Meet the cast of Doctor Who series 11

Meet the cast and characters of its first episode, The Woman Who Fell to Earth, below...

Jodie Whittaker plays the Doctor

Who is the Doctor? The Doctor is an alien who travels through time and space with the aid of her ship, the Tardis. She belongs to a race known as the Time Lords, who have the ability to cheat death by regenerating into a totally new and different person. Having regenerated into a man for her past 12 (technically 13, if you count John Hurt's the War Doctor) incarnations, the Thirteenth Doctor made television history last year by regenerating into a woman for the first time.

Where have I seen Jodie Whittaker before? Jodie Whittaker is best known for playing grieving mother Beth Latimer in ITV1 crime hit Broadchurch, but has also appeared in 2011 Black Mirror episode The Entire History of You, and played the lead in medical drama Trust Me last year. Beyond television, she also made her cinematic debut in 2006 film Venus, where she played a love interest opposite Peter O'Toole, and had a memorable turn in 2011 cult hit Attack the Block, which also featured Star Wars star John Boyega.

Tosin Cole plays Ryan Sinclair

Who is Ryan Sinclair? Ryan Sinclair is a member of the Doctor's new Tardis team – companions who she will take with her through time and space. He is a young warehouse worker from Sheffield who suffers from dyspraxia, a co-ordination disorder which means, among many other things, he struggles to do relatively basic tasks like riding a bike. Throughout the course of the episode, he will encounter the Doctor, and get caught up in an alien plot.

Where have I seen Tosin Cole before? Tosin Cole is perhaps most recognisable as 2011 - 2012 series regular Neil Cooper from Hollyoaks. He has also made appearances in Eastenders: E20, Lewis, had a minor part as an X-Wing pilot in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and played a big role in Netflix film Burning Sands in 2017.

Bradley Walsh plays Graham O'Brien

Who is Graham O'Brien? Graham O'Brien is another member of the Tardis team, and is married to Grace, the gran of Ryan. This makes him Ryan's step-grandad, although Ryan certainly doesn't think of him as such.

Where have I seen Bradley Walsh before? Nowadays Bradley Walsh is best known as the host of ITV1 daytime quiz sensation The Chase, which he has fronted since 2009, but he is also known for a long career in presenting and acting. In terms of the latter, he's probably best known for his role as factory boss Danny Baldwin in Coronation Street, which he played from 2004 - 2006; and later his recurring part as DS Ronnie Brooks in ITV crime drama Law and Order: UK, which he played from 2009 until 2014.

Mandip Gill plays Yasmin Khan

Who is Yasmin Khan? Yasmin Khan – or Yaz to her friends – is the final official member of the Tardis team. She is a low-ranking police officer who's frustrated with breaking up small-time crimes like parking disputes. That will all change however when she gets called out to check on something rather unusual...

Where have I seen Mandip Gill before? Like co-star Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill's biggest claim to fame is Hollyoaks, where she played Phoebe McQueen from 2012 - 2015. Elsewhere she has appeared in BBC sitcom Cuckoo, daytime soap Doctors, The Good Karma Hospital and Casualty.

This article was originally published on 6 October 2018