Doctor Who's new female Time Lord will have three companions.

Bradley Walsh

Bradley Walsh

Jodie Whittaker - who will take over the reins as the time-travelling alien at the end of the year from Peter Capaldi - will be joined by Bradley Walsh, who will play Graham, Tosin Cole as Ryan and Mandip Gill as Yasmin when the new series hits in 2018.

The 'Chase' presenter, 57, is "thrilled" to have landed the role in the sci-fi programme as he's been a fan of 'Doctor Who' for over 50 years and can't wait to get stuck in.

Bradley said: "I remember watching William Hartnell as the first Doctor. Black and white made it very scary for a youngster like myself. I was petrified, but even though I'd watch most of it from behind the sofa through my fingers, I became a fan... Am I thrilled to be part of this whole ground breaking new dawn for the Doctor? Oh yes!"

Mandip, who has appeared in 'Hollyoaks' and 'Casualty' in the past, can't believe she's secured a companion part and has admitted it took a few weeks for it to sink in.

She explained: "Certain roles seem unattainable and this is one of those, so much so I didn't believe it to be true for the first few weeks."

Not much else is known about the companions but the show's new head writer Chris Chibnall has teased that the Doctor will "need those new friends" and is glad he's managed to bag "three of Britain's brightest talents" for his forthcoming series.

Jodie, 35, will appear in the festive special in two months' time when she takes over from Peter - who has portrayed the Time Lord for four years - but the BBC has confirmed that the new series won't launch until the autumn of next year.