Twenty one year old vision of minxy ginge loveliness, Karen Gillan, has been unveiled as the next companion in Doctor Who. Karen, from Inverness, will star alongside the new Time Lord, Matt Smith, in the next series of the popular BBC family adventure show which begins filming in July and will be broadcast next year. 
Gillan has already appeared in the show, having played a Soothsayer in The Fires Of Pompeii during the last series. 'I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor's new companion. I just can't wait to get started,' she told the BBC. 'The show is such a massive phenomenon that I can't quite believe I am going to be a part of it. Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him,' she added. Executive producer (and The Lord Thy God) Steven Moffat said he and the production team had seen some 'amazing actresses' but that when Gillan 'walked through the door the game was up. 
When she auditioned alongside Matt we knew we had something special,' he continued. Steven described Karen as 'funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too,' he added. Saucy. BBC Wales' Head of Drama, Piers Wenger noted that Karen brings 'energy and excitement' to the role. According to the BBC, Karen developed a love for acting after attending several youth theatre groups and taking part in various school productions. 
At the age of sixteen she decided to pursue her career further and left school to study acting at Edinburgh's Telford College. She then went on to secure a place at the Italia Conti drama school in London and landed her first role in the detective drama Rebus. Apparences in Channel 4's Stacked, The Kevin Bishop Show and James Nesbitt's forthcoming movie Outcast followed, but Doctor Who is her most high profile role to date. A very warm welcome aboard the good ship Doctor Who, Karen. Don't be scared of us, we very rarely bite and, if you're not sure about anything, ask Moffat, he's seen it all before.
Meanwhile, Matt's predecessor (remember him? Scottish guy, quite popular) will be joining Stephen Fry on an episode of the next series of Qi which is currently filming. David appears in episode nine (albeit, the tranmission order may well be different - last year's certainly was) alongside Stephen, Alan, Bill Bailey and Lee Mack. 
Sounds like a good line-up. 
David has also signed up to reprise his role as Hamlet for an adaptation on BBC2. Having completed a stint playing the prince on stage early this year with the Royal Shakespeare Company, David will be joined by most of the members of its stage cast including Patrick Stewart as Claudius. BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow said the three-hour screen production of Hamlet was 'a wonderful opportunity to bring one of the great stage successes of last year to a wider audience.' Tickets for the stage performances, which opened in Stratford-Upon-Avon and then moved to London's West End, sold out in hours. After his debut, the Gruniad called Tennant the 'best Hamlet in years.'
Gillan has already appeared in the show, having played a Soothsayer in The Fires Of Pompeii during the last series. 'I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor's new companion. I just can't wait to get started,' she told the BBC. 'The show is such a massive phenomenon that I can't quite believe I am going to be a part of it. Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him,' she added. Executive producer (and The Lord Thy God) Steven Moffat said he and the production team had seen some 'amazing actresses' but that when Gillan 'walked through the door the game was up. When she auditioned alongside Matt we knew we had something special,' he continued. Steven described Karen as 'funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too,' he added. Saucy. BBC Wales' Head of Drama, Piers Wenger noted that Karen brings 'energy and excitement' to the role. According to the BBC, Karen developed a love for acting after attending several youth theatre groups and taking part in various school productions. 
At the age of sixteen she decided to pursue her career further and left school to study acting at Edinburgh's Telford College. She then went on to secure a place at the Italia Conti drama school in London and landed her first role in the detective drama Rebus. Apparences in Channel 4's Stacked, The Kevin Bishop Show and James Nesbitt's forthcoming movie Outcast followed, but Doctor Who is her most high profile role to date. A very warm welcome aboard the good ship Doctor Who, Karen. Don't be scared of us, we very rarely bite and, if you're not sure about anything, ask Moffat, he's seen it all before. 
Sounds like a good line-up. 
David has also signed up to reprise his role as Hamlet for an adaptation on BBC2. Having completed a stint playing the prince on stage early this year with the Royal Shakespeare Company, David will be joined by most of the members of its stage cast including Patrick Stewart as Claudius. BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow said the three-hour screen production of Hamlet was 'a wonderful opportunity to bring one of the great stage successes of last year to a wider audience.' Tickets for the stage performances, which opened in Stratford-Upon-Avon and then moved to London's West End, sold out in hours. After his debut, the Gruniad called Tennant the 'best Hamlet in years.'
