Line #20 WhatCouldHaveBeen/DoctorWho


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/p00pqhp1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:ConceptArt for the Series 5 TARDIS interior.]]
3
4	The ''Series/DoctorWho'' elements that never were. See also the show's [[UnfinishedEpisode/DoctorWho unfinished episode page]].
5	----
6	[[index]]
7	* [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/DoctorWhoClassicSeries Classic Series]]
8	* [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/DoctorWhoNewSeries New Series]]
9	[[/index]]
10	----
11	[[foldercontrol]]
12
13	[[folder:The Doctors who never were]]
14	* [[Series/ZCars Hugh David]] was the first candidate for the role of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoFirstDoctor First Doctor]] before Creator/WilliamHartnell was cast, but was turned down by Creator/VerityLambert for being "too young" at the age of thirty-eight. David would later become a director and helm [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E4TheHighlanders “The Highlanders”]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E6FuryFromTheDeep “Fury From The Deep”]].
15	** [[Literature/WorzelGummidge Geoffrey Bayldon]] was also offered the part of the First Doctor, but turned down the offer due to the fact that production was scheduled for fifty-two weeks and required him to play an old man. Bayldon would eventually go on to portray Organon in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E3TheCreatureFromThePit "The Creature From the Pit"]], and an alternate version of the First Doctor for [[AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho Big Finish]] in "Auld Mortality" and "A Storm of Angels".
16	** [[Theatre/KingLear Alan Webb]], [[Literature/Fahrenheit451 Cyril Cusack]] and [[Literature/DeathInVenice Leslie French]] were approached for the role of the First Doctor as well before the casting of Hartnell. French would later go on to play Lady Peinforte's mathematician in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E3SilverNemesis “Silver Nemesis”]].
17	* '''Creator/BrianBlessed''', Creator/ValentineDyall, Creator/MichaelHordern, [[Series/{{Maigret}} Rupert Davies]], [[Film/TheBloodOnSatansClaw Patrick Wymark]] and [[Theatre/FiniansRainbow Tommy Steele]] were approached for the part of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoSecondDoctor Second Doctor]] before the casting of Creator/PatrickTroughton. However, none of them wished to commit to a long-running series. Blessed would eventually go on to portray [[LargeHam King Yrcanos]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E2Mindwarp "Mindwarp"]], while Dyall would play the Black Guardian in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS16E6TheArmageddonFactor "The Armageddon Factor"]].
18	** Creator/PeterCushing was also offered the role of the Second Doctor before the casting of Troughton. Cushing would later portray a non-canonical version of the Doctor in ''Film/DrWhoAndTheDaleks'' and ''Film/DaleksInvasionEarth2150AD''
19	* Creator/RonMoody was the first choice for the part of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirdDoctor Third Doctor]] before Creator/JonPertwee was cast. However, Moody turned it down due to his reluctance to star in a children's series. Moody [[OldShame later expressed his regret at turning down the offer]], and went on to voice the Duke of Wellington in [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho077OtherLives "Other Lives"]].
20	** Creator/JohnLeMesurier and [[Series/ZCars Stratford Johns]] were approached for the Third Doctor as well before the casting of Pertwee. Le Mesurier turned it down due to commitments to ''Series/DadsArmy'', while Johns declined due to the show’s strenuous production schedule. Johns would eventually go on to play Monarch in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E2FourToDoomsday "Four to Doomsday"]].
21	* [[Series/WaitingForGod Graham Crowden]] was the first choice for the [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourthDoctor Fourth Doctor]] before the casting of Creator/TomBaker. However, Crowden turned down the offer as he didn't wish to commit to a long-running series. Crowden would later go on to portray Soldeed in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E5TheHornsOfNimon "The Horns of Nimon"]].
22	** Creator/JimDale, Creator/MichaelBentine, [[Series/{{Porridge}} Fulton Mackay]] and Creator/BernardCribbins were also considered for the role of the Fourth Doctor before the casting of Baker. Mackay and Cribbins previously played Dr. Quinn and [[{{Expy}} Tom]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS7E2DoctorWhoAndTheSilurians “Doctor Who and the Silurians”]] and ''Film/DaleksInvasionEarth2150AD'' respectively. Cribbins would go on to portray Wilfred Mott.
23	* Creator/RichardGriffiths was considered for the part of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoFifthDoctor Fifth Doctor]] before Creator/PeterDavison was cast. Griffiths was later considered as one of the top candidates to play the [[Characters/DoctorWhoEighthDoctor Eighth Doctor]] had the series not been cancelled in 1989.
