Richard E. Grant, who I always thought would be a highly respectable (full-on TV) Doctor in his own right, will join Tom Ward in this year's DOCTOR WHO Christmas Special. Which, if tradition holds, should air this year on December 25.
I'm not sure what it says about me that, out of all the amazing work Grant has brought to us over the years, I chiefly remember him for his role in THE LITTLE VAMPIRE (2000) - but there you have it. Grant is no stranger to WHO, though. He's voiced the Doctor in animation called Scream of Shalka, and previously appeared in the Steven Moffat scripted DW adventure Curse of the Fatal Death for Comic Relief.
In a further bit of interesting symmetry, Grant also played Mycroft Holmes in a 2002 TV adaptation of SHERLOCK HOLMES. DW overlord Steven Moffat (who wrote Curse of the Fatal Death, mentioned above) is currently realizing BBC's breathtakingly modernized (and unrelated) SHERLOCK series - recently nominated for an insane number of Emmys, all richly deserved.
Tom Ward may be best known to audiences for roles in TV's MIDSOMER MURDERS and SILENT WITNESS, as well as his appearance in Phillip Kaufman's feature film QUILLS.
The 2012 Christmas Special - whose actual title remains unknown - will introduce Jenna-Louise Coleman's character to the show. She'll go on to become the new Companion to Matt Smith's Doctor.
More at BBC.
