From William Hartnell to Jodie Whittaker, Timeless Child arc withstanding), the Doctor possesses regenerative capabilities and is able to change their appearance when faced with fatal injuries or old age. As such, the Doctor has regenerated a number of times over the show’s long history, allowing multiple actors to play different incarnations of the character, and ensuring Doctor Who’s survival beyond a single actor’s career.
The Doctor, like Sherlock Holmes, has become an iconic role within British popular culture - with actors stumbling over themselves for the chance to star in the sci-fi show. Part of the Doctor’s appeal is that the character can be played in so many ways and almost requires that an actor bring a lot of their own personality to the role. Additionally, Doctor Who writers often it that each incarnation of the Doctor is largely the same as any other on the page, and that the actors themselves are responsible for imbuing the dialogue with their own nuances and ticks.
As such, many actors have been in the running to play the Doctor over the years, with only a select few actually landing the coveted role. Casting speculations surrounding Doctor Who are a common fixture in many British tabloids, but many of the actors that they suggest are never “officially” in line for the role. This article will, instead, aim to highlight the actors discussed specifically by Doctor Who’s various production teams, or who have revealed their association with the role in subsequent interviews. Without further ado, here’s every actor almost cast as the Doctor.
First Doctor
The First Doctor’s era is sadly overlooked by most modern Doctor Who fans, and star William Hartnell was almost overlooked too - with the BBC offering multiple actors the role before he was approached. Geoffrey Bayldon (Catweazle) ed, citing the long schedule and old-age makeup as his reasons for declining the role. He would later play an alternative Doctor in a series of Big Finish audio dramas called Doctor Who Unbound. Bayldon also appeared in the Fourth Doctor story The Creature from the Pit.
Hugh David (pictured) was suggested by producer Rex Tucker before being deemed too young, and he later directed the lost Second Doctor stories The Highlanders and Fury from the Deep. Alan Webb, Cyril Cusack, and Leslie French were also considered - the latter later appearing in the Seventh Doctor story Silver Nemesis - before William Hartnell was eventually chosen to play the First Doctor (via BBC archive).
Second Doctor
With Hartnell’s health declining, Doctor Who’s production team scrambled for a way to continue the show without their lead actor - settling upon the concept of regeneration and ushering in the Second Doctor’s era. While much of Patrick Troughton’s time as the Doctor is now sadly lost, he almost didn’t land the part in the first place. Man-mountain Brian Blessed (pictured) was offered the role but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts, though he later played a role in the Sixth Doctor story The Trial of a Time Lord (via TT). Rupert Davies, Valentine Dyall, Michael Hordern, Ron Moody, Tommy Steele, and Patrick Wymark were also suggested, with Dyall going on to appear as the Black Guardian in a number of Doctor Who stories (via ABHoTT).
Curiously, Peter Cushing was offered the role of the Second Doctor and declined but did play “Dr. Who” in a pair of non-canon feature films: Dr. Who and the Daleks, and the amazingly-titled Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. The latter film also featured Bernard Cribbins in a leading role; he would later go on to play Wilfred Mott alongside David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor in the revival series.
Third Doctor
As the show made its transition from black-and-white to color, the Doctor regenerated into Jon Pertwee - bringing a dash of James Bond to the Doctor Who formula. Before Pertwee, however, other actors were approached to kickstart the Third Doctor’s era, including John Le Mesurier (Dad’s Army) and Stratford Johns (via ABHoTT). Ron Moody (pictured), who played Fagin in Oliver!, was said to be the producers’ top choice, but turned the part down - a decision that he later regretted (via BBC). That said, Moody went on to play a role in Big Finish’s Eighth Doctor audio drama Other Lives, while Pertwee thrilled audiences as the Third Doctor.
Fourth Doctor
With Pertwee deciding to step down after the tragic death of his Doctor Who co-star Roger Delgado, the producers began searching for an actor to fill his shoes - with Tom Baker (a thespian turned laborer) ultimately winning their hearts as the Fourth Doctor. Other actors considered for the role include Michael Bentine, Bernard Cribbins (pictured), Graham Crowden, Fulton Mackay, and Richard Hearne. Hearne wished to play the Doctor in the same manner as his popular Mr. Pastry character - a broadly comic, bumbling old man - but the producers went in a different direction, finally settling on Tom Baker’s anarchic wild-man. (via BBC archive).
