List of actors considered for the part of the Doctor
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Many actors have been considered for the part of The Doctor in Doctor Who. Here is a list of actors who have been linked to the role.
Geoffrey Bayldon told Doctor Who Magazine that he had declined the role. He would later play an alternative version of the First Doctor in two plays for the Doctor Who Unbound series of audio plays by Big Finish Productions: Auld Mortality and A Storm of Angels
Hugh David was the choice of Rex Tucker, who was the series "caretaker producer" before the arrival of Verity Lambert. Verity rejected this idea on the grounds that Hugh was too young[1]
Alan Webb was then offered the role but declined, as did Cyril Cusack[2]
Ron Moody turned down the role of both the second and third Doctor[3]
Peter Jeffrey also declined to play the part of the Second Doctor because he did not want to commit to a long-term role[4]
Ron Moody see above
Graham Crowden turned down the role as he did not wish to commit himself to a long-term role[5], while Michael Bentine turned down the role when the production team felt he wanted too much influence over the series' scripts. Other actors considered included Bernard Cribbins [6] and Fulton Mackay.
Richard Hearne was offered the role but his insistence that he play the part in the style of his 'Mr Pastry' character was not acceptable to the series' producer, Barry Letts.
Richard Griffiths was considered by producers for the role when Tom Baker left.[7]
The final three actors considered for the role were Sylvester McCoy, Ken Campbell and Chris Jury. While Campbell's portrayal was considered too dark for the series, Jury was remembered by the production team and cast as Kingpin in 1988's The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
Had the show continued past 1989, the Producers were considering Richard Griffiths for the role of the Doctor once again[8]
When the role of the Eighth Doctor finally did come up with the 1996 American TV movie, the following actors were initially considered by Producers:
Michael Crawford, Tim Curry, Eric Idle, Trevor Eve, Billy Connolly, Michael Palin, Robert Lindsay and Jonathan Pryce.
Actors who auditioned for the role included Rowan Atkinson, Liam Cunningham, Mark McGann (whose brother, Paul McGann got the actual role), Robert Lindsay, Tim McInnerny (who appeared in the 4th series of the new series of Doctor Who, in the episode Planet of the Ood ), Nathaniel Parker, Peter Woodward, John Sessions, Anthony Head (who appeared in the 2nd series of the new series of Doctor Who, in the episode School Reunion ) and Tony Slattery.[9]
Hugh Grant has stated that he turned down the role and expressed his regret once he saw how the show turned out[10]
Bill Nighy was rumoured to also have been offered the role[11]
Though the tabloids claimed Bill Nighy was offered the role once again, he stated in an interview that he has never been offered the job.[12]
Eleventh Doctor
James Nesbitt has been named as a potential Doctor in the British media.[13] This rumour started after he starred in Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat's series Jekyll and at the time Steven Moffat was being suggested as a replacement for Russell T. Davies should he retire as Executive Producer of the series. This was before it was announced that Steven Moffat was to write the scripts for a trilogy of Tintin films for directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. However it has been announced that in 2010, Moffat will be the Executive Producer of Doctor Who, making James Nesbitt a more likely candidate.
Robert Carlyle is in discussions about the role according to Sylvester McCoy's website. British bookmakers William Hill reported that 85% of bets placed on who would be the Eleventh Doctor were bets for Robert Carlyle. A spokesperson for the company said "At this stage it is difficult to tell if the bets are wishful thinking or based on insider knowledge" [14]
Bill Nighy has stated he would love to take over from Tennant once he leaves if the producers approach him.[15]
David Walliams is another name thrown out to play the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor. [16]
References
- ^ DWM 391 - Verity Lambert obituary
- ^ DWM 391 - Verity Lambert obituary
- ^ Ron Moody - Biography
- ^ Peter Jeffrey (I) - Biography
- ^ Graham Crowden - Biography
- ^ http://www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EkEuyuVApFYXtWLbWR&tmpl=newsrss&style=feedstyle
- ^ BBC - Drama Faces - Richard Griffiths
- ^ BBC - Drama Faces - Richard Griffiths
- ^ Segal, Philip; Gary Russell (2000). Doctor Who:Regeneration. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-710591-6.
- ^ Cult - News - Hugh Grant to appear in 'Doctor Who'? - Digital Spy
- ^ BBC - Doctor Who (David Tennant and Billie Piper) - News
- ^ Bill Nighy - Nighy Eyes Doctor Who Role
- ^ Cult - News - Nesbitt to become next Doctor? - Digital Spy
- ^ http://www.williamhillmedia.com/index_template.asp?file=10285
- ^ Bill Nighy - Nighy Eyes Doctor Who Role
- ^ David Walliams - AskMen.com