Doctor Who Casts Anita Dobson and Michelle Greenidge in Next Series

Earlier today, The BBC announced that Anita Dobson (EastEnders) and Michelle Greenidge (Small Axe) are set to join the cast of the next series of Doctor Who. The series will return with new episodes beginning in November, and the pair will be a part of the latest refresh of the series, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. There’s no word on what roles the two will play, although it’s likely they will arrive when the Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, shows up in late 2023. Between now and then, David Tennant will return as the Fourteenth Doctor for an adventure to mark the anniversary celebration with three special episodes.

Greenidge started her screen career in 2009, and had a number of minor roles on television before catching a four-episode stint on Venus vs. Mars. She also appeared in two thrillers in The Intent series. More recently, she has appeared in the TV series Mandy, Code 404, and After Life. She had minor roles in both Cruella and Venom: Let There Be Carnage before showing up in the John Boyega indie hit Small Axe. 

The network also shared a pair of publicity stills featuring the actors. You can check them out below.

Dobson, also known as Anita, Lady May, is a stage and screen actor as well as a musician. She is married to Queen guitarist Brian May, and had her own top-10 hit in the 1980s. She is as well known on stage as she is on screen, with numerous acclaimed roles under her belt. In 2003, she was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actress for the National Theatre production of Frozen. This is also not her first foray into the world of Doctor Who…although it’s her first time onscreen with it. She perviously appeared in the radio Doctor Who serial Blood of the Daleks.

Another fan-favorite actor is reprising her role in the upcoming season of Doctor Who, and a mysterious new character will also join the series. Jemma Redgrave will return as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, as will UNIT, the organization that seeks to defend Earth from extraterrestrial threats. Aneurin Barnard joins the series Roger ap Gwilliam. The BBC offered no details about how Gwilliam is or what his role will be in the Doctor’s future. Both will appear in the fourteenth season of Doctor Who, which sees Ncuti Gatwa debuting as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson playing the Doctor’s newest companion, Ruby Sunday.

h/t BBC