Fifth Doctor
With the Fourth Doctor’s era coming to a close after seven seasons, Doctor Who’s producers sought to cast, at that point, the youngest actor to ever take on the role - with Peter Davison landing the part of the Fifth Doctor at just 29 years old. Aside from Davison, Scottish actor Iain Cuthbertson was considered, along with Richard Griffiths (later considered to play the Eighth Doctor in the television movie). Griffiths (pictured) went on to give memorable performances as Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films and Uncle Monty in the cult classic Withnail and I (via BBC archive). Additionally, a Griffiths-like Doctor appeared in a “what if?” article from issue 255 of Doctor Who Magazine which detailed an unproduced regeneration story for Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor.
Sixth Doctor
According to Peter Haining’s book Doctor Who: 25 Glorious Years, Davison was advised by Patrick Troughton to leave the series after three years; advice that he acted upon. Colin Baker (pictured), who had recently appeared in the Fifth Doctor story Arc of Infinity, landed the role of the Sixth Doctor without an audition and was the only actor considered for the part. That said, Sylvester McCoy put his name forward, but would have to wait a little while longer for his Doctor Who dreams to become a reality (via ABHoTT).
Seventh Doctor
Baker’s Sixth Doctor proved controversial with audiences, leading to his unceremonious departure from the role wherein he refused to shoot his Eleventh Doctor story Cold War among other Doctor Who projects.
While the idea of the Doctor regenerating into a woman wasn’t anything new at this point, the search for the Seventh Doctor might be the first time that actresses were seriously considered for the role. Doctor Who co-creator Sydney Newman suggested Dawn French, s de la Tour (Madame Maxime in the Harry Potter films), and Joanna Lumley (pictured) for the part (via TT). Lumley later went on to play an alternative Doctor in Steven Moffat’s first Doctor Who writing gig, The Curse of Fatal Death (a non-canon sketch for Comic Relief).
Eighth Doctor
Following Sylvester McCoy’s tenure, Doctor Who was effectively canceled in 1989 before being revived in the form of a TV movie in 1996 - starring Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. Aside from a brief role in Doctor Who’s 50th-anniversary celebrations (The Night of the Doctor), the TV movie marks McGann’s only on-screen appearance as the character, though he has continued partaking in various Big Finish projects over the years. A co-production between the BBC and various American studios, the film had a casting list as long as several arms. In fact, it would almost be quicker to list who wasn’t in the running to play the Doctor at this time.
Highlights include Monty Python Eric Idle and Michael Palin; Jim Carrey, Jeff Goldblum, Kyle MacLachlan, or even Sting (via ABHoTT). Scottish comedian Billy Connolly (pictured) was also in the running, though nobody told him until they’d decided against his casting. Speaking to TS, Connolly remarked, "If I had done it, he would have been angrier, a much angrier Doctor Who. I would have loved it. I'd have taken it".
Connolly’s interpretation of the Doctor would later come to in the form of Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor. Curiously, both Capaldi and Ninth Doctor actor Christopher Eccleston were invited to audition for the part of the Eighth Doctor but declined, citing the movie’s grab-bag casting process as their main reason for doing so (via DWN). Additionally, many of the actors considered to play the Eighth Doctor went on to appear in the revived show.
Ninth Doctor
After a lengthy hiatus, commonly referred to as “The Dark Times”, Doctor Who was revived in 2005 with actor Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor. While Eccleston was perfect in the role, he only stayed for one season, and it’s strange to consider the ramifications of another actor in his place. That said, producers considered Alan Cumming, Judi Dench (pictured), and Hugh Grant for the part. In an interview with TV & Satellite Week magazine, Cumming cited not wanting to move to Cardiff (where Doctor Who’s production is largely located) as his main reason for turning down the role. Grant, meanwhile, regrets declining the offer (via DS) though did play an alternative Doctor in The Curse of Fatal Death. Additionally, Bill Nighy was approached about playing an incarnation of the Doctor - presumably the Ninth Doctor - but declined because the part came with “too much baggage” (via TE).
