‘The Mirror’ Attacks New ‘Doctor Who’ Star, Calls Her a “Diva”
A recent Mirror article accuses new Doctor Who companion Millie Gibson of being an on-set diva. This is unhelpful. Stop it.
There’s a lot happening with Doctor Who. We’re inching ever closer to the new David Tennant and Catherine Tate specials. Bonnie Langford is coming back. Lenny Rush is cast in what seems to be an ongoing role beginning in 2024.
So many great things about Doctor Who. So naturally the Mirror has a piece about how new companion Millie Gibson is a ‘diva’. If you know anything about that particular publication, you know they’re not exactly the paper of record. Most people take what they write with very many grains of salt.
But tabloid articles catch eyes and sometimes there are specific kinds of accusations that merit discussion. And there are several reasons why this accusation coming right now requires analysis. But let us begin at the beginning.
Courtesy of BBC Worldwide
Why the Mirror Says Millie Gibson is a Diva
“A source” tells the Mirror that Millie Gibson is a hard worker who is dedicated to getting Doctor Who right. But, she has an Achilles heel–night shoots.
“She won’t be the first or last person to be a bit annoyed by a night shoot, but it has won her some snippy comments behind the scenes,” says the source. “The word ‘diva’ has been used once or twice when tempers are fraying.”
Doing the hurry-up and wait of a night shoot whether you are on-camera talent or crew is pretty rough. And it’s worth keeping in mind that a night shoot does not always guarantee a nice long sleep during the following day. In America at least, so long as a production is willing to pay for it, they can technically trot workers back to set whenever.
In other words, there are reasons beyond being a “diva” that may lead an actor to refuse a night shoot. They may be legitimately overworked and the crew may be in the same boat. But the crew can’t really demand filming push a few hours. Arguably numbers one and two on the call sheet can, though. And that’s just one reason not to jump to the conclusion that Gibson is a “diva”.
Courtesy of WGAWest
How the WGA Strike Factors In
The WGA Strike may be, by its very nature, an American one, but its ripples impact international workers as well. Consider that many recent contract renegotiations (regardless of whether they result in a strike or not) involve discussions of “new media”. “New media” basically just means streaming platforms.
Streaming obviously takes up a lot of real estate in modern TV and film viewing. But back when contracts were first negotiated regarding new media. no one knew how big streaming would be. In short, the portions of contracts that relate to “new media” are not great! Right now it’s the WGA fighting over contract renegotiations, but the Screen Actor’s Guild looks to potentially strike soon as well.
We do not know what contract Bad Wolf Productions operates under nor how streaming factors in. However, we do know how Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies feels as he was recently in attendance at the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Day of Solidarity with the Writers’ Guild of America. Which is great! And there’s no reason to assume Davies himself sees Millie Gibson as a “diva”.
However, there is some Doctor Who history which is worth revisiting.
Courtesy of BBC Wales
The Grueling Schedule Of Doctor Who
In 2005 the first new Doctor Christopher Eccleston departed the series. At the time the company line was that Eccleston was “tired”. And while Eccleston says otherwise, the intensity and endless hours of Doctor Who production does come up again and again.
Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith once referred to how “people often only get to three or four years before they throw the towel in, because it places so many demands”. Billie Piper won’t return because of the time away from her kids. “As a job, it dominates your life,” she says. And recent companion Bradley Walsh says similar. “This is ten months of ramming speed,” says Walsh. “That’s what it is. It’s relentless. This ain’t an easy gig.”
And as for Eccleston, his departure from the series meant not finding work at the BBC for years due in part to the tabloid press. “‘The BBC regime is against you,'” Eccleston’s agent told him. “‘You’re going to have to get out of the country and wait for regime change.’ So I went away to America and I kept on working because that’s what my parents instilled in me.”
Courtesy of BBC Worldwide
The Biggest Problem is the Mirror and Publications Like It
Doctor Who‘s production schedule is hard no matter who you are or where you exist in the pecking order. If Millie Gibson struggles with night shots and the schedule in general at times, that’s only because basically everyone who works on Doctor Who has that struggle. The Mirror labeling Gibson a ‘diva’ runs the actress the same risk it did for Christopher Eccleston.
We can say that a “source” sees Gibson as a diva. That’s possible. But it’s not indicative of anything. More than that, one anonymous source isn’t evidence of anything. Again, even if Gibson does wish to avoid night shoots, there are lots of unselfish reasons for that.
Both non-primary cast and crew likely cannot speak for themselves if they feel overworked. If Gibson has anything to say about night shoots, it’s more likely that she speaks for more people than just herself. And just because Doctor Who has been a grueling production since 2005 doesn’t mean that can’t change. The very reason strikes happen in the first place is to improve things like production schedules.
In the end, peddling this entire unproven event as proof of Millie Gibson being a diva is nonsense at best. And at worst, it perpetuates an unhealthy on-set environment and punishes a performer in the long term for speaking up.
