Miriam Margolyes joins Doctor Who for 60th anniversary

Actor Miriam Margolyes will star alongside David Tennant in the 60th anniversary specials of Doctor Who.

Margolyes, 82, who has starred in Blackadder, Babe and the Harry Potter films, will appear as the voice behind Meep, the creature adapted from The Star Beast comic strip.

"I'm relieved I got to work on Doctor Who before I died," she said.

"With sci-fi, you never know.

"Thank you for making an old woman very happy."

Doctor Who will return for three special episodes in November - featuring Tennant as the 14th doctor and Catherine Tate as his sidekick Donna Noble - to coincide with the celebrations marking six decades of the show.

The first of the three specials will be titled The Star Beast, while the second is Wild Blue Yonder and the third is The Giggle.

Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will take over as the Time Lord after the three specials, alongside Coronation Street actress Millie Gibson, who is playing the Doctor's companion Ruby Sunday.

Gatwa's first episode as the 15th doctor will screen during the festive period, with Gibson, 19, becoming the youngest companion in the show's history.

The series will also include RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon, Heartstopper actress Yasmin Finney and US actor Neil Patrick Harris.

The latest revamp of the series marks It's A Sin writer Russell T Davies' return as showrunner - the man behind the 2005 revival of the long-running BBC show - succeeding Chris Chibnall, who introduced Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor.

Doctor Who will screen on the BBC in the UK and Ireland, while streaming platform Disney+ will show episodes to audiences elsewhere.