DOCTOR Who's guest star Aisling Bea is not only an actress – she's also a stand-up comedian and writer.
So let's find out more about the Irish star, who changed her surname.
Who is Aisling Bea?
Aisling Bea, 37, was born Aisling O'Sullivan in Kildare, Ireland, on March 16, 1984.
She is the grand-daughter of novelist and poet Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, and daughter of jockey Helen O'Sullivan.
When she was three years old her father took his own life.
Her mother told her he had died of an illness, before revealing when she was 13 that he had committed suicide.
Aisling has spoken of how for many years she was haunted by the fact that he didn't mention her or her sister Sinéad, who had been three months old at the time, in his final letter.
She graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 2006 after studying French and Philosophy.
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How did Aisling Bea start her career and what TV shows has she starred in?
Aisling started doing stand-up comedy in 2011, and in 2012 became the first woman in two decades to win The Gilded Balloon's So You Think You're Funny award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2012.
Following that she was named Best Female Stand-Up on TV at the British Comedy Awards in 2014.
Since then she has made regular television appearances, including on 8 Out Of 10 Cats, QI, The Last Leg and A League Of Their Own.
Additionally, she has acted in a number of television series, including the third season of The Fall – where she appeared alongside Jamie Dornan as nurse Kiera Sheridan – as well as Holby City and Lewis.
She also also starred in sitcom Trollied and was a contestant on the series eight of Taskmaster – she didn't win.
In autumn 2017 she starred in the BBC drama Hard Sun which was penned by the creator of Luther.
And in March 2018 she appeared in The Great British Bake Off's celebrity special for Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4.
She is also a writer, penning Channel 4 comedy This Way Up, exploring the themes of mental health, love and sibling relationships.
Who does Aisling Bea play in Doctor Who?
Aisling joined the cast of Doctor Who for the show's 2022 New Year's Day special.
The episode, titled Eve of the Daleks, sees the Doctor and her companions Yasmin and Dan take on the Daleks in an “action-packed spectacular.”
Aisling Bea was the first guest star to be confirmed for the festive special.
Her character Sarah is the owner and operator of ELF Storage and finds herself joining forces with the Doctor, Dan and Yaz in a fight against the Daleks.
Did Aisling Bea change her name?
After discovering there was already an actress called Aisling O'Sullivan, Aisling changed her name to Aisling Bea (pronounced ASH-ling BEE).
She chose 'B' as a tribute to her late father Brian.
Who has Aisling Bea dated?
In March 2019 it was reported that Aisling was dating movie star Andrew Garfield.
The pair were spotted enjoying date at the theatre as they watched Hamilton in London's West End.
Before Andrew, in April 2018, The Sun's Bizarre column revealed that Aisling was dating Welsh actor turned political activist Michael Sheen.
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