The BBC has released a nice little interview with Anita Dobson, who’s played Mrs Flood since The Church on Ruby Road, and who has since been revealed to the Rani, an amoral Time Lord, in Doctor Who.
She talks about keeping the role secret, filming with Archie Panjabi (who also plays the Rani), and what to expect from The Reality War, the Series 15 finale…
How hard was it to keep the secret of Mrs Flood’s true identity?
It was very hard. Very hard indeed. You start to say a sentence and you think, “No, I can’t go down that road”. You have to do exactly what Russell [T Davies, showrunner] does which is switch and take the conversation somewhere else. It was over quite a long period of time that I kept the secret, so it was hard. It was so exciting, though. I also had to keep my return to EastEnders quiet for a long time. So, I am getting really good at keeping secrets now [laugh].
How was it to film the bi-generation scene with Archie Panjabi?
It was so much fun. I saw the one they did with Ncuti [Gatwa, the Fifteenth Doctor] and David [Tennant, the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors] when Ncuti took over as the Doctor. I thought, “wow, how did they do that?” When I got told it was going to happen to me and Archie, I was blown away. It was actually more difficult than you’d think, but it was great fun. It looked amazing. I have to say, Archie is a dream to work with.
How did you react to the news of who Mrs Flood really was?
I had a few suspicions of my own along the way. Throughout the series, my makeup artist and I used to discuss it, we’d say “She’s that… oh no, she can’t be”. Another day, she’d say “I know, she’s this person”, and I’d say, “No, I don’t think so”. I really wasn’t sure. Once I found out, I had to be even more careful not to drop any secrets or give anything away.
The Rani is such an iconic character in the history of Doctor Who. What can you tell us about her?
She is a bit like the Doctor. She is the last Time Lady. I had thought for a while, “am I the Rani?” A couple of other people asked me too, and I thought it would be exciting. When Archie came on board, I didn’t quite understand it all until I learned we would be doing the split [i.e. bi-generation]. Then I got it, we’re part of the same thing. We are one, except she plays the bossy one, I sit quietly and make notes. It was quite an exciting alliance. It was good fun to play.
Archie and I clicked on the first day which is brilliant. That’s what you hope for, this sympathy and connection between each other. We had a lot of fun. We worked on a big set for the most part of the finale, and it was mind blowing. I loved my costumes so much. I couldn’t believe the stuff I was getting to wear. It was all so lovely.
What can you tell us about this two-part finale?
When I went in to do some audio dubbing, I was really looking at the episode thinking how fantastic it is. I asked if I could watch a little bit further on as I hadn’t watched all my parts back before, I literally gasped out loud. They said “I hope you don’t mind but we filmed your reaction because it was so truthful and so amazing”. That’s how exciting it is.
Can you describe the finale in one word or phrase, what would it be?
Fantastic! It’s completely unexpected, very exciting, and I am very, very proud to be part of it.
The Reality War airs on Saturday 31st May 2025 at 6:50pm on BBC1 and iPlayer in the UK (plus in cinemas across the country), and streams on Disney+ in other territories
