Bradley Walsh has confirmed that the new series of Doctor Who will begin filming ‘next week’. The new companion was appearing on Sunday Brunch on Sunday morning when he spoke about his new role, which will air on screen in 2018. ‘That starts next week, sometime,’ he revealed before admitting that he is very excited. ‘I watched it as a young boy… when it was in black and white and very provocative. And I remember being bought a dalek, driving my mum and dad mad… and now 50 years later I may get to play with real Daleks!

Jodie Whittaker has been cast as the 13th Doctor, and she will be joined, for the first time, by three companions, Walsh, Mandip Gill, and Tosin Cole. Walsh will board the TARDIS in the role of Graham, while former Hollyoaks stars Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole will play Yasm and Ryan respectively. Singer and Holby City actor Sharon D Clarke has also landed a part in what the BBC has called a ‘returning role’; think Captain Jack or River Song.

Jodie, who is taking over the role from Peter Capaldi, said: ‘I am so excited to share this huge adventure with Mandip, Tosin and Bradley. It’s a dream team!’ Bradley added: ‘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. #I then queued up for ages to get into the Carlton picture house in Watford to watch the great Peter Cushing appear as the Doctor in a full length feature film made in glorious colour. Am I thrilled to be part of this whole ground breaking new dawn for the Doctor?? Oh yes!’

The news that singer, actor and game show host Bradley Walsh is to be one of a group of new Doctor Who companions when the show returns next year was met with mixed reactions from fans.

But showrunner Chris Chibnall – who worked with Walsh on ITV legal drama Law & Order: UK – clearly never had any doubts, having apparently tapped him up for the role without even asking him to audition.

Walsh, 57, who will play a character called Graham in series 11, dropped that particular nugget of information during an interview on The One Show on Friday evening, much to the dismay of co-host Sally Phillips, who is a self-confessed Doctor Who fan and had been angling for a role herself.

“I am so jealous of you,” admitted Phillips. “How on earth did you score that job?”

“Er, I just got asked,” replied Walsh.

“You didn’t have to audition?” asked an incredulous Phillips.

“No, Chris Chibnall[…] asked me if I fancied being in the show, so we went down to meet [at the first script reading],” said a deadpan Walsh as Phillips writhed on the sofa in a fit of jealousy.

She did score one over Walsh, though, as he pointed out that she had had more success fronting The One Show than him.

“You must be good,” he said. “Second night in a row, that’s very, very good… the last time I did it, that was it, that was the end of my career on The One Show – I helped out that once and they’ve never had me back since.”

Nice thought, but – no offence to The One Show – we think we know which gig Phillips would rather have landed…

Bradley Walsh will appear on The One Show tonight (Friday 10th November) to talk about his new adventures with Doctor Who – oh, and his new album.

The host of ITV’s The Chase and new Doctor Who companion will be joining Alex Jones and Sally Phillips on the sofa, where we can expect him to discuss his forthcoming role as Jodie Whittaker’s sidekick.

Walsh is also releasing his second album, When You’re Smiling, as a follow-up to last year’s covers compilation, Chasing Dreams, which was the biggest selling British debut album in 2016 and outsold Zayn Malik. 

It's Friyay – Between being @bbcdoctorwho's new companion and releasing a new album he's a busy fella but we've managed to pin @BradleyWalsh down to the #greensofas tonight – 7pm @BBCOne pic.twitter.com/tQQv3IwQhL

— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) November 10, 2017

Jones and Phillips will also be chatting to Team Rickshaw live, as they complete the first leg of their Children in Need challenge from London to Glasgow.

The One Show is on Friday 10th November at 7pm on BBC1

The annual Children in Need campaign is always a big night for Doctor Who fans, with the live broadcast traditionally including a preview clip or sketch related to the upcoming Christmas special the next month.

Happily, this year will be no exception, with a clip from upcoming festive episode Twice Upon a Time set to air during the earlier part of the broadcast (7-10.00pm) on Friday 17^th November – and now the series has released a collection of new character images to mark the event, featuring Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, Pearl Mackie’s Bill Potts and David Bradley’s First Doctor larking around with Children in Need mascot Pudsey.

