'Doctor Who' adds Seattle-based 'Drag Race' winner for 'major role'
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 02: Jinkx Monsoon as "Mama Morton" poses backstage at a special performance for "Teacher's Night on Broadway" at "Chicago" on Broadway at The Ambassador Theater on February 2, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glika
SEATTLE - Award-winning performer and Seattle-based drag queen Jinkx Monsoon has landed a ‘major role’ in the long-running BBC series, Doctor Who.
Both Jinkx Monsoon and the BBC confirmed the news on their respective social media accounts.
Doctor Who has been on air since 1963 and has become a worldwide cultural phenomenon. It's a science fiction series that follows The Doctor, an extraterrestrial time traveler, on their intergalactic adventures with their many companions.
It's unclear if Jinkx Monsoon will star as a companion, which is considered a ‘major role,’ or another type of character.
"I’m honored, thrilled, and utterly excited to join @bbcdoctorwho!" she tweeted on April 3. "Russell T Davies is a visionary and a brilliant writer— I can’t wait to get into the weeds with him and the crew! I hope there’s room in the TARDIS for my luggage!"
She has been dubbed "The queen of all queens" after winning Season 5 of the hit TV show, "RuPaul’s Drag Race," and returning to win Season 7 of "RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars."
According to her biography on the official website for Doctor Who, she's joining the show after completing her sell-out run on Broadway's "Chicago." She made history as the first drag queen to play the role of Matron ‘Mama’ Morton, breaking box office records in her extended eight-week run, according to the biography.
They were born in Portland but started their musical and drag career in Seattle. They still continue to do shows in Seattle, with an upcoming one at the Paramount Theatre in August.
Doctor Who returns in November 2023 with three special episodes with David Tennant (who formerly played the Tenth Doctor) as the Fourteenth Doctor to coincide with the 60th anniversary.
Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor will then take over. The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the series with the concept of "regeneration" into a new "incarnation" of The Doctor.
The new seasons of Doctor Who will air on the Disney+ streaming service for those outside of the UK and Ireland.