Doctor Who: Sethu on "The Reality War," Belinda & Poppy, Tender Hopes

Posted in: BBC, TV | Tagged: doctor who

Doctor Who: Sethu on "The Reality War," Belinda & Poppy, Tender Hopes

Varada Sethu addresses "The Reality War," Belinda and Poppy's fate/future, what she would like to see from Doctor Who post-tender, and more.

Published Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:37:07 -0500
by Ray Flook
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On Tuesday, we took a look at what Varada Sethu (Belinda Chandra) had to share with The Whoniverse Show host Tia Kofi regarding her time on Doctor Who – and making it clear that she's "100%" open to a return. Along with sharing her thoughts on the final moments of ex-Showrunner Russell T. Davies' run that saw Ncuti Gatwa regenerate into Billie Piper, Sethu also had a lot to say about "The Reality War" and Belinda and Poppy's fate, appreciating the importance of her and Gatwa being cast, what she would like to see from Doctor Who when it comes out of the tender process, and more. Here are some of the highlights:

Sethu on Belinda/Poppy and "The Reality War" Finale: "It's so interesting because I didn't… I was really surprised by how people reacted to that. I really bought… I really loved that she got to be a mother cause it felt weird to lose Poppy. It felt really, really sad to lose her and for her to be this kind of just this fantasy or – not fantasy, like an alternate reality  – that you know Belinda won't ever be able to keep, you know, so it's really sad. So I quite liked that Belinda got to be a mom and that it's with Poppy and that Poppy gets to live."

Sethu on What Belinda & Poppy Are Up To: "Belinda is working [laughter]. She's busy. Poppy's at school. Uh no, I don't know. I think they are living their happily-ever-after."

Sethu and Gatwa Understood "How Special" Their Casting Was: "Yeah, we were very aware of how special it was that we got a shot because you don't see many shows still, outside of the Doctor Who world, where it's two people of color who are leading.

Sethu on Inspiring Future Generations: "Yeah, I Love That": "Yeah, I think every time I go to a comic con or actually just out in the wild. I don't think actors go into this career wanting to be a role model because that's such a scary thing and it's a lot of pressure. But it's still so wonderful to hear that because of something that I'm doing, someone out there has more confidence in themselves and someone out there has more belief in themselves because they can see what's possible."

Sethu on What She Wants to See From "Doctor Who" Post-Tender: "What I love about Doctor Who is how broad it is… like, you can go anywhere. You can do anything with it. And I have always admired Doctor Who's ability to actually reflect back the good and the bad parts of society and what it stands for – what you know the Doctor stands for, which is to walk through the world with a sense of curiosity but also to do good and to make kind choices and to do the best he can – to do the best they can – to do the best and to encourage that in people. I would love to see more of that: more goodness, more kindness, more inclusivity."

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