What’s on TV this weekend: David Attenborough returns to the BBC with A Perfect Planet
The i 1/1/2021 Gerard Gilbert
Friday
9pm, BBC One
A new year and a new real-crime drama. This immaculately designed eight-part thriller follows the hunt for Charles Sobhraj, a conman and serial killer who preyed on young backpackers on the South East Asian “hippy trail” during the mid-1970s. We first meet Sobhraj (played with suitably chilling menace by Tahar Rahim) posing as a gem salesman on the fringes of Bangkok’s red-light district, with Jenna Coleman speaking in a French-Canadian accent as the killer’s girlfriend and accomplice. Billy Howle plays the Dutch diplomat whose hunt for two backpackers from the Netherlands throws him unwittingly on to Sobhraj’s trail.
New Doctor Who cast member unveiled
Updated: 02/01/2021, 1:13 pm
John Bishop is joining the cast of Doctor Who for the 13th series (Matt Crossick/PA)
A new star is joining the cast of Doctor Who – comic John Bishop.
The 54-year-old actor and funnyman, who recently tested positive for coronavirus, said boarding the Tardis was a “dream come true”.
He will appear in the new series of the BBC One show, in which Jodie Whittaker reprises her role as the Time Lord, later this year.
Bishop has already begun filming his role, but TV bosses have kept his signing under wraps until now.
A new star is joining the cast of Doctor Who – comic John Bishop.
The 54-year-old actor and funnyman, who recently tested positive for coronavirus, said boarding the Tardis was a “dream come true”.
He will appear in the new series of the BBC One show, in which Jodie Whittaker reprises her role as the Time Lord, later this year.
Bishop has already begun filming his role, but TV bosses have kept his signing under wraps until now.
He plays a character called Dan, who “becomes embroiled in the Doctor’s adventures”.
John Bishop in Doctor Who (James Pardon/BBC/PA)
Updated / Friday, 1 Jan 2021
22:22
Doctor Who chief Chris Chibnall has said the show s New Year special,
Revolution Of The Daleks, will tug on viewers emotions. It s very emotional, executive producer Chibnall said. I think we’ve all been in tears watching it. It’s a really important mix of a special, where you get lots of thrills, lots of spills, lots of humour, lots of Dalek and lots of emotion. he added.
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With 2020 being considered a year many would rather forget, there’s little doubt that most of us would jump at the chance to join the Doctor on an adventure through time and space. It’s a call the BBC have clearly heeded, as Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill are set to return for a Doctor Who Christmas special, alongside a host of familiar faces. The annual festive instalment, entitled Revolution Of The Daleks, will see viewers pick up where the 12th series left off, as the Doctor finds herself in outer-space prison after being captured by the Judoon police.