Doctor Who’s upcoming Easter special sees the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop) come face-to-face with classic monsters The Sea Devils, who’ve turned to piracy on the South China Sea decades after their last appearance in the BBC sci-fi series.
And if you had any doubt about the Sea Devils’ fearsomeness, episode star Mandip Gill has proof, revealing that she suffered a minor injury while facing off with them in a climactic sword-fighting scene.
“We have this really amazing stunt and they hurt my finger and I can’t stop thinking about it!” Gill told RadioTimes.com at the Radio Times Covers Party. “I was like, I actually hurt my finger because of a Sea Devil. Not many people get to say that.
“It didn’t go down very well,” she laughed. “I was like, ‘This sword is really heavy. And I’ve hurt my finger now. Shall we stop?’”
Still, despite these challenges, Gill was enthusiastic about the upcoming Doctor Who adventure, stating that she was “really proud” of the finished product.
“It’s a big family fun adventure. Really swashbuckly, exciting, but actually there’s so much heart,” she told us. “And my favourite word for this episode is understanding.
“Chris [Chibnall] is really good at writing characters and emotion and we do get that through. It is epic. Like, the sets were amazing, the actors are amazing, the costumes and stuff… but there is so much heart in that episode.
“I’m really proud of this one. I’m really excited for people to see that.”
And when they do watch it, they should keep an eye out – look closely, and you might be able to spot where Mandip Gill took a wound in the line of Who-ty.
See more photos from the Radio Times Covers Party 2022 in the new issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale Tuesday 5th April. Subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door, and for more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 17th April. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.