Last week at the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles, Temple of Geek sat down with actor Samir Arrian to discuss his role as Hassan Chowdry in the Doctor Who episode Lux. As part of the second season on Disney+, this episode has been praised by fans for its unique and respectful representation of the Whovian community.
Gallifrey One is the world’s largest and longest-running annual Doctor Who fan convention and has been a tradition in North American fandom since 1990. This year marked a special milestone as Samir Arrian made his first-ever North American appearance at the event, joining the convention courtesy of Showmasters Events.
Auditioning in Secret
Arrian’s journey to the Whoniverse began with a standard self-tape recorded at home. Despite the intense secrecy usually surrounding the show, Arrian revealed that he actually auditioned using the full scene. This allowed him to bring the same performance from his initial tape directly to the set. Noting that his portrayal didn’t change much between the audition and filming.
Representing the Fandom and Plotting Easter Eggs
A major priority for the production was ensuring that the fans were depicted authentically and with heart. Arrian emphasized that the team was careful not to mock the audience. The goal was to reflect the inclusive nature of Doctor Who. The production sought to show that everyone’s welcome andeveryone’s a fan. Arrian felt the final product successfully captured the passion of the community.
According to Arrian, showrunner Russell T Davies was “very meticulous” regarding the visual direction of the scene. Every item on screen was intentionally placed to serve as an Easter egg for eagle-eyed viewers. Russell dictated exactly what each character wore, such as Hassan’s scarf and Robin’s sonic screwdriver.
While Arrian admitted he would have personally chosen to wear a Fez if given the choice, the costumes were strictly scripted. Even the cups held by the actors had to be held at specific angles to showcase hidden details.
“Everything you’re wearing and everything you’re holding, everything matters.” — Samir Arrian
Life on Set and Beyond
The filming process was unique, involving a long gap between the first and last days of shooting. This required the actors to maintain their physical appearance, such as hair length, over an extended period. Arrian also noted the positive atmosphere on set, mentioning that lead actor Ncuti Gatwa is very protective of the production environment.
Now that the episode has aired, Arrian is enjoying the emotional reactions from fans at conventions in LA. He described the experience of meeting the community as a huge honor and a privilege to make someone’s day a little bit better.
Beyond his role as one of the fans in this Series 15 story, Samir has several exciting projects underway. He will soon appear as Nabeel Hamed opposite Pierce Brosnan in the upcoming Prince Naseem Hamed biopic, Giant. Viewers can also find him as Abdul in the sixth season of ITV’s Unforgotten on ITVX. And if that isn’t enough, you can also watch him in the Sky series Brassic.
