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What does Swarm think of the Doctor?

The Ravagers are old foes of the Doctor… even if she doesn’t remember? But what do they think of her?

Doctor Who Magazine sat down with actor Sam Spruell who plays Swarm to get the scoop on this dastardly new villain's evil thoughts...

Doctor Who Magazine Issue #571 is on sale from Thursday 11th November 2021. It is available to order as a subscription, either physical or digital, here.

Sam Spruell, who plays Swarm, says more…

“I knew that the character was going to go through the series, and that he had a relationship with the Doctor. It was only the first episode that came through, but I thought it was great – emerging from my old self to become a new, invigorated baddie, who had a sort of multi-millennia relationship with the Doctor, going back thousands and thousands of years. I was excited about the possibilities of what that relationship could be. 

“I thought, ‘If you had the power of a god, you’d have some fun.’ So I made sure he was having some fun with whatever chaos he was causing. I also concentrated a lot on his relationship with the Doctor, who he’s obviously infatuated with,” adds Sam, of Swarm’s darkly romantic allusions to “dancing across time and space” with his old enemy. “He’s obviously known her for a long time and maybe, over the years, even fallen in love with her. Who knows? That’s where I kind of pitched it. It’s a kind of obsessional hatred that makes you think, ‘Actually, I wonder if those two fancy each other?’ So I leaned into that."

Read the full interview in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine.

Issue #571 also includes:

  • The latest Production Notes from showrunner Chris Chibnall.
  • An exclusive preview of the final episodes of Series 13, with contributions from Chris Chibnall, Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and John Bishop.
  • Interviews with Sam Spruell and Rochenda Sandall, who play Flux supervillains Swarm and Azure.
  • Production designer Dafydd Shurmer discusses the sets he created for Series 13, with previously unseen concept art and other exclusive images.
  • Writer and director Pete McTighe describes the making of the trailer for the new Season 17 Blu-ray box set.
  • The second part of The Forest Bride, a brand-new comic-strip adventure for the Doctor and Yaz.
  • An exclusive preview of the Season 17 Blu-ray box set, complete with a disc-by-disc guide of special features.
  • Previews, reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser and more.

Doctor Who Magazine Issue #571 is on sale from Thursday 11th November 2021. It is available to order as a subscription, either physical or digital, here.

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