Doctor Who has a surprise in store for fans at its Comic-Con@Home panel. The Doctor Who panel was officially announced, and it includes the expected participants: showrunner Chris Chibnall, star Jodie Whittaker, returning companion Mandip Gill, and new companion John Bishop. But that isn’t all. The panel description also reveals that “a very special surprise guest” will be there to help the others reveal exclusive Doctor Who content. The surprise guest’s identity is anyone’s guess. The panel, presented by BBC and BBC America, will be pre-recorded and debuts on the Comic-Con@Home YouTube channel at 10 am PT on Sunday, July 25th.
At the end of Doctor Who‘s recent holiday special, the BBC announced that Bishop would join Doctor Who as the Doctor’s newest companion, Dan. His addition comes after two of the Thirteenth Doctor’s previous companions, Ryan (Tosin Cole) and Graham O’Brien (Bradley Walsh), exited the series during the same episode.
“If I could tell my younger self that one day I would be asked to step onboard the TARDIS, I would never have believed it,” Bishop said. “It’s an absolute dream come true to be joining Doctor Who and I couldn’t wish for better company than Jodie and Mandip.”
Chibnall chimed in, “It’s time for the next chapter of Doctor Who, and it starts with a man called Dan. Oh, we’ve had to keep this one secret for a long, long time. Our conversations started with John even before the pandemic hit. The character of Dan was built for him, and it’s a joy to have him aboard the TARDIS.”
Doctor Who is currently filming its thirteenth season, as rumors of Whittaker’s departure from the show circulate.
“In this strangest of years, the Doctor Who production team have worked wonders to get the show back into production,” Chibnall said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be back making the show. Given the complexity of making Doctor Who, and with new and rigorous COVID working protocols, it’s going to take us a little longer to film each episode, meaning we expect to end up with eight episodes, rather than the usual 11. But rest assured, the ambition, humor, fun and scares you expect from Doctor Who will all still be firmly in place. For everyone around the world, this is a challenging period – but the Doctor never shirks from a challenge!”
What do you think of the mystery guest? Let us know in the comments. The Doctor Who panel will debut on Sunday, July 25th, at 10 am PT. If you want to get caught up with Doctor Who, use our streaming binge guide.