As excitement mounts at the onset of Doctor Who Series 14, one of the supporting players in the Thirteenth Doctor’s era has reminded us that his character could still be out there in the Whoniverse.

Craig Parkinson, who played the Grand Serpent in Doctor Who: Flux, was speaking in response to being asked how he remembers his time on the series:

“With so much love and fondness. I mean, talk about a juggernaut. That was incredible. Of course it was otherworldly, but to work with Jodie (Whittaker) and Mandip (Gill) on that was heaps and heaps of fun, and I think the way that Jodie left the show, it’ll be in people’s minds for a long, long time. But, you know, the Grand Serpent isn’t dead – he’s floating out there somewhere in space, so who knows?”

Viewers of Series 13 will recall that the Grand Serpent was an alien political figure who came to Earth and infiltrated UNIT in its early years, murdering those who stood in his way. Kate Lethbridge-Stewart had a lucky escape when a bomb was planted in her house as the Grand Serpent teamed up with the Sontarans to prepare for their invasion.

In truth, the reasons for the Grand Serpent’s extremely long-in-the-preparation nefarious scheme weren’t entirely clear to some folk, but Parkinson is an old hand at playing the role of a scheming villain and made for an entertaining baddie before he was stranded by Kate and Vinder on a lonely asteroid.

It’s always nice to hear that actors have enjoyed their time on Doctor Who and although, as we enter a bold new era for the programme, it seems unlikely that we’ll see more of the Grand Serpent, stranger things have happened.

Craig Parkinson has been promoting his drama, Mrs Sidhu Investigates, which airs on Drama in the UK, where he appears alongside Meera Syal.