Doctor Who: The New Team

Last night, at around 10.30pm, the BBC revealed who would be playing the Doctor's new friends. Bradley Walsh will be playing Graham. Mandip Gill is playing Yasmin and Tosin Cole is playing Ryan. As there has been so little  Doctor Who news of late I drifted away and missed the announcement.  Just by chance, I checked the Doctor Who News Page and found out about the news. Overall, I am fairly okay with this. 

There were rumours about the involvement of Bradley Walsh since August but then the rumours faded away . He is best known for hosting The Chase, an ITV game show.  He has also been in Coronation Street and played DC Ronnie Brooks in Law and Order UK, another show that Chris Chibnall worked on. Doctor Who fans will best know him from The Sarah Jane Adventures. 

The other two are less well known and their casting was a surprise. Mandip Gill is  known for playing Phoebe McQueen in Hollyoaks, a show that I've never watched. She has also appeared in Cuckoo, Doctors, and Casualty. Tosin Cole, like Mandip, has appeared in Hollyoaks. He has also been in Eastenders and E20. He also appeared in The Force Awakens as Bastian, a Lieutenant in the Resistance who flew an X-Wing. Although Star Wars might be the bigger sf franchise, this role will probably be bigger and bring him to more attention.

At no point in the the press release are the new characters described as 'companions' or 'assistants'. Although they will undoubtebly be involved in the adventures, it is not yet clear if all or any of them will get to travel in the Tardis. If they do then it will be the largest ongoing team since the Fifth Doctor's era. Perhaps they will be a family in the same way the Tyler family was in the Tennant years, or the UNIT family in the Pertwee years. Perhaps they will all travel in the Tardis at different times from one another.

I am personally hoping for four travellers, reminiscent f my favourite team of Ian, Barbara and Susan. Some dislike what they consider a 'crowded Tardis' and feel that the Tegan, Nyssa and Adric team didn't work. But I always feel it depends how you integrate the characters into the story. A Story like the Aztecs involves each character using their abilities to get to the Tardis. Ian has to use his fighting skills, the Doctor uses his knowledge of science and Barbara uses her knowledge of Aztec history to ouwit her enemies. If everyone has a role to play then the story can work.

It is also interesting that all of the characters have ordinary names. Previous companions have had old fashioned names like 'Rose' or 'Martha' or unusual ones like 'Bill. It could mean that Chris Chibnall is trying to ground the series in a sense of normality.

Sharon D. Clarke is announced as playing a 'recurring role'. Inevitably this leads to the speculation that she's The Rani, Omega, or whateverold character. She could be an earthbound supporting character.

With this announcement also came the news that the episodes would be shortened from 12 episodes to 10x50 minute episodes. This is shorter but hopefully means that Chris Chibnall will get the series in the can quicker.

There should be something for everyone in this cast. Younger characters and old. It will be interesting to see where this goes.