Rose Ayling-Ellis has revealed why starring in a recent episode of Doctor Who was an emotional experience.
The actor and Strictly Come Dancing champion, 30, appeared in “The Well”, the third episode of the latest season of the sci-fi show, which aired in April.
After Ayling-Ellis signed up for the role of Aliss, the former EastEnders star, who was the first ever deaf contestant to appear on Strictly, worked with showrunner Russell T Davies to adjust the part, who was not originally written as a deaf character.
Speaking at the 2025 Hay Festival, which has partnered with The Independent for the second year, Ayling-Ellis explained that she grew up watching the BBC drama, so she didn’t even read the script before agreeing to the role.
“I've grown up watching Doctor Who,” she told the audience at an event on Thursday (29 May).
“I’d be obsessed every Saturday, I had to watch it. So when they said ‘do you want this role?’ I didn’t even read the script. I just said yes.”
The actor admitted that she “teared up” when she saw the Tardis on set, describing the experience as “a dream come true”.
“It was an amazing experience, especially to see the Tardis,” she said. “But at the same time, when you go on a set, it’s very different to what you see on TV. On TV, they have the light, the movement and the music. But I still teared up when I saw the Tardis.”
“It was a dream come true.”
Ayling-Ellis, who has also recently starred in the ITV crime drama Code of Silence, suggested that children’s education is a “big issue” in the deaf community due to lack of funding.
“A big issue we have with the deaf community is children’s education,” she said. “At the moment, the government seem to [be] cut[ting] their funding.”
“I grew up with a deaf unit [at school] and the deaf unit meant we got specialist help with my English, with access to a classroom,” she added, but the year she left, “they cut it and shut it down”.
The star said it’s a “misconception” that hearing aids and cochlear implants can be a substitute for this support.
“It’s not like that. I’m trying my best to just spread more awareness and reach out to different people. Also, we need more support from hearing people, not just from deaf people.”
The 38th spring edition of the annual Hay Festival takes place in Hay-on-Wye, the “town of books” in Powys, Wales, from 22 May to 1 June.
Throughout the festival, The Independent is hosting The News Review, a series of morning panels which sees our journalists discuss the latest headlines with figures from the arts, politics, science and comedy.
