Doctor Who: Who is Nicola Coughlan, how old is she, is she in Derry Girls and Bridgerton, what else has she starred in and will she be Ncuti Gatwa's companion in Doctor Who?

Ncuti Gatwa is set to take over from Jodie Whittaker as the new Time Lord when the actress leaves the show at the end of this year and fans have wasted no time in speculating who will be the new companion for the Doctor.

The Sex Education actor posted a picture on Instagram holding hands with actress Nicola Coughlan at Sunday night's BAFTA event.

Several Doctor Who fans are now questioning whether the Derry Girls star will join Ncuti in the TARDIS next year.

But who is Nicola Coughlan and will she be the Time Lord's new companion?

Here's everything you need to know:

Who is Nicola Coughlan?

Nicola Coughlan is an actress from Galway in Ireland.

She decided to become an actress after seeing her sister perform in a school play when she was 5-years-old.

Nicola studied an English and Classical Civilisation degree at the National University of Ireland and she then moved to England to train as an actress at the Oxford School of Drama and the Birmingham School of Acting.

How old is Nicola Coughlan?

Nicola is 35 years old.

What has Nicola starred in?

Nicola started her acting career in 2004 with a role in a short film by Irish filmmaker Tom Collins called The Phantom Cnut.

In the following years, she did various voice roles until she had to move back to Ireland due to financial struggles.

Her first major role was as Clare Devlin in Derry Girls, a comedy series set in Northern Ireland in the 1990s.

The series, which is now in its final season, follows a group of Catholic schoolgirls who are trying to navigate adolescence during The Troubles.

Nicola's career skyrocketed when she was cast as Penelope Featherington and Lady Whistledown in Netflix hit series, Bridgerton.

Nicola was the first actor to be cast on the show, which is set in the Regency era and follows upper-class families during the social season.

She has also starred in West End show The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and the Derry Girl’s special of The Great British Bake Off.

Will Nicola Coughlan join Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who?

Fans of Doctor Who have been speculating that the Bridgerton actress will be the Time Lord's new companion.

Followers of the show began to question whether Nicola was joining the series after Ncuti shared a picture of the pair on social media.

The image was shared just a few hours after it was confirmed that he would be the new Doctor.

Doctor Who fan @SafeSpaceDrWho tweeted the image of Ncuti and Nicola with a caption reading: ‘GUYSS. Nicola Coughlan from Derry Girls as Ncuti Gatwa’s companion??? Is Ncuti hinting??'

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@kayemcey_99 added: 'I’m thinking this could possibly mean Nicola Coughlan is THE 14th Doctor’s Companion?'

Ncuti and Nicola have remained tight-lipped on whether the Derry Girls actress will be the new companion in the series.

Given Nicola's commitment to Bridgerton, which is set to start filming its third season this summer, it could make it difficult for the actress to find time to star in another high-profile show.