Bradley Walsh, known for hosting ITV game show The Chase, has been speaking about his role in Doctor Who series 11 where he swaps quizzing for time travel.

The actor plays Jodie Whittaker's new companion Graham in the BBC sci-fi series, agreeing to the role without originally knowing what he was signing up for.

Walsh has revealed that new showrunner Chris Chibnall was his trademark secretive self when approaching him for the part – but did make some bold promises about his intentions for the show.

BBC

Speaking to Digital Spy and other press at the Doctor Who production studio in Cardiff, Bradley recalled meeting with Chibnall, who previously worked with the presenter / actor on Law & Order: UK, and executive producer Matt Strevens, where he was simply pitched 'a drama that would shoot in Wales for nine months'.

Walsh remembered: "They said, 'It'll be a fantastic journey and will hopefully change the way everyone perceives a certain show'. I had no idea it was Doctor Who, I had no idea!"

BBC

It wasn't until a couple of weeks later that they revealed the show in question was Doctor Who. "They explained to me what the job was and how they wanted to change the direction [of the show]," he explained.

Walsh recalled Chibnall's assurances that they did indeed want to change how the public at large regarded the series, saying: "[He said], 'This journey we're gonna go on, it will be fantastic. We've got a whole new team.

"'We don't know how it's going to come out, we're gonna change it, we're gonna really give it a new platform. It might miss, it might hit, but it's gonna be a journey and we're gonna change it'."

Walsh was already on board before Jodie Whittaker was cast as the show's first female Doctor and he was delighted with her casting, admitting to being a fan of hers in Chibnall's previous show Broadchurch.

He said: "I thought it was a stroke of genius actually, I really did. I was just so thrilled."

Doctor Who begins on Sunday, October 7 on BBC One.

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