Wherever there's a great companion, a Doctor is nearby.

And while Matt Smith promises to be a prominent figure in this year's "Doctor Who" Christmas special, it looks like he won't be the only Doctor around to welcome in Jenna-Louise Coleman.

Richard E. Grant, who played The Doctor in an online BBC series from the early 2000s, will take on a yet-to-be-announced role in this year's Christmas special. It's the same special set to introduce Coleman as the new companion, replacing Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill.

Grant voiced The Doctor in a six-part miniseries in 2003 called "Scream of the Shalka," which also featured Derek Jacobi as The Master. Jacobi would actually play The Master in the 2007 "Doctor Who" episode "Utopia." Those episodes were written by Paul Cornell, who would go on to write "Father's Day" for the new series, as well as the book "Human Nature," which was used as a basis for "Human Nature" and "The Family Blood" in "Doctor Who" in 2007.

Interesting enough, that was not the first time Grant had played The Doctor. He took on the role in 1999 during the "Comic Relief" special "Doctor Who: The Curse of the Fatal Death" with Rowan Atkinson. He played one of several incarnations of The Doctor, that included Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and Joanna Lumley.

That episode, by the way, was written by current "Doctor Who" showrunner (and Christmas special scribe) Steven Moffat.

Grant made his film premiere in 1983 in the British comedy "Sweet Sixteen." Most recently, he just completed work on the Australian comedy "Kath & Kimderella" and is in pre-production on the British crime drama "Dom Hemingway" with actor Jude Law.

Also making an appearance in the Christmas special is Tom Ward, who most recently played Dr. Harry Cunningham in the popular British series "Silent Witness." He started on that show in 2002, and spent 10 years before leaving later this month. "Silent Witness" stars William Gaminara, and has been on the air since 1996.

This year's Christmas special will serve as a mid-season break for the show, the first half being dedicated to companions Amy and Rory, with the second half going toward the new companion, whose name is rumored to be Clara.

The Christmas episode airs Dec. 25 on BBC and BBC America.