Samuel Anderson of The History Boys and Emmerdale fame is slated to join Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman this season on Doctor Who.
The new season will not likely begin until late summer. No official release date has yet been announced; however, today the BBC announced that Samuel Anderson will be a regular for the upcoming season.
According to the BBC, Anderson will be playing a work colleague of Clara named Danny Pink. Clara and Danny are teachers together at the Coal Hill School, though what subjects each specializes in is not clear.
Viewers may remember that in the 50th Anniversary Special, Clara was seen teaching at the Coal Hill School for the first time. Prior to this, she had been the nanny to the Maitland children, Artie and Angie. The Coal Hill School is also significant in that it was the school that the Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan, attended back when the series kicked off in 1963. The Doctor’s original companions, Ian and Barbara, were teachers from the school.
As to how the Coal Hill School plays into all of this, showrunner Steven Moffat isn’t letting much out, but it’s definitely not a mere homage or a coincidence. Moffat stated, “For the fourth time in Doctor Who history, Coal Hill School is coming to the aid of the TARDIS…But how and why? Answers are coming later this year in Peter Capaldi’s first series of Doctor Who!”
In commenting on joining the Doctor Who cast, Anderson stated, “I was so excited to join Doctor Who I wanted to jump and click my heels, but I was scared I might not come down before filming starts! It’s a quintessential part of British culture and I can’t believe I’m part of it. It’s an honour to be able to work alongside Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman and I can’t wait to show people how my character becomes involved with such a fantastic duo!”
Viewers may remember Anderson from The History Boys, or from Emmerdale where he co-starred along with Jenna Coleman. You can see a clip from the series with the two of them below.
