©BBC WORLDWIDESamuel Anderson, prepare to meet the Doctor! Anderson will recur as Danny Pink, a teacher at Coal Hill School where the Doctor's companion, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), also teaches.
"I was so excited to join Doctor Who I wanted to jump and click my heels, but I was scared I might not come down before filming started! It's a quintessential part of British culture and I can't believe I'm part of it," Anderson said in a statement. "It's an honor to be able to work alongside Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman and I can't wait to show people how my character becomes involved with such a fantastic duo!"
Anderson's other credits include The History Boys and Gavin & Stacey.
Season eight of Doctor Who is currently filming in Cardiff.
"For the fourth time in Doctor Who history, Coal Hill School is coming to the aid of the TARDIS. In 1963 teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright accompanied the first Doctor," Steven Moffat, head writer and executive producer of Doctor Who, said in a statement. "These days it's the turn of Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. And very soon now, Sam Anderson as Danny Pink will be entering the world of the Doctor. But how and why? Answers are coming later this year in Peter Capaldi's first season of Doctor Who!"
Doctor Who guest stars for season eight also include Robert Goodman of Game of Thrones and Gangs of New York fame in episode four. In episode five, Jonathan Bailey of Broadchurch and Pippa Bennett-Warner will appear.
Doctor Who returns with new episodes later in 2014.