Who is Shirley Anne Bingham in Doctor Who and actress Ruth Madeley?

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The details of the character have been kept largely under wraps but now The Star Beast has aired, we have a bit more information.

Here's everything you need to know!

Who is Shirley Anne Bingham in Doctor Who?

Shirley Anne Bingham is scientific adviser number 56 at UNIT.

Madeley has kept tight-lipped on her character, but did previously appear to confirm that she'll be in more than one episode, saying: "You're gonna love Shirley, you're gonna love the episodes, or episode, who knows. All I will say is, whatever questions you have my answer will be, 'guess'."

Bingham, like actress Madeley, is a wheelchair user – something Doctor Who fans have emphasised the importance of.

Returning showrunner Russell T Davies spoke about casting Madeley at the premiere of The Star Beast, saying: "You work with people like Ruth and you become friends with people like Ruth and your life gets better."

What is UNIT in Doctor Who?

For the uninitiated, UNIT is a military organisation investigating paranormal and extraterrestrial threats to Earth – something Bingham takes very seriously.

It was initially led by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (played by Nicholas Courtney) and these days is led by his daughter, Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave).

UNIT has been a regular feature in Doctor Who since the 1960s and its presence has both helped and hindered the Doctor over the years in various ways.

Recently, fans have speculated that UNIT could be the subject of a Doctor Who spin-off series, with former showrunner Steven Moffat telling RadioTimes.com it would be the "obvious choice".

Who is actress Ruth Madeley?

Ruth Madeley has had various roles across British TV, previously working with returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies on his show Years and Years.

She was nominated for the best actress TV BAFTA in the 2015 TV movie Don't Take My Baby and, in 2019, played Ingrid Woodhouse in The Rook.

Doctor Who continues next Saturday (2nd December) at 6:30pm on BBC One. Previous episodes are available on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

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