Doctor Who Star Would "Love" to Return to Role
Maisie Williams would jump at the chance to play Ashildr opposite Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who.
Doctor Who guest star Maisie Williams is game to return and team up with the current Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa. Williams is best known for playing Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, but during a break in filming that series, she joined the cast of Doctor Who as a recurring guest star in Doctor Who Season 9. Williams played Ashildr, a young girl in a 9th-century Viking village who gets caught up in one of the Doctor's adventures (the Doctor then being played by Peter Capaldi) and wound up functionally immortal as a result. Williams is currently promoting her new World War II drama The New Look on Apple TV+. During an interview for the series, Williams told Collider she'd be interested in returning to Doctor Who.
"I'd love to work with Ncuti, that would be so cool," Williams said. "I actually had never even [thought] about— People are always asking me about Arya, that no one asks me about Ashildr. So maybe! I would love that, yeah that would be cool."
Who is Ashildr in Doctor Who?
Williams debuted as Ashildr in Doctor Who Season 9, Episode 5, "The Girl Who Died." In that episode, the Doctor and Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) go back to the 9th century and face off with Mire warriors who are invading a Viking town. Ashildr, then a simple farmer's daughter, gets involved in the Doctor's defense of the village and loses her life as a result. At Clara's urging, the Doctor uses Mire warrior technology to revive Ashildr, inadvertently turning her immortal in the process.
Ashildr would recur throughout Doctor Who Season 9, her relationship with the Doctor becoming increasingly antagonistic. The Doctor would encounter Ashildr again first as a 17th-century "highwayman" going by "Me," who then vowed to keep an eye on the Doctor and his frequently abandoned allies. By the time the Doctor encounter Ahsildr again, she was the mayor of an alien refugee community hidden in London and in league with the Time Lords to capture the Doctor.
Ashildr and the Time Lords' plan went awry, accidently killing Clara in the process. The Doctor was enraged and let the Time Lords' know of his fury before eventually meeting Ashildr one last time at the end of existence.
The issue resolved with the Doctor losing all of his memories of Clara's existence. Clara's life is temporarily saved, though she will eventually have to accept her fate. In the meantime, she and Ashildr were last seen embarking on adventures of their own in a TARDIS under their control.
When will Doctor Who return?
Doctor Who will return in May 2024 on the BBC and Disney+. The Doctor Who 2024 trailer refers to the new installment as "Doctor Who Season 1," suggesting Ncuti Gatwa's first season as the Doctor is hoping to bring in some new viewers.
Gatwa is already filming his second season as the Doctor. Gatwa isn't sure what the future holds for his time as the Doctor after his second season.
"No idea, no plan," Gatwa said. "I just know that I'm loving it and my love for it is growing. It feels so much fun now. I've relaxed and [the Doctor] seems to have sunk down a little bit deeper, from my chest into my gut."
The Doctor Who Christmas Special is streaming now on Disney+. The three Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials, featuring David Tennant and Catherine Tate, are also streaming on Disney+. Doctor Who Season 1 will stream on Disney+ in May 2024.