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Orphan 55 Star, Laura Fraser Reflects on "Monstrous" Episode

Laura Fraser has been talking to the British press about her role in this Sunday’s Doctor Who, Orphan 55, in which she plays Kane. According to Fraser, she was quite nervous in taking her role, as she was a fan of the programme as a child:

…when there’s a show that you’ve watched as a child that is so iconic and almost out of reach in your head because when you were a kid watching, it just seemed like it would be inconceivable that you could ever actually be on that TV show…

The episode, written by Ed Hime and directed by Lee Haven-Jones, is being touted as one of the scariest yet. The Doctor takes Graham, Yasmin, and Ryan to Tranquillity Spa for a much-needed holiday. Naturally, the resort is soon under attack by monsters and hides a dark secret. It’s not the first time the Doctor’s run into problems on holiday, of course. A trip to the resort planet of Midnight led to a very uncomfortable journey for the Tenth Doctor, even as Donna Noble relaxed by the pool, while a brief jaunt to the Eye of Orion left the Fifth Doctor so stressed, he ended up beside himself.

Laura Fraser, now.

Laura Fraser has been well known to viewers for over 20 years. Recently, she starred as Lydia Rodarte-Quayle in Breaking Bad and its spin-off, Better Call Saul. She’s also had roles in The Missing and Traces. Genre fans may remember her from her big break, playing Door in the 1996 BBC fantasy series, Neverwhere, which was written by Who alumnus Neil Gaiman and produced by Lenny Henry (Daniel Barton in Spyfall). Fraser also appeared with David Tennant in Russell T. Davies’ 2005 production of Casanova. Of her arrival in the Whoniverse, she speaks highly of the team, who are ‘lovely and funny people’, and even has a few kind words for the monsters.

Laura Fraser, then – playing Door opposite Peter Capaldi as the Angel Islington in Neverwhere.

I was really impressed with the monsters and the people that operate the monsters too… That their life is to go on all these different sets and be all these kinds of monsters and perform stunts as these monsters – it’s totally fascinating.

Indeed, it’s worth noting that the new monster (which Tosin Cole says ‘shall not be named’) is played by Spencer Wilding, who was the Ice Warrior Grand Marshall Skaldak in Cold War, the Minotaur in The God Complex, the Wooden King in The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, and recently played Darth Vader himself in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Orphan 55 – which also stars The Inbetweeners’ James Buckley as Nevi – will be shown on BBC One this Sunday at 7.10pm. You can watch the official trailer, below.

David Traynier

Orphan 55 Star, Laura Fraser Reflects on "Monstrous" Episode

by David Traynier time to read: 2 min
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