For many fans, we’re sure the week-long wait for new content will be un-BEAR-able.

Doctor Who returns to BBC1 this Christmas

Outgoing Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has been doing promotional work for the series 10 DVD and Blu-ray release. And as part of that, he’s done a long interview with Den Of Geek, where he’s been chatting about the show.

In particular, he was questioned about how Doctor Who – on a limited budget – competes with the huge amounts of money being thrown at shows like Game Of Thrones. And Moffat admits that it’s a problem, but has a Doctor Who solution to it.

“What’s Doctor Who got to do except not just really compete, but try and find ways to lead? And what’s really difficult about that is we don’t have as much money as anybody”, he said.

“The trick we always go for in Doctor Who is aim for a visual that nobody else has done. We can’t do a dogfight in space, because you’ve seen a dogfight in space. If we do a city on fire, other people have done this better. Forget those”

“Even when we do Doctor Mysterio, we’re thinking let’s deliberately make it slightly Christopher Reeve-level special effects, because we can’t compete. We had to find new visuals, things you hadn’t seen before. A farm on a spaceship! It’s cool for no reason I can even think of. Back in the day, Rose Tyler in her Union Jack top during the Blitz. It’s a visual you haven’t seen anyone else attempt before, therefore we can do something without comparison”.

The full interview with Moffat can be read here.

The first official photo of Jodie Whittaker as she will appear in Doctor Who has been released.

She is seen in teal cropped culottes with yellow braces, as well as a striped jumper and long trench coat.

The Broadchurch and Trust Me star has begun filming as the 13th Time Lord.

Whittaker, the first female Doctor, takes over from Peter Capaldi and will make her debut on screen when the Doctor regenerates in the Christmas special on BBC One.

Her look is completed with brown boots, blue and turquoise striped socks and some unusual earrings, at the top and bottom of her left ear.

Fans have already started dissecting the look – which also features a rainbow-stripe trim to the pale-coloured coat.

And some have already noticed a similarity to costumes worn on another sci-fi programme – Mork and Mindy.

Brace yourselves – Jodie Whittaker's #DoctorWho look has been revealed https://t.co/UxTBqVt6mB pic.twitter.com/K0GDCJOcx0

— BBC News Entertainment (@BBCNewsEnts) November 9, 2017

And another said they approved of the look as a whole – but wondered where her tie was.

Okay so I love the Jodie Whittaker 13th Doctor costuming. Great slacks, bracers, boots, coat.

But two Doctors in a row without a tie? I guess we’re just savages now.

— Allen Shull (@allenshull) November 9, 2017

There appear to be references to previous incarnations of the Time Lord in the outfit.

The new Doctor isn’t the first to wear braces – they were seen, most recently on 11th Doctor Matt Smith.

And the stripes on the jumper could be seen as a nod to those on the striped scarf won by Tom Baker’s Doctor.

It’s not gone unnoticed by fans with one saying it “has great elements from previous Doctors”.

When her casting was announced in July, Whittaker said it felt “overwhelming, as a feminist” to have the role.

She told fans not to be “scared” by her gender.

She said: “It’s more than an honour to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope.”

In a trailer that was released at the time, Whittaker was seen in a dark hood and long grey coat – but said that wouldn’t be part of her official Doctor Who outfit.

She will be joined in the cast by Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill and Sharon D Clarke.

It looks like physical production work is underway on Doctor Who series 11, with the first reports of location filming taking place in the Newport area.

Fans took to Twitter to post reports of location work, including a letter to residents that outlined plans to shoot footage between 7-9^th November. It’s since been discovered that this was for Doctor Who, with filming wrapping up overnight. Jodie Whittaker was on set for the filming.

Here are some of the Tweets reporting the location work…

https://twitter.com/GirlyLetters/status/928264420475785221

https://twitter.com/GirlyLetters/status/928299905130647554

Filming is set to continue for the next eight to nine months, ahead of series 11’s debut in autumn 2018.