24	** [[Literature/TomBrownsSchooldays Iain Cuthbertson]] was considered for the role of the Fifth Doctor as well before the casting of Davison. Cuthbertson previously portrayed Garron in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS16E1TheRibosOperation "The Ribos Operation"]].
25	* [[Film/TheDeathOfStalin Dermot Crowley]] and [[Film/SupermanIII David Fielder]] [[https://youtu.be/iE1Wq8w5qmE were the final contenders]] for the part of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoSeventhDoctor Seventh Doctor]] before the casting of Creator/SylvesterMcCoy.
26	** [[Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1978 Ken Campbell]], Creator/TonyRobinson, Creator/HughFutcher, [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade Alexei Sayle]], Creator/AndrewSachs and [[Series/{{Lovejoy}} Chris Jury]] also auditioned for the role of the Seventh Doctor before the casting of [=McCoy=]. Futcher and Sayle previously played Hickman and the DJ in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E3TheSeaDevils "The Sea Devils"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]] respectively. Sachs would eventually voice an older version of [[spoiler: Adric]] in [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho110TheBoyThatTimeForgot "The Boy That Time Forgot"]], while Jury would go on to portray Deadbeat in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E4TheGreatestShowintheGalaxy "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy"]]
27	** A female Doctor was on the wishlist of many fans for decades before Creator/JodieWhittaker was announced as the [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirteenthDoctor Thirteenth Doctor]], and Creator/SydneyNewman would have had one ready to go in 1987 if he had returned as showrunner - following a season where the Doctor regenerated back into Creator/PatrickTroughton - recommending [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Frances De La Tour]], Creator/DawnFrench and Creator/JoannaLumley for the Seventh Doctor. Lumley would later appear in the non-canonical [[Recap/DoctorWhoTheCurseOfFatalDeath "The Curse of Fatal Death"]] as [[HilariousInHindsight the Thirteenth Doctor]].
28	* Creator/TimCurry was the first choice for the [[Characters/DoctorWhoEighthDoctor Eighth Doctor]] before Creator/PaulMcGann was cast. Curry expressed interest in the part as [[TypeCasting he was keen to take on a character that wasn't a villain]], but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland''.
29	** Creator/LiamCunningham, Creator/MichaelCrawford, Creator/BillyConnolly, Creator/EricIdle, Creator/MichaelPalin and Creator/JonathanPryce were also considered for the role of the Eighth Doctor. Cunningham would later go on to play Captain Zhukov in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E8ColdWar “Cold War”]], while Pryce would portray a non-canonical version of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoMasters Master]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoTheCurseOfFatalDeath "The Curse of Fatal Death"]].
30	** Creator/AnthonyHead, Creator/TimMcInnerny, Creator/RobertLindsay, Creator/NathanielParker, Creator/PeterWoodward, Creator/TonySlattery, [[Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway John Sessions]] and [[Series/TheHangingGale Mark McGann]] screen-tested for the part of the Eighth Doctor as well before the casting of [=McGann=]. Head would go on to play Mr. Finch in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E3SchoolReunion "School Reunion"]], while [=McInnerny=] would portray Halpen in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E3PlanetOfTheOod "Planet of the Ood"]].
31	** Creator/ChristopherEccleston and Creator/PeterCapaldi were both offered the chance to audition for the role, but both declined due to believing that they wouldn't actually be cast as the Eighth Doctor. The two actors would eventually play the [[Characters/DoctorWhoNinthDoctor Ninth]] and [[Characters/DoctorWhoTwelfthDoctor Twelfth Doctors]] respectively.
32	* Creator/HughGrant was originally approached for the part of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoNinthDoctor Ninth Doctor]] before the casting of Creator/ChristopherEccleston. However, Grant turned it down due to his belief that the revival would not take off. [[OldShame He later expressed his regret at turning down the offer having seen how successful the series turned out.]] Grant previously portrayed a non-canonical version of the Doctor in [[Recap/DoctorWhoTheCurseOfFatalDeath "The Curse of Fatal Death"]].
33	** Creator/BillNighy, Creator/ShaneRichie and Creator/AlanCumming were also offered the role of the Ninth Doctor. However, Nighy turned down the offer as he considered the part to be "too much baggage", Richie declined due to filming commitments to ''Series/{{Eastenders}}'' and Cumming backed out after finding out it would take eight months in Cardiff to film it. Nighy would eventually go on to play Dr. Black in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor "Vincent and the Doctor"]], while Cumming would appear as [[UsefulNotes/JamesTheFirst King James VI/I]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E8TheWitchfinders "The Witchfinders"]].
