New Doctor Who Companions announced!

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Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Mon, 10/23/2017 - 07:19

From BBC:

Jodie Whittaker, who takes over as the 13th Doctor next year, will be joined by Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill, as well as Sharon D Clarke in a returning role.

Walsh will star as Graham, Cole will play Ryan and Gill will play Yasmin. Walsh said he was looking forward to being part of the show - some 50 years after first becoming a fan.

Bradley Walsh

This is just another interesting career move for the man with one of the most varied CVs in showbusiness.

Walsh is best-known for hosting game shows like The Chase and Wheel of Fortune, and will be familiar to Coronation Street fans for playing Danny Baldwin between 2004-06.

He started out as a professional footballer for Brentford FC and launched a music career last year - notching up the biggest-selling debut album of 2016 by a British artist.

This isn't his first experience of the world of Doctor Who - Walsh says he's watched the show for 50 years and even briefly appeared as a villain in spin-off show Sarah Jane Adventures in 2008.

He said: "I remember watching William Hartnell as the first Doctor. Black and white made it very scary for a youngster like myself."

Mandip Gill

Gill, who has worked in film, theatre, radio and television, got her first major TV role in 2012 when she was cast as Phoebe McQueen in Hollyoaks.

She was on the soap for three years before her character was killed by an infamous murderer. She has also popped up in Doctors, Cuckoo and Casualty.

And she will soon be seen in Kay Mellor's new BBC drama Love, Lies and Records.

Gill said she was "over the moon" to join the "iconic" Doctor Who, adding:

"Certain roles seem unattainable and this is one of those, so much so I didn't believe it to be true for the first few weeks."

Tosin Cole

He will now join the elite group of Warwick Davis, Dave Prowse and Felicity Jones who have starred in both Doctor Who and Star Wars.

Cole has also had roles in EastEnders spin-off E20 and Hollyoaks, so has already worked with Mandip Gill.

"I'm grateful and excited to be a part of this journey with the team," Cole said of his casting. "I'm looking forward to jumping in this Doctor Who universe."

Source: BBC.com

Commentary: Looking at this image, I can't help but think of one of my favorite lines from SUPERGIRL: "You look like the attractive yet nonthreatening racially diverse cast of a CW show." I know a lot of people try to take that as a negative, but I think it's the exact right move. You have a strong mix of well known Brits here in Jodie Whittaker and Bradley Walsh with some up-and-comers. We will probably be seeing Jodie Whittaker in this year's Christmas special, but unfortunately, the rest of the cast won't likely be seen until DOCTOR WHO returns in Autumn 2018. As much as I love Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat, I am very ready to see the next iteration of DOCTOR WHO. Some fans are so scared of change, but that is exactly what DOCTOR WHO has always been about.