Looks like the TARDIS is about to get even roomier.

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Following months of rumours the BBC has finally confirmed that Doctor Who stars Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole are leaving the sci-fi drama after two years, with their characters Graham and Ryan exiting in the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special Revolution of the Daleks.

“It is very, very dramatic,” Walsh said of his character’s exit. “It is very sad. It is quite sad and... 'poignant' is the word. You can expect a lot of poignancy from the episode.

“[It was] emotional!” added Cole. “I was looking forward to having a rest though!"

Current Doctor Jodie Whittaker will continue to star in the series alongside Mandip Gill’s Yaz, and it’s currently unknown if any additional cast will join to beef up the cast numbers, or whether the two actors will continue to travel as a duo in the currently-filming season 13.

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Still, whatever happens in the future fans still have one 70-minute adventure left with Graham and Ryan – and from the sounds of it, it may be pretty intense.

“I hope that it feels like a good send-off for those two characters, whatever happens to them,” series showrunner Chris Chibnall told RadioTimes.com and other press. “I can tell you that it’s very emotional.”

“We’ve all been in tears watching it. It’s a really important part of the mix of the special where you get lots of thrills, lots of spills, lots of humour, lots of Daleks, and lots of emotion.

Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole in Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks
BBC

“So, yeah, without spoiling anything, it’s hard, but we don’t shy away from what it means for this family to have its final moments together. It was emotional off-screen. It’s emotional on-screen.”

First announced to be joining the series in October 2017, Cole and Walsh have since starred in 22 episodes of Doctor Who (counting the upcoming special), facing off with monsters like the Daleks, the Dregs, the Cybermen and the Master as they travelled across time and space.

And both actors shared memories of their time in the TARDIS, with Walsh noting that he’d miss “everyone and everything” about his time in the series.

“I have absolutely loved it, loved it,” he said. “Wales has become like a second home to me and being included in something so iconic and groundbreaking with the advent of having a female Doctor, that whole thing where Chibnall sold that to me, it didn’t disappoint and I loved working with those guys.

Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Jodie Whittaker and Bradley Walsh in Doctor Who (BBC)

“I love working with Chris Chibnall, that man is a genius but to also be working with Mandip and Tosin and of course Jodie is just extraordinary.

He added: “We are now in constant contact, texting, Whatsapping. I miss them all. I was texting the location guys across the airwaves. Happy days. Fantastic memories. Our times abroad, when we were in Spain, South Africa. I just loved it. “

“There are too many things to list here, but it has to be the team on the screen and behind it as well as the amazing fans,” Cole said when asked about his series highlights.

“It’s been an honour to work on such a cultural institution with fans across the world. The people like me on the screen come and go, but it’s the people behind the scenes and the fans that will always be there keeping the Doctor Who world alive and exciting.”

Revolution of the Daleks will also star John Barrowman, Nathan Stewart-Barrett, Chris Noth and Harriet Walter, and will air on New Year’s Day.

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Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks comes to BBC One on the 1st January 2021. Want something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.

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