Comedians Matt Lucas and Greg Davies will be bringing some humour to Doctor Who over Christmas, as they are set to appear in the show’s festive episode.

Doctor Who fans already know that the episode will feature the first on-screen encounter between the 12th Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and River Song (Alex Kingston) since 2013.

Now it has been announced that Greg will play a character called King Hydroflax, while Matt will star as Nardole.

Greg has previously starred in shows including The Inbetweeners and Cuckoo, while Matt Lucas is best known for Little Britain.

Greg Davies
Greg Davies (Matt Crossick/PA)

In the special episode, the Doctor will be hiding from “Christmas carols and comedy antlers” on a “remote human colony” – but it won’t be a quiet Christmas despite his best efforts.

“When a crashed spaceship calls upon the Doctor for help, he finds himself recruited into River Song’s squad and hurled into a fast and frantic chase across the galaxy,” the BBC has teased, according to the Radio Times.

River Song and Doctor Who
River Song and Doctor Who (Simon Ridgway/BBC)

King Hydroflax will have a giant robot bodyguard, who “is out-of-control and coming for them all” – leaving Nadole in peril.

The teaser continues: “When will River Song work out who the Doctor is? All will be revealed on a starliner full of galactic super-villains and a destination the Doctor has been avoiding for a very long time.”