If you’ve spent any time on the TARDIS lately, you know the name. But who plays Ruby Sunday? That would be Millie Gibson. She's the blonde whirlwind who crashed into Doctor Who during the 2023 Christmas special, "The Church on Ruby Road." Honestly, she didn't just walk into the role; she basically redefined what a modern companion looks like alongside Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor.
Millie Gibson is 21 years old now. She was born on June 19, 2004. If you're looking at her on screen and wondering about that distinctive gap in her right eyebrow, it's not a styling choice for the show. It’s actually a scar from a childhood accident where she fell down the stairs. It’s kinda become her trademark, though.
She hails from Broadbottom, a village in Greater Manchester. Before she was outrunning Goblins or facing off against Maestro, she was a staple of British soaps. Most people recognize her from Coronation Street, where she played the troubled Kelly Neelan. She was so good in that role that she bagged the Best Young Performer award at the 2022 British Soap Awards.
The Mystery of Millie Gibson and the TARDIS
When the BBC announced her casting, the internet went into a bit of a meltdown. Russell T. Davies, the showrunner who brought the show back in 2005, saw her in Corrie and knew she was the one. He’s gone on record saying she’s "brilliant, dynamic, and clever."
But then things got weird.
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In early 2024, rumors started swirling like a temporal rift. Tabloids claimed she was being "dropped" or "fired" for being a diva on set. You might have seen the headlines. They were pretty nasty. They suggested she couldn’t handle the night shoots or that she didn't get along with the crew.
"The stories about me were horrific—I wasn't able to speak up," Gibson later told the i paper.
The truth is much more boring but also more interesting from a production standpoint. Ruby Sunday was always designed for a specific two-series arc. While Varada Sethu (who plays Belinda Chandra) joined the cast for Series 15, Millie didn't disappear. She stayed on to film a reduced role that actually focused on Ruby’s "life after the Doctor."
It’s a bold choice. Usually, companions just... leave. But with Millie, we get to see the PTSD and the "recovery" that comes after traveling through time and space. In the 2025 episode "Lucky Day," we see a much more guarded, "grown-up" version of Ruby. It’s a side of the character that most people didn't expect when she was first introduced as the bubbly girl from the Christmas special.
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Why the "Diva" Rumors Were Total Nonsense
Let's be real for a second. Working on Doctor Who is grueling. Millie was 18 when she started. She was handed episodes like "73 Yards"—which is essentially a solo tour de force—and she knocked it out of the park.
Compare that to Coronation Street. In a soap, you have a massive ensemble. You might film a heavy scene and then go have a tea break while the writers focus on a different family for three days. On Doctor Who, if you're the companion, you are in almost every single frame.
The "difficult" rumors likely came from the sheer exhaustion of the schedule. Russell T. Davies has a history of protecting his actors, but even he couldn't stop the tabloid machine. If you look at the behind-the-scenes footage, though, her chemistry with Ncuti Gatwa is undeniable. They call each other "platonic best friends," and you can see that "two girls in school giggling" energy in every interview they do.
A Quick Look at Her Career Before the Doctor
She didn't just pop out of nowhere. Here is the path she took:
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- Jamie Johnson (2017–2018): She played Indira Cave on this CBBC show. She was just a kid then, but even then, she stood out.
- Butterfly (2018): A really heavy mini-series about a transgender child. Millie played Lily, the sister.
- Coronation Street (2019–2022): This was her big break. Kelly Neelan was a massive character with some of the darkest storylines in recent soap history.
- Doctor Who (2023–Present): Her global debut as Ruby Sunday.
What’s Next for Ruby Sunday?
If you're worried about her leaving for good, don't be. Millie has already teased that "everything is linked" when it comes to the mysteries surrounding Ruby’s birth mother (played by Faye McKeever). Even though Varada Sethu is the main companion for the 2025 season, Ruby remains a pivotal part of the "Wish World" finale.
The 2025 season explores a "distorted reality" where Ruby is the only one who knows the truth. It’s high-concept sci-fi, and Millie is clearly enjoying the shift from the "innocent" Ruby we met on Ruby Road to the "broken" but resilient Ruby of the Reality War.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
If you want to keep up with Millie's journey beyond the TARDIS, watch her performance in the 2025 episode "Lucky Day." It’s widely considered her best work to date because it strips away the "companion" tropes and shows her as a standalone lead. Also, keep an eye out for her upcoming projects in prestige drama; she’s already hinted at wanting to move into more serious, grounded roles once her TARDIS key is officially handed back.
Follow her official Instagram for behind-the-scenes glimpses, but take the tabloid "set drama" with a massive grain of salt. History shows that Doctor Who production is always a bit chaotic, and Millie Gibson has handled the pressure better than most veterans.