Who is Bradley Walsh? Meet The Chase presenter turned new Doctor Who star

Best known: as the host of the Chase and future star of BBC sci-fi Doctor Who, alongside Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and Sharon D Clarke.

Bio: Although now a familiar face on TV, Walsh originally started his career as a professional footballer at then-fourth-tier outfit Brentford FC (now a Championship side). Despite not making the first team, he played as a centre forward in the reserve squad.

However, after four years ankle injuries brought his football career to and end and Walsh took jobs as a Bluecoat at Pontins and a metal engineer (talk about multi-talented).

But TV soon beckoned and Walsh bagged a stint presenting the National Lottery in 1994. He quickly became popular and hosted a variety of game shows, including Midas Touch and the UK’s take on America’s Wheel of Fortune.

Walsh quickly expanded his TV portfolio, taking on several acting roles, the first of which came in Channel 4’s Lock, Stock.... in 2001 (an offshoot from the 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels). In 2002 he joined daytime soap Night and Day and in 2004 began a two year-role in Coronation Street as Danny Baldwin.

Then in 2009 he starred in ITV crime drama Law & Order: UK, written by incoming Doctor Who boss Chris Chibnall (coincidence?).

It's worth noting, too, that Walsh has already appeared in the Whoniverse in 2008, playing a sinister clown in kids' spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Also in 2009, Walsh became the host of ITV game show The Chase, which, yes, you’ve definitely heard of.

This hit kick-started plenty of presenting work for Walsh as he fronted panel show Odd One In, Come on Down! The Game Show Story, Cash Trapped, Keep It in the Family and Sunday Night at the Palladium.

And that’s not all. Walsh is a regular Soccer aid player, team captain on sports-based panel show Play to the Whistle and takes to the panto stage most Christmas.

And just to finish off his CV, last year he released a jazz album called Chasing Dreams, which became biggest-selling debut album by a British artist in 2016, selling 111,650 copies. Not bad, Bradley. Not bad at all.