Smith told BBC America: “I think those three should have their own show… They are just brilliant. They’ve been very patient with the Doctor, they stick with him.”

He added: “Dan Starkey, who plays [Strax], is a comic genius. I sort of based the idea of the Doctor and Strax on Blackadder and Baldrick, because he’s constantly berating Strax but he sort of loves him.”

Strax, Jenny & Vastra return in Series 7’s finale, ‘The Name of the Doctor’, on Saturday 18 May on BBC One.

> Catch up on all the 50th Anniversary Special news and rumours so far in our summary.

Would you like to see more of Strax, Jenny & Vastra? Let us know below…

> Order Series 7 Part 2 on DVD on Amazon.

> Buy Series 7 Part 1 on DVD on Amazon.

Watch the Series 7 Part 2 trailer…