Many actors have been considered for the part of The Doctor in the British science fiction television show Doctor Who. The casting announcement is a significant event for fans of the show, and is speculated on by news media. The following is a list of actors who have been considered for the role.
Hugh David was the choice of Rex Tucker, who was the series' "caretaker producer" before the arrival of Verity Lambert. Lambert rejected this idea on the grounds that at 38, Hugh was too young.[2] David later became a director and, in that capacity, worked on the Second Doctor serials The Highlanders (1966–7) and Fury from the Deep.[3]
In 1986, the then Controller of BBC One, Michael Grade, unhappy with the current state of Doctor Who, wrote to Sydney Newman to enquire whether he had any ideas for reformatting the series. On 6 October 1986, Newman wrote back to Grade with a suggestion that Patrick Troughton should return to the role of the Doctor for a season, and then regenerate into a female, with Newman suggesting either Joanna Lumley, Dawn French or Frances de la Tour to succeed Troughton. Grade then suggested that Newman meet the current Head of Drama, Jonathan Powell, for lunch to discuss the ideas. Newman and Powell did not get on well, however, and nothing came of their meeting.[16][17][18][19]
The final three actors considered for the role were Sylvester McCoy, Ken Campbell[20] and Chris Jury.[21] 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, though many years later he disclosed that he had never known that he had been on the shortlist for the role.[citation needed]
McCoy's audition process included a read-through[22] in costume of a sample scene, playing against Janet Fielding. The actors Dermot Crowley[23][22] and David Fielder[22] also auditioned for the role in the same manner. Andrew Sachs was offered the role of the Seventh Doctor but he turned it down later regretted it saying "it was one of his sad tales of failure in life" and hoped the offer came around again[24][better source needed]Hugh Futcher was also considered.[25]
In the early 1990s, the BBC approached Verity Lambert to revive the show. Lambert wanted Peter Cook to play the new Doctor at the time, but he eventually declined involvement.[26]
In 2003, Bill Baggs was set to make a 40th-anniversary special for BBC South with Alan Cumming as the Doctor. Baggs had directed numerous unofficial Doctor Who-related productions since the show's cancellation, including The Airzone Solution, which featured Cumming in another role. The special was cancelled when the BBC instead commissioned Russell T Davies to revive the series.[34]
Hugh Grant (who also played an incarnation of the Doctor in Curse of Fatal Death) has stated that he turned down the role and expressed his regret once he saw how the show turned out.[35] According to Russell T Davies, Martin Clunes (whose television debut had been in the serial "Snakedance" in 1983) was considered at an early stage of development.[36]
The role of the Tenth Doctor went to David Tennant.[39] This was decided before the first episode of the revival aired, due to Eccleston's departure after a single season.
Eleventh Doctor
Russell Tovey auditioned and screen-tested for the part of the Doctor, having been recommended to Steven Moffat's new production team by outgoing showrunner Russell T Davies.[40] Moffat briefly considered casting Peter Capaldi.[41] On November 27, 2008, an Australian Newspaper reported a story hinting that Dutch/Australian actor David Knijnenburg was under consideration for the part.[42] Despite the highly speculative nature of the report, it was neither confirmed nor denied by the BBC or the actor himself and the story was picked up by other sources.[43][44] Comparatively unknown outside Australia, his appointment seemed unlikely although he was favourably recommended by previous Doctor Sylvester McCoy.[45] The role was reportedly offered to Chiwetel Ejiofor, who turned it down.[46]
Ben Daniels revealed to Digital Spy that he had been included on a shortlist of actors in the running for the role, but was not the production team's first choice.[48]
When referring to if the new Doctor would be a woman, incoming Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall originally was quoted in February 2017, as saying "Nothing is ruled out but I don’t want the casting to be a gimmick and that’s all I can say".[55] The role of the Thirteenth Doctor went to Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to play the Doctor in the television series.[56][57][58] She had previously worked with Chibnall in Broadchurch.[59] Chibnall said that he always wanted a woman for the part and that Whittaker was their first choice.[60] Whittaker has said that other actresses auditioned for the part.[61]
Ncuti Gatwa had previously been announced as Jodie Whittaker's successor, making him the first black actor to play the Doctor, and many reports stated he would play the Fourteenth Doctor and that Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor would regenerate into an incarnation portrayed by Gatwa.[64] Upon Whittaker's final episode, in 2022, "The Power of the Doctor", as the character, she instead regenerated into a form seemingly similar to the Tenth Doctor. This character, portrayed by David Tennant, was confirmed to be the Fourteenth Doctor, with later clarification that Gatwa would actually portray the Fifteenth Doctor.
Others
Radio plays
Boris Karloff was approached to play the Doctor for a proposed radio series by Stanmark Productions in the late 1960s. Karloff declined, and Peter Cushing was hired to reprise his film version of "Dr. Who" for a pilot episode titled "Journey into Time" that was recorded, but the BBC passed on the series. As of 2014, the location of the recording is unknown.[65]
Unspecified
In 2013, Bill Nighy said that the BBC had approached him about the possibility of him playing the Doctor, but that he had declined, feeling that the role came with "too much baggage". Nighy did not specify when this occurred out of respect to the actor who was eventually cast.[66] Nighy had appeared in the role of Dr. Black in the 2010 Doctor Who episode "Vincent and the Doctor".
In 2017, Alan Cumming said that he had been approached about playing the character on two occasions, once by Russell T Davies and once by Mark Gatiss, but that the deal-breaker both times had been his reluctance to relocate to Cardiff.[67] Cumming later appeared in the 2018 Doctor Who episode "The Witchfinders" portraying King James I.
In 2022, Ben Miller stated on The One Show that he was asked if he would be interested in being Doctor Who "a few years" ago. He had said he was interested, but "never heard anything else ever again". Miller appeared as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 2014 Doctor Who episode "Robot of Sherwood".[68]