Doctor Who Series 11: Everything We Know So Far

While the Doctor will always be the star of the show, the team have been at pains to stress that this is very much an ‘ensemble’ piece. Series eleven will be largely defined by the dynamics between the Doctor and her three new best friends. The plan is to win our affections through the emotional truth of these characters. This marks a significant departure from the complicated and unnatural relationships that we’d seen during Steven Moffat’s tenure, which reached its peak with Missy’s manufactured Doctor-Clara hybrid. For a while, Bill Potts looked to have bucked the trend, only to be turned into a Cyberman. Though series 5-10 episodes were often loaded with emotional intensity, it wasn’t always easy to relate to companions who had such extraordinary stories to tell, and whose very identities were tied in to who the Doctor was.

So what do we know about the new companions?

First up is Yasmin played by Mandip Gill. She describes her as someone who enjoys her job, but is wanting something more. Exactly what that job is hasn’t been officially revealed, but there are unconfirmed reports that the character is a police officer (a real one this time as opposed to a strip-o-gram). This would be a first for the main series, and one that makes sense given the nature of some of Chibnall’s previous shows (Broadchurch, Law and Order UK, Torchwood). She is described as an admiring fan of the Doctor.

Very little is known about Tosin Cole’s character Ryan, other than he shares the youthful exuberance of Yasmin and the Doctor. By contrast, Graham played by Bradley Walsh is the reluctant adventurer, who would, quite understandably, rather sit down and put his feet up than run around chasing monsters. Walsh, as well as being a comedian and presenter is an accomplished actor so don’t expect the part to be played just for the laughs.