9 Unmissable New TV Shows Starring Doctor Who Actors

2. Penny Dreadful

After establishing herself as a beloved household name for her multiple award-winning portrayal of the Doctor's companion Rose Tyler, Billie Piper got tongues wagging (and in more ways than one!) when she landed her most high profile post-Who role to date as the eloquent escort Belle de Jour in ITV's hit show Secret Diary of a Call Girl. And here she is playing another one! Not that her character n Penny Dreadful is as eloquent as Belle, of course, but she is a prostitute so it's basically the same thing. Almost... sort of... not really... The psychological thriller, which airs on Showtime in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK, unites a host of literature's most famous terrifying characters, including Doctor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray, alongside Billie as Brona Croft, an Irish immigrant who moved to Victorian London to escape her dark and sordid past. Don't be fooled by her beautiful appearance, though, because she's actually riddled with tuberculosis. That didn't stop her from getting up to all kinds of shenanigans - *ahem* - throughout Season 1, including forming an intimate relationship with Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) and accepting a naked modelling job, and her persistent promiscuity looks set to continue in the next season which premieres on 3rd May. Billie shares the screen with Timothy Dalton who Doctor Who fans will recognise as Rassilon from The End of Time.