34	** [[Series/JonathanCreek Alan Davies]], Creator/SuzyEddieIzzard, Creator/MartinClunes, Creator/RichardEGrant, Creator/AnthonyHead and Creator/DavidSuchet were considered for the part of the Ninth Doctor as well before the casting of Eccleston. Clunes and Grant previously portrayed Lon and a non-canonical version of the Doctor in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS20E2Snakedance "Snakedance"]] and [[WebAnimation/ScreamOfTheShalka "Scream of the Shalka"]]. Grant, Head and Suchet would go on to play Dr. Simeon, Mr. Finch and the Landlord in [[Recap/DoctorWho2012CSTheSnowmen "The Snowmen"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E3SchoolReunion "School Reunion"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E4KnockKnock “Knock Knock”]] respectively.
35	* Creator/ChrisBarrie, Creator/SuzyEddieIzzard and Creator/DavidWalliams were considered for the role of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoTenthDoctor Tenth Doctor]] before Creator/DavidTennant was cast. Walliams would go on to portray Gibbis in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E11TheGodComplex "The God Complex"]].
36	* Creator/ChiwetelEjiofor was approached for the part of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoEleventhDoctor Eleventh Doctor]] before the casting of Creator/MattSmith. However, Ejiofor turned it down due to scheduling conflicts and contractual disagreements with the [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]].
37	** Creator/JamesMcAvoy and Creator/RussellTovey were the runner-ups for the role of the Eleventh Doctor. Tovey previously played Alonso Frame in [[Recap/DoctorWho2007CSVoyageOfTheDamned "Voyage of the Damned"]], as well as a cameo in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]] — which presumably wouldn't have occurred had he been cast.
38	** Creator/PatersonJoseph, Creator/MathewHorne and Creator/SeanPertwee screen-tested for the Eleventh Doctor as well before the casting of Smith. Joseph previously played Rodrick in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E12BadWolf "Bad Wolf"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays "The Parting of the Ways"]].
39	** Creator/PeterCapaldi was also briefly considered for the part of the Eleventh Doctor, but Creator/StevenMoffat didn't feel the timing was right.[[note]]Moffat was at first adamant that Eleven should be an older actor to contrast with David Tennant, but quickly changed his mind upon seeing Matt Smith's audition.[[/note]] Capaldi would eventually go on to portray the [[Characters/DoctorWhoTwelfthDoctor Twelfth Doctor]] in the series.
40	* Creator/BenDaniels was the second choice for the role of the [[Characters/DoctorWhoTwelfthDoctor Twelfth Doctor]] before Creator/PeterCapaldi was cast.
41	-->'''Daniels:''' I was approached and asked if it was something I'd be interested in doing. Apparently, usually when it's announced that the Doctor is leaving, the new Doctor's already firmly in place. But a BBC email had apparently been leaked, talking about Creator/MattSmith's departure or something, so they had to announce it officially much sooner than they'd have liked. So I was asked, and when I eventually managed to peel myself off the ceiling, I said, "Yeah, of course it'd be something I'd be interested in doing," and I was hugely excited by it. I was a huge fan of the show as a kid, like we all were really. My era was Creator/JonPertwee into Creator/TomBaker and then also when it returned, penned thrillingly by the amazing Creator/RussellTDavies with Creator/ChristopherEccleston. To be thrown into that mix as a possibility was fantastic.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Other characters/casting]]
45	* There have been multiple cases of actors who would go on to play the Doctor having been in consideration for various guest roles:
46	** Creator/PatrickTroughton (Two) was considered for Johnny Ringo in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E8TheGunfighters "The Gunfighters"]].
47	** Creator/ColinBaker (Six) got this a ''lot''. He was considered for:
48	*** Cotton in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E4TheMutants "The Mutants"]].
49	*** Arnold Jellicoe in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E1Robot "Robot"]].
50	*** Aukon in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E4StateOfDecay "State of Decay"]].
51	*** Packard in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E5WarriorsGate "Warriors' Gate"]].
52	*** Persuasion in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E2FourToDoomsday "Four to Doomsday"]].
53	*** Commander Scott in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E6Earthshock "Earthshock"]].
54	*** Scobie, Bilton and Sheard in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E7TimeFlight "Time-Flight"]].
