Doctor Who's Anjli Mohindra makes writing debut with short film produced in lockdown

'The People Under the Moon' is part of the Virtual Collaborators series, a project launched by actor/writer Danusia Samal.

The series of short films explore different aspects of life during the COVID-19 pandemic and are all written and directed during lockdown by creatives who have seen other projects put on hold during the pandemic.

"Mental health is as important as physical in this trying time," Samal told The Guardian. "We need to stay creative – that doesn’t have to be alone. Technology can keep us collaborating remotely."

Mohindra's film, directed by Hal Chambers, stars Bohemian Rhapsody actor Gwilym Lee as a medic who starts using a dating app on the eve of lockdown, following the character's emotional highs and lows as chronicled by video messages he leaves for a prospective girlfriend.

Mohindra, who has also appeared in the ITV series Dark Heart and Wild Bill, took a playwriting course at the Royal Court in 2017 and last year told Digital Spy, "I'd love to find my voice, and find my feet, as a writer."

Russell T Davies, who wrote for Mohindra on Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, has already expressed his approval of the short, calling it "a gorgeous piece of work... bursting with life and joy and hope".

Other creatives involved in the Virtual Collaborators series include Doctor Who and Dracula star Sacha Dhawan, who appears in 'Yash Gill's Power Half Hour' and Call the Midwife's Ben Caplan, who performs 'It Is Quiet Now‘.

A full list of the Virtual Collaborators projects and the creatives involved can be found at VirtualCollaborators.co.uk.

Check out what's on with our TV Guide