Funny man Matt Lucas will return to Doctor Who for the show's 10th season.
The BBC announced that Lucas will reprise his role of Nardole, last seen in "The Husbands of River Song" episode of the show. In that episode, viewers learned that Nardole was a member of the human colony of Mendorax Dellora, and at the time, was an employee of River Song, who tasked him with finding a surgeon to remove a valuable diamond from the head of her then-husband, King Hydroflax. Nardole, though, found the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) instead.
Nardole will meet up with the Doctor again next season, although no details about how the two will run into each other are available. It's unlikely that he'll accompany River Song, though, as "The Husbands of River Song" pretty much ended that character's story arc (although this is Doctor Who, with a lot of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff, so anything is possible). Nardole will also get to meet the Doctor's new companion, Bill, as portrayed by Pearl Mackie.
"I'm chuffed to bits that Nardole is returning to the TARDIS for some more adventures," Lucas said in a press release. "I loved acting with Peter and I'm excited to work with Pearl."
Nardole's fate in "The Husbands of River Song" had his head trapped inside a gigantic robotic body, which he shares with another person. There's no word on how that will play into the story planned for the character in season 10.
Production on season 10 of Doctor Who will begin next week in Wales. Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat wrote the first episode, with Lawrence Gough acting as director. The second episode's writer is Frank Cotrell-Boyce, who also wrote the season eight episode "In the Forest of the Night."
Lucas is most well-known for his work as a comedian and as co-star of the TV show Little Britain. He also portrayed Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee in 2010's live-action Alice in Wonderland and this year's Alice Through the Looking Glass.
This year won't see any new episodes of Doctor Who, except for a Christmas special, with season 10 airing in 2017. That season will be the last for Moffat, with Chris Chibnall taking over as showrunner from there.
"Chris Chibnall is the perfect successor to take over the reins of this incredible show, so I am delighted that his love for Doctor Who has made it impossible for him to resist!" BBC controller of drama commissioning Polly Hill said. "Chris is an incredible writer and his vision and passion for Doctor Who gives it an exciting future and promises to be a real treat for Doctor Who fans across the world."
