Time-Wimey Talks with Alex Kingston & Arthur Darvill!
January 26, 2026
These two Whovian favorites are heading out on a new adventure this week: Comic-Con: The Cruise!
We chatted with both of them about Doctor Who, the cruise, and their own favorite fandoms.
ALEX KINGSTON:
Your role as River Song has had a lasting effect on the overall Doctor Who franchise and its generations of fans. How has fandom affected you in turn?
To be honest, I had no understanding or even connection to fandom before I joined Doctor Who! And I was a little trepidatious the first time I went to a comic con event, not understanding this world that so many thousands of fans inhabit. BUT I needn’t have worried! The fans are AWESOME! Incredibly loyal, kind, supportive of one another, which I find truly humbling. And this is a world in which people of all different backgrounds are able to meet, connect, make friendships, spanning different continents even… this is more than fandom, this is a movement!!!!!
Like the TARDIS, Comic-Con: The Cruise is a bigger experience than it looks like from the outside. What are you most looking forward to experiencing with guests?
True fact… I have never been on a cruise, let alone a Comic-Con cruise! I have no idea what to expect other than sea sickness (I will bring anti-nausea meds) but knowing the fans of comic con I think this will be an unforgettable experience one way or another!
What pop culture book, film, or show do you, and ER’s Doctor Elizabeth Corday, prescribe to make people feel better?
I really enjoy the Studio Ghibli / Miyazaki movies, when there is a need to just snuggle and chill. They are so complex, but heartwarming.
Fans of all ages and backgrounds love attending pop culture events. What would you say to someone experiencing the fan community for the first time?
Oh my gosh. for someone who is experiencing a pop culture fandom event for the first time, I would say, strap up, jump in headfirst and WELCOME TO THE WORLD of creativity, controlled chaos, eccentricity, authenticity, love and generosity… no judgement here!
ARTHUR DARVILL:
You’ll be joining your Doctor Who and DC series co-star, Alex Kingston on Comic-Con: The Cruise. Are you looking forward to sharing your reunion with a shipload of new friends?
I’m very excited to be joining Alex on the cruise. Alex has just been a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing so I’ll be hoping she can show us all some moves and help us with our pirouettes.
What films, shows, games, or books would you want with you if you were…say…waiting in the Pandorica for 2000 years?
2000 years is a very long time. It would have to be stuff I could watch again and again. E.T. Never gets old. A box set of I Claudius would help me through the Roman period. The Return Of The Pink Panther for the lols, and a box set of The Muppet Show. Documentaries would be weird. Predicting the future. I’d take the complete works of Murakami. Maybe the complete works of Shakespeare… put on some plays? Be hailed as a genius?
If you could travel anywhere in time like Rip Hunter, what moment in pop culture would you like to experience again for the first time?
I’m a huge Beatles fan. I’d love to have seen them in Hamburg or at the Cavern club. I’d also love to have seen Aretha Franklin in the 60’s and feel what it’s like to be in the same room as that voice. In terms of experiencing something again :-
What are you most looking forward to on Comic-Con: The Cruise?
Meeting all of you lovely people and being on a massive boat. It’s also extremely cold and wet and grim in London so I’m very much looking forward to some sunshine.