Mandip Gill may not be a household name at the moment, but that is all about to change thanks to her role in ‘Doctor Who’.
The actress has been announced as one of the new companions to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor on the BBC sci-fi series.
She’ll be joined in the Tardis alongside ‘The Chase’ presenter Bradley Walsh and newcomer Tosin Cole when ‘Doctor Who’ returns for its 11th series in 2018.
In lieu of meeting Mandip’s new character, Yasmin, get to know the woman behind her a little better with out 9 Facts In 90 Seconds...
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Mandip Gill
PA Archive/PA Images
1. A bit of background info...
Mandip was born in Leeds in 1988 and attended the University of Central Lancashire, graduating in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in Acting.
She starred in a number of theatre productions after leaving uni, prior to landing her first TV role in 2012.
2. ‘Hollyoaks’ fans will certainly recognise Mandip
That’s because she was a member of the infamous McQueen clan, playing Phoebe from 2012 to 2015.
3. Her character was bumped off in a huge storyline
Phoebe met a grisly end when she became one of Lindsay Butterfield’s victims in the Gloved Hand Killer storyline.
4. She starred in another soap after leaving ‘Hollyoaks’
Last year, Mandeep had a recurring role in daytime soap ‘Doctors’, playing Shazia Amin. She then appeared in another medical drama, ‘Casualty’, just a few months later, playing Nasreen Mahsud in one episode.
5. She’s popped up in some other shows too
Mandip had a minor role in BBC Three sitcom ‘Cuckoo’ in 2016, playing Lauren. She also starred in two episodes of BBC One drama ‘Good Karma Hospital’ earlier this year, as Padma Kholi.
6. She is set to star in Kay Mellor’s big new BBC drama
Before fans see her in ‘Doctor Who’, she’ll be playing junior registrar in Kay Mellor’s new BBC One drama ‘Love, Lies and Records’.
She’ll be appearing alongside Ashley Jensen, Rebecca Front and Mark Stanley in the series.
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BBC
7. She was hoping to get into comedy after ‘Hollyoaks’
After her role in ‘Cuckoo’, Mandip was hoping to do more comedy, after her agent spotted she had a talent for it. She told Digital Spy: “I’ve joined a new agency and as I’ve got to know my agent more, she’s picked up on the comedy side of things and she thinks I’d do really well with it.
“So she’s set me up with a lot of general meetings and hopefully something comes of that, because it would be a massive challenge for me.”
8. Mandip enjoys knitting
Also among her hobbies are going to the gym, and she previously ran a marathon to raise funds for her late cousin’s charity, after she died following a cancer battle.
9. She still worked in her parents’ newsagents while in ‘Hollyoaks’
Mandeep previously revealed she would help out with the family business at the weekends if she was needed. “I just wear lots of makeup to look different,” she admitted.
'Doctor Who' Celebrity Appearances
Anne Robinson(01 of11)
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Anne voiced a robot version of herself, the hillarious Anne Droid, in the episode 'Bad Wolf'. The Anne Droid fronts a dystopian version of 'The Weakest Link', who obliterates contestants with a laser, rather than the 21st century Anne's acidic putdowns.The episode also saw Davina McCall playing a Davinadroid, who hosted a futuristic version of 'Big Brother' (we suppose that would be an Emmadroid now...). (credit:BBC)
Peter Kay(02 of11)
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Beneath those alarming prosthetics sits Peter Kay, who went all out for his appearance in the episode 'Love & Monsters'.The Northern comedian played The Abzorbaloff, who masqueraded as a human being, in an episode in which The Doctor and his companion featured only briefly.We suppose if you'd splashed out on that costume you'd want it to be seen as much as possible... (credit:BBC)
Kylie Minogue(03 of11)
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Kylie played Astrid Peth, companion to David Tennant's Doctor in the 2007 Christmas special, 'Voyage Of The Damned'.She received a mixed reception for the part, which was created especially for her by producer Russell T Davies, with most of the action taking place on a re-imagined futuristic Titanic.Good boots, too. (credit:WENN)
David Walliams(04 of11)
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Another British comedian who underwent quite the makeover for his 'Who' role.David played the Gibbis in the episode 'The God Complex', a rodent-like alien who encounters Matt Smith's Doctor when he crash-lands in what appears to be an 80s hotel.And you thought 'The Shining' was weird... (credit:BBC)
Suranne Jones(05 of11)
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Suranne had the honour of playing a new incarnation of a 'Doctor Who' staple in 2011, when she took on the role of a humanoid version of the TARDIS.In 'The Doctor's Wife', Surrane plays Idris, a human who takes on the personality of the TARDIS, with Michael Sheen also making a voice appearance in the episode. (credit:BBC)
James Corden(06 of11)
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James played The Doctor's temporary housemate, Craig Owens, in the episode 'The Lodger', which sees The Doctor stranded on Earth, and forced to fit in with everyday humans.He reprised the role in the following series, during which he's married to Sophie (Daisy Haggard), who Matt Smith's Doctor helped him get together with, and they have a baby son. (credit:BBC)
Olivia Colman(07 of11)
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Olivia's 'Doctor Who' role was a fairly ordinary one... oh, unless you count those terrifying gnashers, that is. (credit:BBC)
Keeley Hawes(08 of11)
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Like several guest stars before her, Keeley's appearance in the last series of 'Doctor Who' was only meant to be a one-off stint.However, her appearance as the villainous Ms Delphox was so well-received by Whovians that they can look forward to her reprising the role in the latest series. (credit:BBC)
Derek Acorah(09 of11)
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In a rare moment of self-awareness from Derek Acorah, he appeared in a brief cameo role during the episode 'Army Of Ghosts', joking that he'd no longer be of use once ghosts began to roam the earth.It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance on a TV screen, but we enjoyed it nontheless. (credit:BBC)
Catherine Tate(10 of11)
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Viewers were so taken with Catherine Tate's portrayal of Donna Noble that she eventually wound up as the Doctor's companion, and went on to become one of the most popular characters of the modern era of 'Doctor Who'. (credit:BBC)
Peter Capaldi(11 of11)
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Does he look a bit familiar to you?Long before he was cast as the Twelfth Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi made an appearance during David Tennant's time as Time Lord, playing Caecillius in an episode set in ancient Pompeii. (credit:BBC)