Irish television host Graham Norton will star in the upcoming series of Doctor Who.
The “King of Eurovision,” a nickname derived from Norton’s long-running role as commentator of the zany European singing contest, will appear in the sixth episode of season 2 (or season 15), joining an ensemble cast for a Eurovision-inspired episode.
“Graham Norton’s trading his big red chair for a blue box in Doctor Who season two!” the BBC said on Friday.
“The King of Eurovision makes an appearance in the new series, joining the ensemble cast for the 803rd Interstellar Song Contest.”
Russell T. Davies’ show returns to the BBC and Disney+ on April 12. It follows Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa as the titular Time Lord and nurse Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) as they embark on a quest to get Belinda back to Earth, with Millie Gibson expected to appear again as Ruby Sunday.
“There’s no song contest without the great man himself, and it was an honor to welcome Graham Norton to our studios in Cardiff,” said Davies. “And it’s not just a cameo, he has a whole plot twist all to himself! This is the wildest episode of all, and we’re lucky to have Graham adding to the mayhem.”
Sethu recently sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss becoming a companion to Gatwa’s doctor and what’s in store for fans of the franchise.
“[Belinda] holds him accountable,” Sethu said. “She calls him out when his etiquette slips. He’s this alien that’s lived for so long, and a lot of it is spent experiencing loss and also living alone. And I think he is used to people putting him on a pedestal.”
“Belinda doesn’t do that,” she adds. “She sees him as a friend. She sees him as a partner in getting through this and it’s just a much more balanced and healthy relationship that they have.