The Thick of It coincidentally ended up occurring only two days after Peter Capaldi was announced as the new star of "Doctor Who". (Even more coincidental, a cast commentary included as part of a photo gallery featurette for the episode "Rise of the Nutters" included in the DVD set, recorded several years earlier, has several cast members jokingly deciding to start a rumour that Capaldi is to be the next Doctor.) "The Thick of It: The Scripts", a book containing the scripts from the first two series and the 2007 specials, was published on 1 September 2007. A tie-in book, "The Thick Of It:
Doctor Who (series 8) doctor Malcolm Tucker in the BBC comedy series "The Thick of It". Capaldi had previously appeared on the show as Caecilius in "The Fires of Pompeii". He also played John Frobisher in the "Doctor Who" spin-off "". In October 2013, actress Neve McIntosh stated in an interview that recurring characters Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax (known to fans as "the Paternoster Gang") were due to return in the series premiere "Deep Breath". On 24 February 2014, it was announced that "Gavin & Stacey" actor Samuel Anderson will join the cast as the recurring character Danny Pink, a teacher and