Jonah Hauer-King says being in the Whoniverse “feels amazing”.

Jonah Hauer-King has been talking about joining Doctor Who, and in a new interview says the experience was “amazing”.

Doctor Who season 2 episode 4 sees Ruby Sunday facing life back on earth without the Doctor.

But when a dangerous new threat emerges, can Ruby and UNIT save her new boyfriend, Conrad, from the terrifying Shreek?

How does it feel to be joining the Whoniverse?

It feels amazing. It’s a very, very iconic TV show that’s been on our screens for decades. I feel like it’s a big honour because it’s sort of a rite of passage. I went to the screening for the first episode, and at the beginning they did a showreel of Doctor Who over the last twenty years. Not only did it include the iconic Doctors and companions we’ve had, but it was also a reminder of how many incredible actors have popped up over the years in roles and big and small. There’s been so many incredible actors in the show, and it feels like a massive privilege to now be part of that universe.

How did the role come about?

I had an email from my agent saying that Russell (T Davies) had been in touch to ask if I was interested in doing it. The answer was yes, so he sent me a script to look at. I read it and it felt really exciting.

It has a lot of what we have come to expect from Doctor Who with the heart and the soul and the monsters and the scares. But, I think there’s something particularly grounded and unique about this episode. I really liked it and told him I would love to do it. I’ve been a big fan of Russell’s work in and outside of Doctor Who, so any chance to work with him was very appealing. It was great that it happened to be on Doctor Who.

Were you a fan of the show before you joined?

Yes, I was a fan of the show, but in a way that I think lots of people are. It’s so present in our minds, certainly for the British audience and I’m sure that extends all around the world. It’s so part of our TV history and our popular culture. It’s so immersed in our consciousness.

This episode sees the return of Ruby Sunday, how was it working with Millie Gibson?

Millie is fantastic. I hadn’t seen her work in Doctor Who when I did this episode as the show hadn’t come out yet, but I was immediately struck by her talent and warmth. We had such a giggle on set.

Without giving too much away, the episode is very much about their dynamic and relationship. We were on set together all day every day for a few weeks. We got on so well and had so much fun working together and being in Cardiff. When her episodes came out for the first season, it was such a joy to watch her, because I saw the character that she had been bringing to life before my eyes.

How was it to be on the Doctor Who set and see the scale of the show?

The sets are very unique, they have amazing scale. Doctor Who prides itself on doing things practically as much as they can. They built so much of it. They found some fantastic locations and built some amazing things at the studios in Cardiff. It’s just really fun to see, and it does help you as an actor because everything is there, and it’s tactile. It’s right in front of you. You can just be present, there’s less imagination needed, it’s all right in front of you. Your surroundings really inform your performance, so having the sets there is a great help.

Is there anything you can tell us about your character Conrad?

Conrad meets the Doctor when he is a young boy. From that point, he’s obsessed with him. He’s desperate to meet him and idolises him on some level. He’s dedicated a lot of his life to finding out about him and trying to meet him. When we meet Conrad, he’s running a podcast which at least in part, focusses on sightings of the Doctor. He’s a superfan.

Do you have a highlight from your experience on the show?

There are quite a few. Working with Millie was brilliant, and working with Peter Hoar, our director. I also had a fantastic scene with Ncuti. It was the first time that we had really worked together with this really long brilliant scene written by Pete McTighe. It was cool to see Ncuti work in the flesh. He’s every bit as charismatic as you would imagine and he has this amazing energy. It was a really well written duologue between the two of them.

What can viewers expect from the episode?

There’s a lot in it. It has everything you want. It has monsters, it has twists, it has scares, it has love, romance, a bit of friendship, a bit of good vs evil, it’s the whole shebang.

If you could travel anywhere in time and space, where would you go?

I know it’s an obvious one, but I would quite like to see the dinosaurs. I’d like to see what the world looked like, I bet it was ridiculously beautiful. I don’t think I’d last more than an hour at best, but if I had the TARDIS to make a quick exit before getting eaten, I’d love to see the dinosaurs in all their magnificence.

Can you sum up your episode in one word or phrase?

Edge of your seat.