{"id":51240,"date":"2024-05-11T19:00:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-11T17:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2039038"},"modified":"2024-05-11T20:49:40","modified_gmt":"2024-05-11T18:49:40","slug":"doctor-who-guest-star-lenny-rush-was-originally-cast-in-a-different-role","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-guest-star-lenny-rush-was-originally-cast-in-a-different-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who guest star Lenny Rush was originally cast in a different role"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BAFTA winner was cut from Space Babies \u2013 but for a very good reason. <\/p>

By Morgan Jeffery\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 11 May 2024 at 17:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Why would Doctor Who<\/a> cast BAFTA-winning child actor Lenny Rush, only to then drop him from his episode and recast the role? Turns out there was a very good reason\u2026<\/p>\n

On companion show Doctor Who Unleashed<\/a>, it was revealed that Rush was originally set to voice Eric \u2013 one of the space babies \u2013 in the appropriately-titled episode Space Babies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rush even took part in the read-through and visited the set, as can be seen in the Unleashed episode now streaming on BBC iPlayer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But his performance so impressed the Doctor Who production team that they opted to cut Rush from Space Babies \u2013 Sami Amber voices Eric in the final episode \u2013 in order to bring him back in a larger role in a future episode.<\/p>\n

\"Eric\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Eric in Doctor Who: Space Babies<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

As fans will know, Rush will now play Morris Gibbons, UNIT\u2019s new scientific advisor, later in the new season.<\/p>\n

Explaining the switch, showrunner Russell T Davies said: \u201cLenny Rush was one of the voices of the space babies, and he\u2019d been so good as a space baby voice that at that read through we kind of there there and went \u2018It\u2019s a shame. It\u2019s a shame he\u2019s just a voice and we\u2019re not going to actually see Lenny.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this chance came along to cast a new scientific adviser and I was like, \u2018Oh my God, let\u2019s get Lenny\u2019.\u201d<\/p>

Rush was announced to be playing Morris in June 2023<\/a>. \u201cThis is what Doctor Who\u2019s all about, brand new talent from the next generation, and no one\u2019s more talented than Lenny,\u201d said Davies. \u201cHe joins the TARDIS team just in time for the Doctor\u2019s greatest nightmare, so hold on tight!\u201d<\/p>\n

Rush joins a string of notable guest stars in Doctor Who\u2019s 2024 season, including Jonathan Groff<\/a>, Aneurin Barnard, Indira Varma<\/a>, and RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race star Jinkx Monsoon<\/a>.<\/p>\n