Anita Dobson Wouldn’t Mind the Rani Returning Whenever ‘Doctor Who’ Does

When Mrs. Flood first popped up in Doctor Who as Ruby Sunday’s quirky neighbor, Mrs. Flood, it felt like a small role, only slightly more than a cameo. But there was something about the elderly lady that caught viewers’ attention, especially when her debut in “The Church on Ruby Road” included a fourth-wall break showing off her TARDIS knowledge.

By the end of Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the Fifteenth Doctor, Mrs. Flood had not only appeared several times, but she’d also been revealed as a major Doctor Who antagonist in disguise: the Rani. The Mrs. Flood version of the Rani eventually bi-generated, bringing a bitchier, more stylish take on the Rani (played by Archie Panjabi) into the climactic face-off with the Doctor and his friends.

As fans will recall, “The Reality War” saw the Panjabi Rani getting devoured by Omega, the monstrously transformed first Time Lord. The Mrs. Flood Rani? The one who became subservient to the other, younger Rani she’d just brought into existence? Well, she seized the moment and just… got the hell out of there. In other words, the surviving Time Lady could return to cause more trouble in the future.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Dobson said even she didn’t realize who Mrs. Flood would turn out to be when she first joined Doctor Who.

“For the first series, I was oblivious and just really enjoyed all the little character things and mannerisms that [showrunner and writer] Russell [T Davies] was throwing at me. Then, when he asked me back for another series, my curiosity was piqued as to who she was… But it wasn’t until I read the last few scripts of that series that I found out, and I was completely shocked.”

Of course, Dobson can’t comment on what could happen when the show returns for Christmas 2026, with Davies still running the show, albeit this time without Disney in tow.

However, she’s willing to give it another go: “Anything is possible. And if Russell asked me now, I’d be out that door so quick,” she told the Radio Times.

Fans have no idea what’s in store for Doctor Who, including but not limited to what Billie Piper’s role will be or who will actually be embodying the Doctor moving forward. And Dobson seems like a lovely person; we enjoyed how Doctor Who cracked a Queen joke that winked at her real-life marriage to musician Brian May.

But unfortunately, Mrs. Flood wasn’t all that exciting of a character. And between the two Ranis, she was the far less thrilling version. Maybe it’d be best to leave her in the past with the rest of the disappointing events of “The Reality War” and move on to some new villains instead?

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