this episode?
Audiences can expect to see the most audacious interpretation of Eurovision ever conceived, bigger than even Eurovision itself. I was so delighted with that, just so delighted. I thought this is camp, camp, camp! Russell. How do you even think of it, let alone make it so brilliant? I think it's going to blow the audiences' minds.
How did you find filming, and do you have any highlights from the set?
I found filming really good fun. It flew by. It came and went in a second. I think because I was working hard and because I was really enjoying myself.
I worked quite hard on making Kid as specific as I could. He was such a well-written character by Juno [Dawson], who wrote the script.
And Ben [A. Williams], the director, was so, so detailed in what he wanted, but he also really let me do what I wanted. I really wanted to give my best, so I worked pretty hard on it.
Do you have any highlights from the set?
I really loved working with Iona [Anderson], who I shared many scenes with. She was so great to work with and very generous. That was a highlight. There’s one moment where I just get to be so damn showy, too. My character gets to be super naughty, and I was like, “Oh, yeah, this is cool.”
If you could travel in the TARDIS to any time or place in the universe, where would you go and why?
I'd like to be in the theatre when Romeo and Juliet first performed. I'd really love to be in the audience watching that. I would also love to go back to 1973 and be in the audience when David Bowie did Ziggy Stardust for the last time. Those two would be pretty cool.
Juno Dawson (Writer)
How did your involvement in Doctor Who come about?
I’ve been courting Doctor Who for a long time, I’ve been a fan since I was a small child. And then I was a fan when it came back, and I loved how it was re-interpreted for the noughties. BBC Books approached me in 2016 to write Thirteenth Doctor novel The Good Doctor, and before that I had already done some Torchwood audios, and then BBC Sounds approached me to do the audio drama Doctor Who: Redacted.
So, I feel like I’ve had one foot in the Whoniverse for the best part of a decade. But when it was announced that Russell was coming back, I made it very, very clear to Russell that I would clear my diary, should the call come in. And sure enough, the call did come! In 2022, Russell asked how I would feel about doing Die Hard meets Eurovision. I couldn’t turn that down.
What can you tell us about writing an episode of Doctor Who?
Russell initially pitched the bare bones concept of Eurovision meets Die Hard, which were two things I knew really well. Then, I went away and pitched a plot, and it hasn’t really changed all that much. Obviously, there was a lot of discussion between myself, the producers and Russell. But it’s still those two things. What would happen if an enemy faction planned an attack on the Eurovision Song Contest in space?
That has remained true throughout. It’s been very collaborative, I’ve so enjoyed working with all the producers and script editors. It’s been a real joy. I kept waiting for it to get hard, but it’s never been, it’s never been disappointing. It’s really just been the funnest project.
What can fans expect from the Interstellar Song Contest?
It’s like a disaster movie. I think people are certainly going to expect it to be … let’s just say camp. I mean of course it is, it’s the Interstellar Song Contest. But also, it’s action-packed. It doesn’t let up for a second. It’s a really high-octane episode.
In places it’s quite harrowing. I think the best science- fiction and fantasy should always have something to say about the world. While being an absolute romp on a space-station, these are characters caught in an extraordinary situation that I hope people will feel on an emotional level as well.
Tell us about writing the relationship between the Doctor and Belinda?
I didn’t know who would be playing Belinda at the time of writing the script. I knew she was a nurse in her thirties, but that was it, that’s all I had to go on. But the good news is, with any companion, he or she is always you. They are the audience. They are the person being swept along into an extraordinary adventure.
If you could travel anywhere in time and space in the TARDIS, where would you go and why?
I would like to go back to the late 90s/early 00s, where I was such a bundle of anxiety. I would love to tell myself to lighten up and enjoy my youth more. Looking back now, I spent so many of my adolescent years as a nervous wreck, and it’s a shame I wasn’t able to enjoy that time more. I wish I could go back and have a lot more fun.
If you had to describe this word in one word or phrase, what would it be?
Freddie Fox looks good with horns.
Rylan Clark (Himself)
How did you come to be cast in Doctor Who?
As a massive Whovian, I have always loved the show so much. I bumped into Russell at the Attitude Awards a few years previous, and I was too nervous to say “Hi.” Instead, I sent a message to say I wanted to say hello and I’m such a big fan. He replied straightway saying, “I adore you, I wish you came to say hello.” We stayed in touch, I joked about wanting to be in Doctor Who, he joked that I absolutely should be.
