Gloucester Cathedral has been playing host to some extra-terrestrial visitors this week.

That’s because one of the most popular and iconic British TV shows of all time, Doctor Who, has been filming in the Cathedral and the surrounding grounds.

Earlier in the week onlookers were able to see masked aliens – known as the ‘Judoon’ – filming scenes for series 12 of the BBC sci-fi show, and today fans were treated to a visit from the Doctor herself.

KJ Geraghty, a long-time Whovian and Gloucester local for 16 years, was lucky enough to meet the Doctor, also known as Jodie Whittaker, and described what the experience was like.

She said: “Meeting Jodie was amazing! She was really lovely, so kind to everyone. If people were nervous and shaking while trying to take a selfie, she held their phone and took the picture for them.

“She was really natural and very briefly chatting to people as she went through the crowd and took selfies with everyone. She even complimented my hair!”

Fans gathered at the Cathedral were able to grab a selfie with Whittaker, who is currently filming her second series as the Doctor after taking over from Peter Capaldi in 2018.

But it isn’t the first time the Doctor has visited Gloucester Cathedral, as back in 2008 David Tennant was there starring as the 10th incarnation of the Time Lord.

“I’ve been a Doctor Who fan for years,” explained KJ. “A friend recommended that I give it a watch when David Tennant was the Doctor – they were shocked that I hadn’t actually seen it already!

“I watched a couple of his episodes, loved them and then had to go back and start again at the beginning of Christopher Eccleston’s run! I’ve since gone back and watched a few episodes of the classic Doctors too.”

The next series of Doctor Who is set to air on BBC One in 2020, with filming continuing throughout 2019.

KJ added: “Seeing some of the Doctor Who filming so far was pretty awesome.

“I wasn’t lucky enough to see any of the filming when they filmed Doctor Who here before, years ago, so I’m really pleased my workplace allowed me to take yesterday and today off at short notice to watch the filming this time!

“Also, we’ve got really lucky with the weather too – beautiful sunshine, which just makes it even nicer.”