55	** Creator/JohnHurt (War) was considered for:
56	*** Sharaz Jek in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E6TheCavesOfAndrozani "The Caves of Androzani"]].
57	*** The Governor in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E2VengeanceOnVaros "Vengeance on Varos"]].
58	** Creator/PeterCapaldi (Twelve) was considered for Hugo in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E7TheTwinDilemma "The Twin Dilemma"]] and Rev. Wainwraight in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS26E3TheCurseOfFenric "The Curse of Fenric"]].
59	** Creator/DavidTennant (Ten) was considered for Gabriel Sneed in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E3TheUnquietDead "The Unquiet Dead"]], who was originally envisioned as a younger character.
60	** Creator/JodieWhittaker (Thirteen) revealed in September 2018 [[http://wegotthiscovered.com/tv/jodie-whittaker-almost-cast-opposite-matt-smith-2010-doctor-episode that she was nearly cast as a guest character in Series 5]]. She also really wanted to play a villain under heavy prosthetics in Series 11, but then Chris Chibnall informed her that there was another role she might be interested in...
61	* Various proposed companions:
62	** Jenny the freedom fighter from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"]] was considered as a replacement for Susan, which would have changed the tone of the series considerably. They decided to replace Susan with a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute.
63	** Samantha Briggs from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E8TheFacelessOnes "The Faceless Ones"]] was intended to be a companion, but Pauline Collins turned down the offer to become a regular.
64	** Ray, the WrenchWench from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E3DeltaAndTheBannermen "Delta and the Bannermen"]]; the production team instead chose Ace, who joined in the next serial. Funnily enough, Creator/SophieAldred auditioned for Ray (she is fully qualified to drive motorbikes) and was asked to reapply for the part of Ace.
65	** ClassyCatBurglar Raine would have replaced Ace had the series not been cancelled. Finally given existence by Creator/BigFinish, who have made audio versions of some of the cancelled scripts. Julia Sawalha (the Doctor's companion-fiancée from the non-canon Comic Relief story ''Recap/DoctorWhoTheCurseOfFatalDeath'') was considered for the role.
66	* Creator/PatrickStewart's name came up a ''lot'' as a potential guest star, especially during the '80s. In order, he was considered for Professor Watson in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E2TheHandOfFear "The Hand of Fear"]], Aukon in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E4StateOfDecay "State of Decay"]], Commander Scott in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E6Earthshock "Earthshock"]], the Castellan in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS20E1ArcOfInfinity "Arc of Infinity"]], Valgard in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS20E4Terminus "Terminus"]], Vorshak in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E1WarriorsOfTheDeep "Warriors of the Deep"]], Colonel Wolsey in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E2TheAwakening "The Awakening"]], Colonel Archer and/or Lytton in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E4ResurrectionOfTheDaleks "Resurrection of the Daleks"]], the Chief Officer in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E2VengeanceOnVaros "Vengeance on Varos"]], Lord Ravensworth in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E3TheMarkOfTheRani "The Mark of the Rani"]], Orcini in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]], Commodore Travers in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E3TerrorOfTheVervoids "Terror of the Vervoids"]], Bruce/the Master in [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie the TV movie]], and Rassilon in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]].
67	* Creator/NicholasCourtney auditioned for Richard the Lionheart in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E6TheCrusade "The Crusade"]], but lost out to Creator/JulianGlover. Director Creator/DouglasCamfield remembered him and in the next season, cast him as Bret Vyon in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E4TheDaleksMasterPlan "The Daleks' Master Plan"]]. He would later play TheBrigadier.
68	* For some time it has been known that Creator/ElisabethSladen was not the first choice to play Sarah Jane Smith. A different actress was signed up, but it was felt that she wasn't suitable and the part was recast. The actress' identity was revealed in January 2012: [[http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2012/01/dwn100112002512-first-sarah-jane.html April Walker]].
69	* Creator/SimonPegg was originally slated to play Rose's father, Pete Tyler. However, Pegg was unavailable during the filming of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E8FathersDay "Father's Day"]], so his role was transferred to that of the Editor, the human villain of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E7TheLongGame "The Long Game"]].
70	* [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E7TheIdiotsLantern "The Idiot's Lantern"]]: Creator/NicholasHoult auditioned for Tommy Connelly, but he was deemed too young for the role.
71	* Creator/GeorgiaMoffett asked producers to consider her for the role of Rose Tyler, but they decided she was too young and did not allow her to audition, and the role went to Creator/BilliePiper. Moffett instead went on to play Jenny in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E6TheDoctorsDaughter The Doctor's Daughter]]".
