Quantcast
Doctor Who Series 8 new companion revealed - SciFiNow

Doctor Who Series 8 new companion revealed

Peter Capaldi not up for the action? What does Doctor Who’s new Companion mean for the show?

Samuel Anderson as new Doctor Who companion Danny Pink
Samuel Anderson as new Doctor Who companion Danny Pink

The BBC have revealed a new recurring character, strongly linked to Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald, for Doctor Who Series 8.

Peter Capaldi’s debut series as the 12th Doctor (shut up) will be joined by Samuel Anderson, who like Coleman is ex-Emmerdale and like Clara, his character – Danny Pink – is a teacher at Coal Hill School.

“I was so excited to join Doctor Who I wanted to jump and click my heels, but I was scared I might not come down before filming started!” enthused Anderson.

“It’s a quintessential part of British culture and I can’t believe I’m part of it. It’s an honour to be able to work alongside Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman and I can’t wait to show people how my character becomes involved with such a fantastic duo!

While Anderson isn’t explicitly described as a companion, merely a recurring character, his inclusion echoes that of Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) and Micky Smith (Noel Clarke), who were both dribbled into the show before joining as full-time cast members.

Jacqueline Hill as Barbara and William Russell as Ian in Doctor Who serial 'The Reign Of Terror'
Jacqueline Hill as Barbara and William Russell as Ian in Doctor Who serial ‘The Reign Of Terror’

The BBC are keen to stress the link to original 1963 companions Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright – both teachers at Coal Hill.

Another interesting comparison, though, could be that of Ian Marter’s Harry Sullivan, who debuted alongside Tom Baker as the action man as the production team, worried that the as-yet-uncast Doctor might not be up to all the running around. Maybe the cries of “he’s too old” are echoing not just around the shallow end of Twitter, but the around the meeting tables of BBC Wales too.

If that’s the case they’ll be proven wrong, as anyone who can recall Capaldi’s energetic swearing gymnastics and frantic corridor racing in The Thick Of It will attest.

Doctor Who Series 8 begins later this year on BBC One. You can buy Doctor Who: The Day Of The Doctor on DVD for £9.99 at Amazon.co.uk.