ITV quiz show host cast as oldest companion in Doctor Who history

Bradley Walsh has become the oldest actor in the history of Doctor Who to be cast in the role of a regular companion.

Walsh, host of ITV’S The Chase quiz show, will be 58 when he makes his first appearance in the show in autumn next year.

He joins Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole in being unveiled as Jodie Whittaker’s co-stars when she becomes the 13th person to take on the lead role in Doctor Who.

The trio will appear as the Doctor’s companions Graham, Yasmin and Ryan in the 0 Jodie Whittaker will take over in the Tardis next year next ten-week series. Broadchurch and Trust Me star Whittaker will take over in the Tardis from Peter Capaldi when the Time Lord regenerates as a woman for the first time after the Christmas spe- cial. Historically, the average age of actors when making their debut as the Doctor’s companion is 28.

The second oldest actor to play such a role has been Matt Lucas, who was 43 when he became a regular cast member.

A fan of the show for 50 years, Walsh told the BBC: “I remember watching William Hartnell as the first Doctor. Black and white made it very scary for a youngster like myself.

“I was petrified, but even though I’d watch most of it from behind the sofa through my fingers, I became a fan.”