The BBC has just confirmed that Reece Shearsmith (Inside No. 9, Psychoville) will be guest starring in an episode of Doctor Who for Series 9.
Shearsmith has ventured into the world of Doctor Who before when he played Patrick Troughton in Mark Gatiss’ biopic An Adventure In Space And Time back in 2013, but this will be his first time appearing in the series. Shearsmith’s episode is written by Mark Gatiss, directed by Justin Molotnikov and produced by Nikki Wilson.
Nothing is known about Shearsmith’s character just yet, but he said in a BBC press release: “I am absolutely thrilled to be filming Doctor Who as Mark Gatiss has written a fantastic role for me in a very scary episode. It has been so exciting to be part of a very singular episode – which, I can say with authority will be unlike any previous episode of Doctor Who. It’s a joy to play a part in the show – certainly a badge of honour.”
Gatiss added: “I’m delighted to be writing again for Peter [Capaldi] and Jenna [Coleman]’s brilliant TARDIS team and very excited about this particular story. It’s been brewing in the dark recesses of my mind for a while now! I’m also chuffed to bits to finally welcome my old friend Reece Shearsmith onto the show. He’s been badgering me for ten years!”
Fans of both The League Of Gentlemen and Doctor Who have been eagerly awaiting an appearance from Shearsmith for a while now. He was the only member of the League cast (not including Jeremy Dyson, obvs) not to be involved in the series after Mark Gatiss starred in ‘The Lazarus Experiment‘ and ‘The Wedding Of River Song‘, as well as writing a handful of episodes, and Steve Pemberton starred in ‘Forest Of The Dead‘ and ‘Silence In The Library‘.
Shearsmith’s debut is sure to be spooky. We can’t wait.
Doctor Who returns on 19 September on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US. Get all the latest sci-fi news with every issue of SciFiNow. Watch a quickie interview with Reece Shearsmith below.
