Happy new year to this man and this man only: the BBC announced on Friday that comedian John Bishop will join Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor for Doctor Who‘s thirteenth season, set to air later this year.
It would be impossible to say more without a few spoilers for the holiday special, “Revolution of the Daleks.”
Bishop steps in following the departure of Graham (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan (Tosin Cole), who chose to part ways with the Doctor at the end of the holiday special. When Ryan decides he wants to go back to life on Earth, Graham, his grandfather, makes the same choice, leaving the Doctor with just the excellent Yaz (Mandip Gill) for company. A season with just the two of them would’ve been incredibly welcome, but given how many decades it took for the Doctor to regenerate into a woman, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that the show is ducking away from letting two women go on their own adventures. Enter Bishop.
The BBC is, of course, cagey about Bishop’s character, Dan, who “will quickly learn there’s more to the Universe(s) than he could ever believe.” Who executive producer Chris Chibnall said the character was “built for” Bishop, who began filming at the end of last year.
Bishop is a well-known stand-up comedian in the UK; he has a whole host of TV specials under his belt. His acting credits include Skins and the single-season series Fearless.
I doubt they will but I hope we get at least an episode of the Doctor and Yaz alone before the new companion joins up. Just would seem like a waste not to at least try out that dynamic a bit before reverting to form.
I think “Doctor Who” has usually been better when there have been multiple companions instead of just one, so I’m generally glad to see them go that way.
It was announced at the end of the BBC showing of the special on New Year’s Day with a short specially shot trailer immediately after the episode: I’m guessing other territories didn’t get it, given how long it’s taken for the news to filter round! An all-female TARDIS crew may have been a bit much (and let’s be fair, we never really had an all-male TARDIS crew). I’m broadly interested in the dynamic, and will reserve judgement on the casting.
Just read that an inside source said it’s being kept hush-hush, but Jodie Whittaker is exiting Doctor Who.
@@@@@ 4. The current Doctor is ALWAYS leaving. We’d be up to 30 or more actors if every rumor were true.
Bishop certainly follows a long line of comics as main characters. Everyone from Catherine Tate to Matt Lucas. All have done a surprisingly good job, but we shall see. I guess the show runners are comfortable enough with the female Doctor now not to be worried about such a nice looking guy as a companion.
#3 There is a TARDIS floating around with Clara Oswald and Arya Stark that would make as good as show as anything on TV.
@6: I must admit, my reaction to that last shot of the Doctor and Yaz alone in the TARDIS was pretty much “Ahh, just like old times…”
@@.-@: It seemed to be on the front page of a couple of papers today (in a See Page 4 manner).
@7 – Not sure if I would consider a website like TVLine to be Page 4. https://tvline.com/2021/01/04/doctor-who-jodie-whittaker-exit-rumor-season-14/
For what you want to read into it, BBC has declined to comment on the rumor.
Could Bishop be joining the cast as the new Doctor? I know they are saying new companion, but perhaps they are trying to hide the new Doctor in plain sight.