Ian McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen provided the voice of the Great Intelligence in the Doctor Who television story The Snowmen.

In 2013 he appeared as himself in the 50th Anniversary story The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot alongside Peter Jackson, director of The Hobbit trilogy, in which he stars alongside Sylvester McCoy.

He is the third knighted actor (after Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon) and one of the few Oscar nominees to appear in Doctor Who.

He was previously considered for the role of the Eighth Doctor.

In the sitcom he plays an actor whose "Doctor Who" character was voted "the 10th most popular villain of all time."

He has now been given an honourary doctorate from the University of Ulster.