Doctor Who’s New Villain Is So Scary Fans Are Losing Sleep—You Won’t Believe Why!

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*Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor who episode The Story and the Engine.*

In the Doctor Who episode titled “The Story of the Engine,” a captivating new antagonist emerges, portrayed by Ariyon Bakare as the Barber.

In a chilling turn of events, an ominous character, identified as the Barber, captures several men, among them the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), in his barbershop. The Barber appears to be collecting their life stories. However, it doesn’t take long for the Doctor to uncover that the Barber is not truthful about who he truly is.

He confessed, “Initially, I was quite concerned about becoming a typical antagonist from ‘Doctor Who’, but then I realized, if I embrace this role wholeheartedly, it will make things much more thrilling.

Initially, there was concern that I could appear too scary. However, I believe kids enjoy being startled. It seems to heighten their excitement.

I delved deeper into that aspect, turning it into a dramatic portrayal, allowing the softer elements to emerge through other characters instead.

He mentioned: “I found myself fond of Doctor Who antagonists because they stood out. They were daring and managed to create a sense of fear in me as a child.

To embody the type of character I desired, I needed to explore aspects of myself that were unlike anything I’d previously known.

Bakare also had a lot of input into the character, including his look.

He clarified that he desired him to emulate Anansi. Reflecting on spiders, he mused that an intriguing trait would be having numerous locks and unceasingly growing hair.

Later on, I returned to the Bible, contemplating Samson’s story, realizing that losing one’s hair equates to losing strength. There are many instances similar to this in life.

However, as enjoyable as crafting the character was, there were also challenging instances – such as a scene where the Doctor discovers that the Barber is not Anansi nor any of the gods he has pretended to be.

In my approach, I crafted a character with multiple facets, portraying him as expected, only to unexpectedly reveal hidden aspects along the way. And just when you thought you knew everything about him, I added yet another twist in the final act.

In simpler terms, it’s like there are multiple levels or roles that one has to navigate through. To put it another way, it’s a long history of adapting one’s behavior based on different groups, which is often experienced by Black men as they strive to be accepted by everyone.

Over extended periods of time, one seems to constantly peel back layers, revealing hidden depths much like shedding the outer bark from a tree. With each layer removed, you eventually uncover the true essence of the individual beneath.

The setting of the episode in Nigeria is fitting for Bakare, given his recent journey with WaterAid to Lagos.

He mused about his journey, expressing that everyone worldwide ought to have had the opportunity for clean water accessibility.

In Nigeria, it was frequently recalled that at certain hospitals, particularly maternity ones, the nurses would need to halt their duties, travel long distances to reach a well (borehole), fill up containers, and then return.

Could you envision kids lacking access to clean water at school, unable to bathe or even wash their hands? That thought truly saddened me. So, I felt compelled to contribute towards a world that works to rectify such issues.

To support WaterAid, visit wateraid.org.

Don’t forget to tune in next Saturday, May 10th, for more episodes of Doctor Who! In the UK, you can catch them starting at 8am on BBC iPlayer and later in the day on BBC One. For those outside of the UK, you can find the series on Disney+.

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2025-05-10 22:17