Dublin actor Caoilfhionn Dunne has been unveiled as one of the guest stars on the new series of Doctor Who, which premieres on BBC One on April 12.

"This spring, audiences will join The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) on an epic quest to get Belinda back to Earth," we're told. "But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-traveling TARDIS team must face great dangers, ferocious enemies and wilder terrors than ever before."

"I am so grateful to have been asked to be a part of this exciting second season of Doctor Who," enthuses the Finglas thesp who also has roles in the new Disney+ boxing drama, A Thousand Blows and Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee's upcoming How To Get To Heaven From Belfast. "As a longtime fan of the show, it has been a dream come true. And to get to work with such an amazing gang, Ncuti and Varada, such a wonderful duo, this absolutely stellar cast and such a supportive and hardworking crew. I couldn't have asked for a better gang of folk to have hurtled through the Whoniverse with."

Other guests who can be spotted in the first teaser trailer are Anita Dobson, Bonnie Langford, Jemma Redgrave, Christopher Chung, Evelyn Miller, Julie Dray, Jonah Hauer-King, Rylan Clark and Ariyon Bakare who hinted last year in his Hot Press interview that he would be reprising his 2015 role as lion-esque humanoid, Leandro.

"As a kid, I’d run around the house chasing my little sister, arms raised, shouting, I am a Dalek!" Bakare reminisces. "Back then, I never imagined I’d even meet a Doctor, let alone guest star in the show. So, returning to the Whoniverse for Season 2 is an absolute treat. I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve created."

https://www.hotpress.com/film-tv/ariyon-bakare-i-heard-a-gunshot-and-whilst-simultaneously-being-petrified-thought-oh-my-god-im-in-new-york-living-and-breathing-it-23059948

As for Rylan Clark, he'll be playing himself in an episode that finds him co-hosting the Interstellar Song Contest.

"As a massive Whovian, getting the call to be in Doctor Who was a call I’ve always dreamed of getting," he says. "The episode is all my favourite things about the show with an added song contest set in space. It really is a dream come true. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. It really is going to be out of this world."

Appearing with him will be Julie Dray who adds: "I am so excited to be joining the cast of Doctor Who, an iconic show with such a rich legacy. I had such an amazing time working alongside Rylan while wearing some beautiful prosthetics, and can't wait for audiences to see the spectacular Interstellar Song Contest be brought to life! Voilà!"