The Big Picture
- Imelda Staunton, known for her role as Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter, voiced a character in Doctor Who.
- In the episode “The Girl Who Waited,” Staunton voiced the Interface, providing valuable information for Amy’s escape from isolation.
- “The Girl Who Waited” is a heartbreaking episode featuring emotional performances from Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill.
Though Doctor Who and Harry Potter have as many differences as they do similarities, both are bastions of pop culture that have influenced generations of fans with feverish intensity. Most fandoms have nicknames for their fans, but perhaps none are as ubiquitous as calling one’s self a “Whovian” or “Potterhead.” Naturally, both being in similar genres means that they see much overlap in their fanbases, but they also have notable crossover with their actors as well.
Most famously, David Tennant, who played the beloved Tenth Doctor (and surprise Fourteenth Doctor), featured in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Barty Crouch Jr., one of the more detestable villains in the series. However, even the most eagle-eyed viewer may have missed another Harry Potter actor’s surprise role in Doctor Who. Though she’s most recognized as the frustratingly despicable Dolores Umbridge, actress Imelda Staunton also led her voice acting talents in a small, but significant, role in series 6 of Doctor Who.
Doctor Who
The show follows the adventures of a Time Lord “The Doctor” who is able to regenerate, and the Doctor’s human friends. The Doctor and companion’s journey through time and space in the TARDIS – a time-traveling ship shaped like a police box – saving the universe with a combination of wit, bravery, and kindness.
- Release Date
- March 17, 2006
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Rating
- TV-PG
- Seasons
- 14
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
Imelda Staunton Voiced the Interface in “The Girl Who Waited”
Imelda Staunton appeared in Doctor Who during the Eleventh Doctor’s (Matt Smith) second season in the episode, “The Girl Who Waited.” In this story, the Doctor and his companions, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) arrive on a planet quarantined by a plague that affects species with two hearts — including Time Lords like the Doctor. Through a brief, but damning, miscommunication, Amy gets separated from Rory and the Doctor and gets trapped in an accelerated time stream, causing her to live 36 years in the span of time it takes the Doctor to find her.
While she was completely isolated from other human interaction, Amy found companionship in a disarmed robot and the Interface, the computer interface of the quarantine facility that was voiced by Imelda Staunton. The Interface was able to give Amy valuable information about the facility, but couldn’t be reprogrammed to help her escape, resulting in her nearly four decades of isolation. Staunton’s voice isn’t altered in any noticeable way, but fans of Harry Potter may still find it difficult to recognize her without her gaudy pink outfit and saccharine passive-aggression.
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“The Girl Who Waited” Is One of ‘Doctor Who’s Most Heartbreaking Episodes
“The Girl Who Waited” is an interesting episode in the series because it only features the three main actors, with no other characters involved besides the occasional voices of the Interface and Handbots. While Matt Smith is excellent as always as the Eleventh Doctor, this episode is a masterclass from both Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, as they turn in some of their most emotional and gripping performances in the series to date. Gillan is at her best in this episode, opting to wear prosthetics and play the older version of herself, a jaded, cynical, and bitter version of her character that simultaneously feels like Amy Pond, but also someone entirely alien.
Darvill turns in some of the most gut-wrenching moments in the series, as Rory must decide whether to save the older version of Amy, or rescue the younger version and completely erase the other one from ever existing. It’s a lose-lose scenario that is exactly the type of conflict that arises from the wibble-wobbliness of the Doctor’s time travels, but with none of the lighthearted ease that sometimes lulls viewers into a sense of comfort. And though Staunton’s role was limited in the episode, her contributions brought the foreign setting to life, making it the perfect staging ground for one of Doctor Who’s most interesting dilemmas.
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