Sir Lenny Henry and Stephen Fry will appear in Doctor Who series 12 (Picture: Rex/BBC)

When series 12 of the rebooted Doctor Who returns to BBC1 in early 2020, The Doctor will cross paths with two pretty iconic individuals as the TARDIS travels through space with Jodie Whittaker at the helm with companions Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill and Bradley Walsh in tow. Making their Doctor Who debut will be Stephen Fry (A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, Blackadder, Absolute Power) and Lenny Henry (The Lenny Henry Show, Chef) as they come face to face with the Traveling Time Lord. At this point, series producers admit the roles will be ‘major’ but are quick to toss out “…will they be friend or foe remains to be seen.“ 

Stephen Fry says: “Short of being picked for a British space exploration programme and I readily concede that I’m past the age where I’d be considered (if I was ever the right age for such a posting) – then being in an episode of Doctor Who will certainly do as a very sweet second-place excitement.”

Lenny Henry comments: “It was absolutely brilliant to be welcomed into the fantastical world of Doctor Who. The nearest I have been to the TARDIS was when I played the Caribbean Doctor in The Lenny Henry Show, so as a life-long (hiding behind the sofa type) Doctor Who fan this is a very special moment for me.”

Sounding every bit as excited as the two British legends, Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall commented: “One of the great joys of Doctor Who is getting to work with actors from your wish list. Stephen and Lenny are two of my absolute favourite actors – and to be able to bring them into Doctor Who, in one of our biggest ever stories to kick off the new series, is an absolute thrill.”

A new trailer will drop tomorrow (23 November) so check back with Tellyspotting for a first glimpse of S12 before the 2020 premiere!