Who is Dan in 'Doctor Who'? — our guide to the newest companion

Who is Dan in Doctor Who? That is the question on every fan's lips as John Bishop joins the show as the mysterious new character.

At the end of the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2020, the Doctor’s family was cut in half. Graham (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan (Tosin Cole) both made the difficult decision to leave the TARDIS, leaving the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) with just one companion: Yaz (Mandip Gill).

Given the Thirteenth Doctor has grown used to travelling with more than one friend in tow, it wasn’t as much of a shock when we learned that Dan, a new companion, would set foot in the TARDIS in Doctor Who Season 13. 

Here’s everything we know so far about Dan, the latest addition to Doctor Who!

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Who plays Dan in Doctor Who? 

Dan will be portrayed by stand-up comedian John Bishop. Whilst he remains a comedian (his latest tour, Right Here, Right Now, has been rescheduled for the latter half of 2021), John has also been an actor for many years!

Some of his notable appearances include his role as Colin Pile in Funny Cow, his turn as Steve Livesey in the 2017 ITV drama Fearless, and his appearance as minor character Rob Fitch, a down-to-earth dad in Skins, the highly-acclaimed Channel 4 youth drama.

What do we know about Dan so far? 

As he’s yet to set foot inside the TARDIS, Dan is a bit of a mystery so far. From his introduction after Revolution of the Daleks, we do know that Dan, like Bishop, is from Liverpool. 

He looks to be some sort of handyman from what we saw in a brief teaser from the New Years’ Day special (below). Pictured moving stuff into the back of a Transit van, we got a few glimpses of John in close-ups in a few places that you definitely can't find in Liverpool, where Dan is from.

Beyond that, though, the BBC have been very tight-lipped about how (or when!) Dan bumps into the Doctor.

Is John excited to get started?

Yes! John is thrilled to be joining Jodie Whittaker on the classic show. Filming on Doctor Who was already well underway when his casting was announced.

When he was revealed as the next companion, Bishop said: “If I could tell my younger self that one day I would be asked to step on board the TARDIS, I would never have believed it. 

“It’s an absolute dream come true to be joining Doctor Who and I couldn’t wish for better company than Jodie and Mandip.”

When he reacted to the news, he also tweeted that it was an "honour to join such a legendary show".