One day I was flying back from Italy from a shoot and my manager said to me, “Oh, Doctor Who has just come in”, in the meantime Russell texted saying, “Check your emails,” and I opened my phone. It was the full script and a really full part [for me]. I’m not gonna lie, I started crying. It was unreal, I was so delighted.
Was it hard to keep the secret of your casting from your friends and family?
It was so hard to keep the secret, and I’ve been sat on it for a year. I told a few key people who HAD to know but we’ve really kept it super private.
You play yourself in the episode – did you put on any type of persona for the part, or did you just act as yourself?
I did a little bit. I played myself but also added a bit of Caesar from The Hunger Games for good measure.
You’ve commentated on Eurovision and now you’re hosting The Interstellar Song Contest. Describe the experience of this role. Were you nervous?
I wasn’t nervous. It felt like I should be doing it. The most nervous thing was actually knowing I was in Doctor Who. But now I’ve hosted the Interstellar Song Contest - surely Eurovision will come knocking…
What was it like working with Ncuti and Varada?
Working with the two of them was amazing, they both welcomed me with open arms - I met them both in the makeup truck and Varada was there and we just laughed straightaway. Me and Ncuti were chatting about friends we have in common. With Varada and it being her first season as the companion, it still felt really new for her so it was so nice to gauge how she was feeling too. They are both so lovely - and we still message now!
What can audiences expect to see from this episode?
People can expect to see everything they love about Doctor Who. Also, from working on actual Eurovision itself, there were so many similarities - the attention to detail was amazing. Expect the unexpected - it’s probably the most twisty one of the whole season.
How did you find filming and do you have any highlights from set?
Filming was incredible - working with Juno, the writer, and Ben, the director, they just ‘got me’ straight away and I got them - seeing the scale of it all was incredible. Everyone was so lovely and Russell very kindly let me go loose around the set which was such a dream come true. I got to go on the TARDIS!
If you could travel in the TARDIS to any time and place in the universe, where would you go and why?
I would travel to the game station from series one [Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways] - because I want to take on the Anne Droid.
If you had to describe the episode in one word or phrase, what would it be?
Out of this world - literally.
Ben A. Williams (Director)
How does it feel to be directing an episode for Doctor Who?
It’s a huge honour! No other show can do what Doctor Who does. So, being given the keys for an episode was such a thrill. I took it hugely seriously.
What can audiences expect from this episode?
Eurovision in space? Sure. But this is a Juno Dawson script, so this episode is so much more. It’s action-packed, it’s tough, it’s funny and it’s huge. But then again, it’s also a love letter to the power of music and love, and how they come together in something like The Interstellar Song Contest to make the world (and distant galaxies) a better place.
What was it like working with Ncuti and Varada?
Imagine working with two people who laugh all the time, who radiate love and kindness, and who treat everyone with respect and curiosity. That’s them. I couldn’t have asked for better actors.
This episode features TV personality Rylan, how was it working with him?
I’m a huge fan of Rylan, so when I read his name in the script I thought… yeah, sure, we’ll have to change that. Our producer Vicki [Delow] made the call and one thing led to another and there he was, striding on to set in his velvet blazer. He’s just the nicest man. Calm and polite to everyone on set. You’re just as likely to find him laughing with the cast as you are chatting in the corner with our security guards. I loved it.
Eurovision is such an iconic event. What was it like bringing to life an intergalactic version of the show?
Very, very complicated! The Eurovision shows in the 2020s are already at the very cutting edge of broadcast and event technology - in fact, that’s part of the reason they exist; to push technology on year by year. Our event was set 900 years in the future. Where do you even start with that?! For us, it was about making it feel like a Eurovision show, and then finding the touches that push us into the distant future. Lights that come from tiny flying drones. Logos that can materialise in space. Screens that appear out of thin air. And then there was the audience - all 100,000 of them. We just went for it. Some people got in the make-up chair at 4am every morning to become their alien selves - and they loved it!
Is there anything you can tease about the costumes, or music, from the episode?
Murray [Gold, composer] has created a song that is weapons-grade catchy. I played it once to my 2-year-old. He hasn’t stopped singing it since.
If you could travel in the TARDIS to any time and place in the universe, where would you go?
This is really unadventurous, but I’d go to 1930s London: all the grandeur, the glitz and optimism… Take me there now, Doctor!
If you had to describe the episode in one word or phrase, what would it be?
Incredible.
The Interstellar Song Contest debuts on Saturday 17th May on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and Disney+ where available. Find out more about Season 2 here.
