John Bishop in series 13
John Bishop revealed as surprise new Doctor Who companion
The comedian and actor will play Dan alongside Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill in the next series.
Friday, 1st January 2021 at 8:10 pm
Tosin Cole and Bradley Walsh may have left Doctor Who behind, but in their stead the TARDIS team is getting some new blood – Liverpool-born comedian and actor John Bishop, who has been revealed to be joining the BBC sci-fi series as a new companion (called Dan) for the next series.
“If I could tell my younger self that one day I would be asked to step on board the TARDIS, I would never have believed it,” Bishop said in a release.
“It’s an absolute dream come true to be joining Doctor Who and I couldn’t wish for better company than Jodie and Mandip.”https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=RadioTimes&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1345098915163627522&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.radiotimes.com%2Fnews%2Ftv%2Fscifi%2F2021-01-01%2Fjohn-bishop-joins-doctor-who%2F&siteScreenName=RadioTimes&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px
Bishop was unveiled in a special teaser at the end of New Year’s special Revolution of the Daleks (which you can watch above), and according to the BBC his character Dan will become “embroiled in the Doctor’s adventures” in the now-filming series 13, where he’ll “quickly learn there’s more to the Universe(s) than he could ever believe.”
Vworp your way to a whole galaxy of Doctor Who content
Sign up for the latest Who news, reviews, interviews and features
Immediate Media Company Limited (publishers of radiotimes.com) would love to send you our Doctor Who newsletters. We may also send occasional updates from our editorial team. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we hold your personal data, please see our privacy policy.
“Travelling through Space and Time alongside the Doctor and Yaz, he’ll face evil alien races beyond his wildest nightmares,” the BBC concluded.
“It’s time for the next chapter of Doctor Who, and it starts with a man called Dan,” showrunner Chris Chibnall said.
“Oh, we’ve had to keep this one secret for a long, long time. Our conversations started with John even before the pandemic hit. The character of Dan was built for him, and it’s a joy to have him aboard the TARDIS.”
“It’s been a total joy having John join the cast and we’ve been having a lot fun on set already,” added executive producer Matt Strevens. “We can’t wait for you to meet Dan when the show returns later this year.”
Notably, Bishop had already been spotted filming season 13 some weeks ago, though fans had assumed he was playing a one-off guest role in an episode, rather than joining the series full-time as a companion.