'Pops'' Yates to join 'Doctor Who' cast

LONDON, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Reggie Yates from British TV's "Top of the Pops" has signed on to the cast of the sci-fi show "Doctor Who" as the brother of the legendary hero's assistant.

The Daily Mail on Sunday said that the 23-year-old actor will take on the role in the series' next season and play opposite actress Freema Agyeman, who portrays Doctor Who's newest assistant, Martha Jones.

Recently, the TV series finished production at London's infamous Globe Theatre for an upcoming episode in which 32-year-old "Shameless" star Dean Lennox Kelly plays William Shakespeare.

"The Shakespeare episode is, without doubt, one of our most ambitious projects to date." said series writer and producer Russell T. Davies.

"Viewers can look forward to Shakespeare giving the performance of his life in order to save the Earth from destruction." he added.

The newspaper said that joining Yates as new members to the popular series' cast will be actors Trevor Laird, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Adjoa Andoh, all of whom will be featured in the new season in 2007.