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Fansided

New Doctor Who companion reveals the big mistake he made after joining the show

By Sarabeth Pollock

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 13: John Bishop poses in the press room at the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on May 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 13: John Bishop poses in the press room at the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards at The Royal Festival Hall on May 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) /
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There’s an iron-clad rule when it comes to being part of the Doctor Who franchise: You never, ever talk about the Doctor Who franchise. With fans chomping at the bit for any trace of information, a leak can be disastrous. John Bishop, who play the companion Dan in the show’s upcoming 13th season, unwittingly broke the cardinal rule without even meaning to, with hilarious results.

Digital Spy reports that Bishop appeared on The Graham Norton Show and explained how a tiny, seemingly inconsequential piece of information resulted in breaking this most sacred of rules. The actor was in a Zoom call with a group of acting students in Liverpool, and one asked whether he could reveal where his character Dan comes from. Bishop hinted that Dan is from Liverpool, and that’s when things took a turn.

John Bishop makes huge Doctor Who faux pas

Though the Liverpool comment was lighthearted and meant in jest, fans wasted no time spinning this tiny morsel into something huge. Pretty soon, there were rumors that the new season was set in Liverpool.

Despite the fact that his comments were a joke (he’s a comedian, after all) fans were convinced that he’d revealed a major plot point for the upcoming thirteenth season.

That’s when Bishop received a call from the BBC.

“‘You’ve broke the cardinal sin,’” Bishop said of the call. “‘You’ve told them something about Doctor Who…and I went, ‘I haven’t told them anything! Anybody who looks at me knows he’s from Liverpool, let’s be honest!’”

Though Bishop’s little slip was unintentional, you can bet he’s going to remain tight-lipped moving forward, especially now that he has the BBC’s unwavering attention. Thankfully, he wasn’t fired for the slip and has been filming new episodes of the show and fans will be able to meet Dan properly when Doctor Who returns in 2021.

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