It has been confirmed that Frank Skinner is set to appear in the next series of Dr Who. It has not been revealed who or what the 57-year-old stand-up will play, but a story in the Express says that he will feature with the new Doctor Peter Capaldi in an episode entitled 'Being Human' and written by Jamie Mathieson.

Skinner is reported to have said: "I love this show. I subscribe to Doctor Who magazine, I've got a Tardis ringtone, a five-foot cardboard Dalek in my bedroom and when I got the call saying they wanted me to read for the part, I was in the back of my tour bus watching episode three of The Sensorites. I am beyond excited."

The show's lead writer Steven Moffat added: "It's no secret that Frank's been pitching vigorously to get into Doctor Who for a while. He's been volunteering to be 'third monster on the left' as long as I've been in this job. But now, in Jamie Mathieson's sparkling script, we finally have a part that can showcase all of Frank's famous wit and charm. Hopefully he'll get out of my garden now."

If reports are correct Skinner is far from the first comedian to appear in the cult sci-fi series. Catherine Tate played the Doctor's chum Donna Noble and Peter Kay, Jessica Stephenson (now Hynes) and Simon Pegg have both had a turn in it. Lee Evans and Sreve Pemberton are also among those who have appeared in the long-running series and Reece Shearsmith played one of the Doctors, Patrick Troughton, in the recent BBC drama An Adventure in Space and Time, which was written by fellow League of Gentlemen member Mark Gatiss.