As if the overarching mysteries didn't make the wait for Season 6 difficult enough already...

The cult character actor Mark Sheppard, who’s appeared on practically every genre show in recent memory, has reportedly signed on to play “a huge role” in Doctor Who. As the job started last week, it seems reasonable to assume that he’ll feature in the opening two-parter of season six, which is currently filming. It’s written by showrunner Steven Moffat, directed by Toby Haynes, and partly set and filmed in Utah, USA.

This means that, if his role turns out to be a recurring one, he might one day get the chance to reunite with similarly genre-prolific screenwriter Jane Espenson, who’s writing three out of the ten episodes of Torchwood Season 4, sub-titled The New World. (That is, if she crosses over to Doctor Who, or Mark Sheppard’s character crosses over to Torchwood.) She wrote the Firefly episode Shindig which he guest-starred in, as well as working on Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse and co-creating Warehouse 13, which are some of the many shows he’s featured on. Mark Sheppard + Jane Espenson + Doctor Who = epic win. Of course, we already have Matt Smith + Steven Moffat + Doctor Who, which is awesome enough. With Jane Espenson and Mark Sheppard joining the Whoniverse, what more can a sci-fi fan ask for?*

An actor known for playing many different characters, Mark Sheppard will now presumably get the chance to share the screen with the Doctor, a character known for being played by many different actors.

Given Sheppard's knack for being everywhere, will he be the new season’s big recurring mystery?

Some fans have suggested that he'd be a good choice to play the Master. The name of the character he’s playing can be found here, depending on how sensitive you are to spoilers. Of course, without the context, and given Moffat's penchant for mystery and plot twists, a name by itself might not necessarily tell us that much.  Or it could hide a million clues.  (Stupid crazy-making genius Moffat...)

Hopefully he'll get to tell the Doctor “I’m above you; better than!”, to which the Doctor will reply with one of his epic “I’m the Doctor and this is why I’m awesome…” speeches.

Doctor Who doesn’t have the same kind of fanbase in the USA as it does in the UK, but now with a doctor (the Doctor) and a lawyer (Romo Lampkin) in the same show, it’s bound to be a ratings smash!

* Well, okay, Murray Gold getting his due would be nice: http://twitter.com/murraygold/status/26770955090

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