Ray Winstone encouraged Bradley Walsh to return to acting

ay Winstone encouraged \'Doctor Who\' star Bradley Walsh to return to acting.

The former \'Coronation Street\' actor has been hosting quiz show \'The Chase\' since 2009 but his pal Ray insisted he should return to acting, leading Bradley to nab a role in the latest series of \'Doctor Who\', starring Jodie Whittaker as the Time Lord.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Bradley revealed Ray said to him: "Enough of the quiz shows. Why don\'t you do more acting? Get back into acting. Get back into acting. You are a good actor."

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And Bradley, 58, soon landed a role in the eagerly-anticipated new series, although show boss Chris Chibnall initially kept him in the dark about who would be taking over as the Doctor.

He said: "[Chris told me] \'we can\'t tell you but we want you to do it. Trust us. Trust us. It will be an unbelievable journey\'. I said \'I\'m in. A leap of faith. Why not?\'"

And Bradley is hugely impressed with Jodie, who has taken over the role from Peter Capaldi.

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He said: "If there are any \'Doctor Who\' fans out there, Jodie is magnificent. It was unbelievable. It is really big stuff and they have gone for it."

The new series is set to be aired on Sundays instead of Saturdays and the first episode is titled \'The Woman Who Fell To Earth\'.

Chris recently said: "New Doctor, new home! Jodie Whittaker\'s Doctor is about to burst into Sunday nights - and make the end of the weekend so much more exciting.

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"Get everybody\'s homework done, sort out your Monday clothes, then grab some special Sunday night popcorn, and settle down with all of the family for Sunday night adventures across space and time.

"Also, move the sofa away from the wall so parents can hide behind it during the scary bits. The Thirteenth Doctor is falling from the sky and it\'s going to be a blast."

\'Doctor Who\' will kick off on Sunday, October 7 on BBC One.