Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has talked about the connection between new companion Varada Sethu's previous incarnation as a character called Mundy Flynn.
The actress is joining the show this season as new companion Belinda Chandra, who meets Ncuti Gatwa's The Doctor while working as a nurse and gets swept up on adventures in the TARDIS.
Sethu previously appeared in last season's acclaimed episode 'Boom' as Mundy Flynn, a marine in the year 5087 - and despite Davies having said previously that there was no link between her characters, he has now admitted that there is.
Pressed on the issue by SFX, he said: "It plays a small role because the main story is getting Belinda home. The fact that she's connected to someone from The Doctor's past is handled lightly.
"It's never a show I want to bog down in so much continuity that you get lost. I always think it's in-built into the nature of an anthology show that every week is different. So every week you've got to start again, and it becomes an unnatural weight on the show if you're having to catch up with an awful lot of current continuity.
"So, if you remember the fact that actually The Doctor, as he says, has met one of Belinda's descendants, she is an ancestor of Mundy, that's a great extra detail."
He added: "I wouldn't worry about it too much but there are surprising revelations to come despite that. I'm gonna keep you on your toes, don't worry."
Sethu makes her debut in the season-opener of Doctor Who this Saturday, April 12 at 8am on iPlayer in the UK and simultaneously at 3am EST on Disney+ in the rest of the world.
Neil Wilkes
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