Tenth Doctor
As previously stated, Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor departed after a single season, so the casting of the Tenth Doctor was already decided before the first episode of the revival series aired. David Tennant (pictured), who had been working with Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies on Casanova, was the obvious and apparently only choice to play the Tenth Doctor. Boldly, he accepted the role, knowing that he might appear for only a few minutes if the show was poorly received. Thankfully, the series was a roaring success, putting Tennant’s fears to rest and ensuring Doctor Who’s future as appointment viewing.
Eleventh Doctor
In line with Tennant’s departure, Doctor Who’s production team changed hands, with Steven Moffat becoming the showrunner and Matt Smith cast as the Eleventh Doctor. At 26 years old, Smith became the youngest actor to ever tackle the role - but he wasn’t the only person considered. Russell Tovey, who had appeared in the Tenth Doctor story Voyage of the Damned, was suggested by Russell T. Davies and even auditioned for the part. Reflecting on the role, Tovey told RT that “the Doctor is everyman, why does he have to be a white man? I think absolutely you should have someone of color now, or a woman, or a woman of color”.
While Tovey’s points would later be rectified, in part, through both the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor and Jo Martin’s Unknown Doctor from Fugitive of the Judoon, the show has yet to feature a person of color as the series lead. Paterson Joseph (pictured) revealed to Doctor Who often garners. It's also worth noting that Joseph had already appeared in the Ninth Doctor two-parter Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways.
Twelfth Doctor
Matt Smith’s departure kickstarted the search for a Twelfth Doctor, with actor Peter Capaldi ultimately cast in the role. While Capaldi is said to have been the producers’ top choice from the very beginning, Ben Daniels (pictured) was also approached about playing the Twelfth Doctor. Speaking with Peter Capaldi ultimately became the Twelfth Doctor.
Thirteenth Doctor
Like in Tennant’s era, Capaldi’s departure saw a change of showrunner, with Chris Chibnall (Broadchurch) taking over from Steven Moffat. Amid massive speculation, Jodie Whittaker (pictured) was cast as the Thirteenth Doctor - marking the first time that a woman has played the Doctor in-canon. In an interview with RS, Whittaker discussed the casting process, revealing “I have no idea who, but I know I was up against other actresses,” and that “it was very much that [Chibnall] was auditioning people for the first female Doctor”. While many names have been rumored (among them Olivia Coleman, Tilda Swinton, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge), information about the other actors who auditioned remains relatively scarce.
Alternative Doctors
In addition to the TV show, a slew of abandoned Frankenstein fame) played the Doctor. Issue 3 of Nothing at the End of the Lane states that Karloff turned down the role and Peter Cushing was cast in his place, recording a pilot, but the BBC decided to . Charles Norton’s non-fiction book Now on the Big Screen: The Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who at the Cinema states that, in the 80s, an American film was in the works which would have featured either Michael Jackson or Bill Cosby as the Doctor. Thankfully, nothing came of this project, though American studios did co-produce the TV movie in the late 90s.
Additionally, famous Harry Potter actor Alan Rickman was considered to play the Doctor in yet another abandoned feature film, tentatively titled Doctor Who: The Last of the Timelords (via WF). While Russell T. Davies would later use this title for a Tenth Doctor story, he also tried to cast Rickman in an undisclosed role on several occasions (via TG), with many fans speculating that he was offered the part of the Master.
Finally, Whoopi Goldberg (pictured) revealed to David Tennant (via David Tennant Does a Podcast With…) that she once pitched an American version of Doctor Who. The show would’ve taken place in New York (before setting off on adventures through space and time), with Goldberg as the Doctor. Sadly, the BBC turned her down in the end, though there’s still a chance that she could appear in the British version somewhere down the line.
With Jodie Whittaker rumored to be leaving Doctor Who after series 13, showrunner Chris Chibnall may have already begun searching for the Fourteenth Doctor, with many fans hoping that a person of color will finally land the role. Until then, it’s fun to consider what might have been and who could’ve starred in Doctor Who under different circumstances...