The Doctor Who series 15 teaser trailer shows an old-fashioned pug-nosed cartoon character terrifying the 1950s-styled audience by climbing out of a cinema screen. In Doctor Who Magazine 613, showrunner Russell T Davies teased the actor behind the character as “an old friend of the show, guess who?!”
No guessing required, as the voice has been confirmed as that of actor, musicals star and presenter of The Traitors US Alan Cumming. Faithful viewers will know that Cumming appeared as a guest star during the Jodie Whittaker era, playing King James I in series 11’s historical fantasy story “The Witchfinders”.
In episode two of the new series, which is confirmed to start on BBC One and Disney+ on Saturday April 12 (with episodes available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 8am in the UK ahead of broadcast that evening) Cumming voices the character of Mr Ring-a-Ding. He’s described as “a happy, funny, singalong cartoon, who lives in Sunny Town with his friend Sunshine Sally. However, in 1952, after years of repeats in cinemas across the land, Mr Ring-a-Ding suddenly looks beyond the screen and sees the real world outside, and the consequences are terrifying.”
Cumming joins fellow series 15 guest stars Rose Ayling-Ellis, previously of EastEnders, Ludwig, and a former Strictly Come Dancing winner who was once rumoured to be the Doctor’s new companion before Millie Gibson was announced. RTD teased her episode in DWM 613, writing that “Rose takes it to a whole new level. She storms in with an astonishing performance of terror, anger and bravery in one of the most frightening episodes we’ve ever made…”
