It may still technically be summer, and here in Los Angeles it’s been hot enough to boil a monkey’s bum (a Python reference), but that doesn’t mean we can’t start looking forward to Christmas and, by extension, the Doctor Who Christmas special. It’s a holiday staple! Also a staple is the impressive guest cast the production team assembles for the yearly yuletide jaunt through time and space. In the past, stars like Michael Gambon, Kylie Minogue, David Morrissey, Richard E. Grant, Sir Ian McKellen, and more have joined the various Doctors on their snowy adventures. Even Catherine Tate was once just a guest star on a Christmas episode.

This year, the BBC has announced another spate of new guests for the upcoming 2014 special, the title of which has yet to be revealed, and chief among them is Nick Frost, star of Shaun of the Dead, The World’s End, Cuban Fury and more. He’s a lifelong Doctor Who fan and, in a statement in the official press release, said being on set was hard for his inner fanboy.

“I’m so thrilled to have been asked to guest in the Doctor Who Christmas special, I’m such a fan of the show. The read-through was very difficult for me; I wanted to keep stuffing my fingers into my ears and scream “No spoilers!” Every day on set I’ve had to silence my internal fan boy squeals!”

Lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat was typically charmed by his choice of guest casting. “Frost at Christmas – it just makes sense! I worked with Nick on the Tintin movie many years ago and it’s a real pleasure to lure him back to television for a ride on the TARDIS.”

Frost will be joined by the likes of Michael Troughton (son of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton, who has recently returned to acting), Natalie Gumede (Coronation Street), Faye Marsay (Fresh Meat), and Nathan McMullen (Misfits).

The Doctor Who Christmas special, written by Moffat and directed by Paul Wilmshurt, will air on Christmas Day (duh) on BBC America.

So, Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Bill Bailey, and now Nick Frost have all been on Doctor Who. Who’d have thought the people who wrote and starred in a show like Spaced would all like a show about a time travelling alien hero? Oh, right, everyone. Maybe this will mean we can finally see Edgar Wright direct an episode; perhaps next year?