*Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor who episode The Story and the Engine.*
With Doctor Who episode The Story and the Engine comes an intriguing new villain, in the form of Ariyon Bakare's the Barber.
A menacing figure, the Barber holds various men – including the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) – hostage in his barbershop, stealing their stories. But the Doctor soon realises that the Barber is lying about his identity.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Bakare admitted there were fears that his villain would be too frightening – but, as a lifelong Doctor Who fan, he knew that would be the key to the character.
"I was really worried about being the archetypal Doctor Who villain but then I thought, no, if I lean into it even more, it'll be really exciting," he explained.
"There was a fear that I might be too frightening. But I think children like to be frightened. It makes them more excited.
"So I pushed into that element and played it more like a drama and let everything else, the softness, come out through other characters."
He added: "When I used to like Doctor Who villains, they were always ones who were very memorable. They were always the ones who pushed the boat out a bit more, and they did something that frightened you as a kid.
"I wanted to be that kind of character... I had to find dig deep inside myself to find something completely different to what I am."
Bakare also had a lot of input into the character, including his look.
"I wanted him to be like Anansi," he explained. "And I thought about spiders. So I was like, it'd be really good if we've got the locks, and we have this hair that just constantly kept growing.
"And then I went back to the Bible and thought of Samson, and thought, well, if you cut your hair, you lose your power. There are a lot of things like that."
But, alongside the fun of creating the character, there were also some "difficult" moments – including one scene in which the Doctor realises that the Barber isn't Anansi, or any of the gods he's claimed to be.
Bakare explained: "I had to create the character in one way and pretend he's this, he's that, and then pull the rug from under everybody and show another side of them, and then pull another rug right at the end.
"So there's constantly the layers. If I want to be quite political about it, it's years and years of the code switching of a Black man – constantly having to be something for everyone to accept.
"And then over years and years and years, you're always just pulling layers off – it's like the bark of the tree. You pull layers and layers until you find out who the real person is."
The episode being set in Nigeria is apt for Bakare, following his recent trip with WaterAid to Lagos.
"Everybody in the world should have had have the chance to have access to to clean water," he said, reflecting on his trip.
"I remember there were stories in Nigeria, of people, especially in a maternity hospital, where nurses would have to stop work, walk miles to go to a borehole and carry buckets and then come back.
"Can you imagine children not being able to have clean water at school, not being able to shower, not be able to wash? That really broke me, and so I was like, I want to be part of a world that helps that to change."
To support WaterAid, visit wateraid.org.
Doctor Who continues next Saturday (10th May), with new episodes available from 8am on Saturdays on BBC iPlayer in the UK and later the same day on BBC One. The series is available on Disney+ outside of the UK.
Dive into our Doctor Who story guide: reviews of every episode since 1963, plus cast & crew listings, production trivia, and exclusive material from the Radio Times archive.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Doctor Who's new villain sparked concern over being too frightening )
Also on site :
- BetMGM Bonus Code NW150: Get Latest $150 Bonus for NBA, NHL, UFC 315
- LSU sees 4-star 2026 WR flip commitment to SMU
- 43 Mother's Day Dessert Recipes to Satisfy Every Type of Sweet Tooth