Jodie Whittaker will officially say goodbye to Doctor Who when her final episode airs later this year, which is very bittersweet thought. The end of her tenure aside, though, it now seems there’s a chance the installment will feature a former companion. Amidst the recent rumor that Whittaker’s exit will usher in a big adventure that involves David Tennant and other past Doctors in the franchise, it seems that actor Bradley Walsh might be in tow for the actress' last installment.
Doctor Who fans might know Bradley Walsh for playing companion Graham during the Attack the Block alum's run as The Doctor. Graham was written out of the series alongside his grandson Ryan (played by Tosin Cole) and, when the characters were last mentioned, they were jokingly said to be starting up their own paranormal investigation team.
This recent suspicion that the character might be a part of the final episode comes from Three Little Words, John Bishop’s podcast, on which the character was recently mentioned. Bishop (who joined the franchise as Dan and has talked about joining so late in Whittaker’s run previously) recently interviewed his co-star Jodie Whittaker. Aad while the two discussed the final day of filming her run, Bishop recalled crying at the post-wrap dinner. Whittaker continued the story and name-dropped the Graham actor while telling the story:
There was me, Mandip [Gill], Brad [Walsh], and you, and we were in this private dining room, weren’t we? And we just all became completely over-emotional. Brad like, dived up, started giving you a massive hug. We just all... because also why we were upset and why we were all so emotional about it, was because there was just so much joy.
It’s interesting that Bradley Walsh was present at the post-wrap dinner for the star's last episode. Did he just happen to be in Cardiff just as production wrapped, or is it possible that Walsh did indeed reprise his role as Graham for the episode? At this point, it's hard to give solid confirmation either way, though the chances of him returning certainly isn't outside the realm of possibility given this recent news.
Jodie Whittaker posted about wrapping production on Doctor Who back in October (via the show's official Twitter account). It's also been made known that Bradley Walsh spent some time in Cardiff in late September and hung out with John Bishop during that time. Check out this picture of the pair at a local cafe, which further confirms his presence in the city during filming:
Wow what a day! A lush visit for us and @hideoutcardiff from the amazing @JohnBishop100 & @BradleyWalsh Visit us again soon💚#grangetown #cardiff #community pic.twitter.com/Echr6IvpDaSeptember 20, 2021
While don’t know for sure if Bradley Walsh will reprise his role as Graham for Jodie Whittaker’s send-off, it would be nice to see him be a part of the fun. I’d also like to see Tosin Cole return as Ryan but, with no mention of him in either of these situations, I’m not holding my breath. At least the very least, we’ll possibly get most of the “fam” back before Whittaker bows out as The Doctor, which will further help to honor the three seasons she’s given the franchise.
Before Jodie Whittaker's last Doctor Who story arrives in late 2022, fans can stream her character's previous adventures with an HBO Max subscription. And after her departure, fans will be focused on whoever takes up the mantle next and what showrunner Russell T. Davies has planned for his return to the franchise. Based on what Steven Moffat teased about it, I’m definitely excited.
