Doctor Who: 10 New Pictures From The Christmas Special
3. Meet Ashley Carter
As always, the Doctor will be joined by a plethora of guest stars in Last Christmas, including Natalie Gumede, above, who will soon be introduced to fans as Ashley Carter. First spotted in the initial teaser for the episode aired after the Series 8 finale, her name is pretty much all that's been revealed about the character thus far, although it looks like she'll be part of a team of Arctic expeditioners who are either investigating or have their mission interrupted but the episode's alien adversary. With Clara seemingly on the way out, it has also been suggested that Ashley Carter may turn out to be the Doctor's new companion, though this is nothing but mere speculation at this point and it's worth pointing out that pretty much anyone who appears on screen finds themselves at some point in the running. Either way, the former Coronation Street actress turned star of the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom had a brilliant time filming the episode in Cardiff earlier this year. But who wouldn't? "It was a completely new realm for me," she revealed in a recent interview. "I just kind of sat at the sidelines in awe of all the special effects. Normally youre on a set and youre on a street or in a kitchen in a house, but this time we were on a spaceship! Well, Natalie, that's Doctor Who for you!
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
