Game of Thrones meets Doctor Who: Actors from Maisie Williams to Mark Gatiss who travelled from Westeros to the Tardis

Fantasy fans might begin to wonder where Doctor Who gets its casting ideas from - or is it the other way around?

Whovians and Throne-heads have been rejoicing after it was announced that Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams will be starring in the new series of Doctor Who.

The 17-year-old, who plays the feisty Arya Stark in the fantasy series, is busy filming on set in Cardiff in a role that is so far shrouded in mystery.

But Williams is not the first actress to have both visited Westeros and taken a trip on the Tardis, a number of actors have starred in two of the mammoth shows. We've rounded up the names that have graced the screen in the two shows.

Mark Gatiss

He played the Braavosi banker Tychos Nestoris in season four and starred as Richard Lazarus in 'The Lazarus Experiment' as a man seeking immortality using a machine in Doctor Who. Gatiss's Who connections don't end there, he also has writing credits on the show for episodes including 'The Crimson Horror', 'Cold War' and 'Robot of Sherwood'. He's also the co-creator of Sherlock with Doctor Who show runner Steven Moffat.

Dame Diana Rigg

Not only is she Lady Olenna Tyrell or the 'Queen of Thorns', the Game of Thrones version of the Dowager Countess, but she played Mrs. Gillyflower in the Doctor Who story 'The Crimson Horror' a couple of years ago. She starred alongside her real-life daughter Rachael Stirling in the episode, which was penned by Mark Gatiss - this really was a case of fandoms colliding.

Joe Dempsie – (from left: Doctor Who - Cline, The Doctor’s Daughter; Game of Thrones – Gendry)

Joe Dempsie

Remember Gendry? He was one of Robert Baratheon's many illegitimate children and the young blacksmith who travelled with Arya for a while, before ending up in a dungeon in Dragonstone and getting seduced by the Red Priestess Melissandre. Well, he was also in an episode of Doctor Who during David Tennant's tenure as the Time Lord. In 'The Doctor’s Daughter' he played a soldier called Cline, who is part of a militia battling against the peaceful alien race the Hath.

Iain Glen

Where would Khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen be without her closest advisor Jorah Mormont? The plain speaking Brit has steered the young queen away from several mishaps. Not to mention saved her life on more than one occasion. But Whovians will better know Glen as Father Octovian who helped the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions escape the terrifying weeping angels.

Tobias Menzies

To Game of Thrones fans he's Edmure Tully, Catelyn Stark's younger brother and the lord of Riverrun, who has an ineptitude for archery. It was after his wedding to Roslin Frey that the infamously gruesome Red Wedding took place. Menzies went on to play Lieutenant Stepashin in 'Cold War'. The Doctor Who episode was described as Alien on a submarine and featured a defrosted Ice Warrior running loose on board on board the vessel.

Julian Glover

Star Wars, Game of Thrones and Doctor Who. Isn't there any fandom he doesn't fall into? Long before playing the lecherous and rather foolish Maester Pycelle in the HBO fantasy series, Glover made not one but two appearances in classic Doctor Who. In 1965 he starred in 'The Crusade' as Richard Lionheart during William Hartnell's era. But the performance he is probably better known for is that of the alien Scaroth in the serial 'The City of Death' in 1979. Glover's Scaroth was trying to go back in time and save his people even if it means the destruction of the human race. Luckily he was stopped by Tom Baker's fourth Doctor.

Maisie Williams – (Left: She'll make a special appearance in Doctor Who, right: Game of Thrones – Arya)

 

Maisie Williams

You’ll know this Game of Thrones star as the mouthiest and most resilient of the Stark offspring Arya. Having watched her father Ned’s head get chopped off and escaped from Westeros disguised as a boy and armed with “Needle” her trusty miniature sword she’s quite a force to be reckoned with. But Williams has hinted that series five will spell the end for Arya and we’re set to see the actress in Doctor Who. Lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat said he could not give away too much information about who Williams will play, but added “she is going to challenge the Doctor in very unexpected ways".