Michelle Gomez to leave Doctor Who with Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat
Michelle Gomez has revealed that she’s leaving Doctor Who.
The Scottish star (who has played villain Missy since 2014) has chosen to say goodbye to the BBC sci-fi series due to the departure of lead actor Peter Capaldi and head writer Steven Moffat this Christmas.
“My pals are going so I’m going,” Gomez told RadioTimes.com. “Everybody’s leaving, so I’m going too. I mean, what would I do without Peter and Steven? Who would I be?
“Nah, it’s done now. It’s over. It’s the end of a chapter,” she confirmed.
Gomez first appeared in 2014 episode Deep Breath as the mysterious Missy, who over the course of that year’s series was revealed to be a female regeneration of classic villain the Master (previously played by Roger Delgado, Anthony Ainley and John Simm among others).
So far she’s appeared in nine separate episodes, and is set to return for three more (including the two-part series 10 finale) in Doctor’s Who’s current run, where she’s expected to team up with her predecessor as the Master, John Simm.
And Gomez says there’s plenty she’ll miss about her time in the series, which has seen her become a hit with fans.
“[I’ll miss] the fact that it was probably one of the best jobs I’ve ever had,” she told us. “The fact that I’m a woman of a certain age who’s this ass-kicking action figure.
“I won’t miss the corset because that was agony, and I’m a woman that likes a big lunch. And that’s not fun to wear after you’ve had two helpings and dessert.
“So I won’t miss that. But I’ll miss the amazing, wonderful, incredible Peter Capaldi, who I think is one of the best Doctors we’ve ever had. I’ll miss somebody like Steven Moffat writing me the best lines I’ve ever had in my career.
“I won’t miss the rain in Wales, but I will miss Wales. And the incredible crew that work so hard. It’s not work for them, it’s a passion, and that’s wonderful to be surrounded by. It’s very inspiring and energising.
“Yeah, I’m gonna miss a lot about that job,” she concluded. “It was a great job.”
Doctor Who continues on BBC1 on Saturday evenings