Huddersfield’s Jodie Whittaker will be joined by a male assistant in the Tardis.

The 13th Time Lord is to be accompanied by Bradley Walsh, The Mirror reports this morning (Tuesday).

The 57-year-old is known for playing Danny Baldwin in Coronation Street, as well as presenting ITV gameshow The Chase.

Bradley Walsh is reported to be the next Doctor Who assistant

Recent series have seen the likes of Freema Agyeman, Billie Piper, Jenna Coleman and comedian Catherine Tate playing the Doctor’s assistant.

But with the first female title role played by Whittaker, 36, who is originally from Skelmanthorpe, the new showrunner Chris Chibnall has chosen the former cobbles star.

Chibnall decided to buck the trend for younger female sidekicks in the picking an older male to help Jodie take on Daleks and travel through time.

Bradley Walsh presents ITV's The Chase

Walsh and the writer go back a long way. In 2008 Chibnall was the lead writer on ITV’s Law & Order UK, which starred Walsh as DS Ronnie Brooks and ran for eight successful series.

The casting has yet to be confirmed by the BBC, but Walsh has told pals he’s thrilled to have landed the plum role – even if it means he’ll have to lighten his ITV presenting workload next year.

While Walsh might seem like an unlikely Tardis-dweller, he does have previous links to the BBC sci-fi show. In 2008, he worked alongside Elisabeth Sladen, whose character Sarah Jane Smith regularly tops polls of most popular Doctor Who companions.

The BBC declined to comment on the announcement.