Matt Smith's Doctor Who companion actor Arthur Darvill reflects on his ultimate exit from the series and how it was a "perfect ending" for Rory Williams (Darvill) and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan). Darvill debuted alongside Smith and Gillan in the Eleventh Doctor's season 5 episode "The Eleventh Hour" in 2010 and became a regular throughout season 6 and the first half of season 7. Davill and Gillan both exited in season 7, part 1 finale, "The Angel Take Manhattan," where the pair were left stranded in the past together.

When speaking to RadioTimes.com as part of their 60-day countdown to Doctor Who's 60th-anniversary celebrations, Darvill opened up about his pleasant experiences filming the series and his joy at working alongside his castmates and former revival showrunner Steven Moffat. When it came time to film "The Angels Take Manhattan," the actor was engaged with the script and found it a fitting ending for his and Gillan's time as the couple, though his co-star was reluctant about reading her final moments until the cameras began rolling. Check out Darvill's recollection below:

"We’d been talking about it for a while. When I started, I didn't think I'd be in it for very long. Steven [Moffat] says, ‘Oh no, I always had a plan,’ which I don't necessarily believe! But I felt like I was just kind of waiting to be killed at any point but it didn't happen," he recalls, "Then they sat us down in, I think, mid season 6. And they’re like, ‘Look, how long do you want to do this? This is what we think, but what do you want?’ which is really rare, and it was real testament to the kind of nurturing nature and caring nature of the producers and writers. It felt like a family, so that was good being involved in that in that conversation. Because the writing was so good and Steven is so brilliant, the whole thing was like a big fairytale, and I just think the arcs that he'd written for everyone were so detailed and nuanced and brilliant and exciting that every time we opened - well, any script but especially his scripts - it would be a real treat.

Then we got the script and I read it straight away because I just wanted to find out what happened… I was really into the story so it was just fascinating to see what happened. Obviously I found it very emotional, but also, I just thought was a perfect ending for them - slightly open ended, but also really emotional and I liked that Rory had just been whisked away. I think that was a really good, shocking, surprising, sad thing. But Kazza refused to read it. She refused to read the script for ages. And I was desperate to talk to her about it, because obviously it involved both of us.

Rory and Amy's Doctor Who Journey Was A Timey Wimey Tale About A Couple Discovering Their True Feelings

Rory's time as a companion carries some of the show's more complicated moments. Introduced at the start of Doctor Who season 5 as a nurse in Amy's hometown of Leadworth, it is soon revealed that he is her childhood friend and fiancé when she attempts to make advances on The Doctor on the eve of her wedding. Reluctantly lifted into adventures in space and time on his stag night, Rory is brought along as the Doctor attempts to make things right with the couple, with a shared dream leading to Amy realizing her true feelings for him. However, their newly repaired relationship is cut short when Rory is shot and erased from existence via the existential cracks in time, wiping him from Amy's mind.

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Doctor Who: Amy & Rory's Timeline, Explained

Amy and Rory were among Doctor Who's greatest and most loved characters, but their relationship took several turns throughout their time on the show.

However, after being briefly revived as a Roman Centurion Auton duplicate and saving the universe from destruction, Rory saved the universe with the Doctor and Amy and continued their travels. In these times, Rory took a more active, heroic role across the following Doctor Who seasons, leading the charge to save Amy from powerful foes and complex temporal situations, growing closer through deaths, loss, and goodbyes. In time, they'd live their own life outside their adventures with the Doctor. Even though they would be torn away from him for good, they knew they'd have a fulfilling, happy life together in 20th-century New York.

Rory and Amy's departures in "The Angels Take Manhattan" remain a bittersweet but fulfilling end for the two Doctor Who companions. While they were lost in time and permanently cut off from the Doctor, what they had found together during their adventures stayed with them and allowed them to find their happiness. While Darvill admits more could be told, it is clear he's satisfied with their fates.

Source: RadioTimes.com