72	* Creator/BilliePiper's former husband Radio/ChrisEvans (not [[Creator/ChrisEvans that]] [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse one]]) was planned to voice the Beast in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E8TheImpossiblePlanet "The Impossible Planet"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E9TheSatanPit "The Satan Pit"]].
73	* Creator/RussellTDavies has said that had he seen Creator/FreemaAgyeman's performance as Adeola Oshodi in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E12ArmyOfGhosts "Army of Ghosts"]] sooner than he actually did, he would have rewritten the story so that she survived, and Adeola would have become the Doctor's new companion. Unfortunately, by the time Davies was able to visit the set and see her, she had already filmed her death scene. The resulting compromise was to instead cast Agyeman as Martha Jones, and write a few lines establishing that Martha is Adeola's [[IdenticalGrandson identical-looking cousin]].
74	* [[Recap/DoctorWho2007CSVoyageOfTheDamned "Voyage of the Damned"]]:
75	** Creator/DavidJason was approached to play the role of Mr. Copper. Sadly, he proved unavailable. He'd probably have been more polite to the poor journalist interviewing the cast than Creator/CliveSwift was...
76	** Creator/DennisHopper was offered the role of Max Capricorn, but wasn't available.
77	* Creator/RussellTDavies, Creator/StevenMoffat and company originally wanted Sally Sparrow, the heroine of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E10Blink "Blink"]], to be the Series 4 companion, but her actress Creator/CareyMulligan turned down the offer to become a regular. From there...
78	** Penny Carter would have been the companion in Series 4 if Creator/CatherineTate had not come back to reprise the role of Donna. Russell T Davies's book ''The Writer's Tale'' details more about Penny: she would have been a journalist in her thirties, from the north of England, with a snobbish mother and amateur astronomer grandfather (later re-worked into the characters of Sylvia Noble and Wilfred Mott). She was to be a love interest for the Doctor and join him after she discovered that her live-in boyfriend was cheating on her. A guest character in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E1PartnersInCrime "Partners in Crime"]] was ultimately named Penny Carter in homage to her.
79	* Creator/RussellTDavies has mentioned several times that for characters he's created, he had specific actors in mind for them. One of them was wanting Creator/HelenMirren for Adelaide Brooke in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E16TheWatersOfMars "The Waters of Mars"]]. Creator/LindsayDuncan did an amazing job, but could you imagine having Oscar-winning actors on ''Doctor Who''?
80	* [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E8SilenceInTheLibrary "Silence in the Library"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E9ForestOfTheDead "Forest of the Dead"]]: Creator/MichaelGambon and Creator/IanMcKellen were offered the part of Doctor Moon. Gambon would later play Kazran Sardick in [[Recap/DoctorWho2010CSAChristmasCarol "A Christmas Carol"]], and [=McKellen=] would voice the Great Intelligence in [[Recap/DoctorWho2012CSTheSnowmen "The Snowmen"]].
81	* Before Creator/AlexKingston took the role of River Song, Creator/RussellTDavies had Creator/KateWinslet in mind.
82	* [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E14TheNextDoctor "The Next Doctor"]]: Creator/MartinClunes was orignally cast as Jackson Lake but pulled out.
83	* Creator/JennaColeman was considered for Melody Pond in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E8LetsKillHitler "Let's Kill Hitler"]]. She would later play Clara Oswald.
84	* [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E3ATownCalledMercy "A Town Called Mercy"]]: We missed having both a ''Franchise/StarWars'' '''and''' a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' actor ([[Series/QuantumLeap who, coincidentally, is also versed in time travel]]) on screen at the same time... Creator/ScottBakula said at a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' convention that he was approached to play Isaac, and wanted to do the role ([[JustForFun/OneOfUs he's a fan too...]]), but schedule conflicts forced him to turn the part down.
85	* Creator/MichelleGomez could have played Ms. Delphox in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E5TimeHeist "Time Heist"]], but she couldn't make the audition. [[http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-06-24/peter-capaldi-steven-moffat-and-michelle-gomez-discuss-leaving-doctor-who-2 As she explained it later]], "I was moved to write to Steven [Moffat] saying I was such a huge fan and if in the future if he ever needed someone for a razor-cheek-boned villainess then it’s me."[[note]]She already had a connection with Moffat, as her husband Jack Davenport was the lead star of his previous show ''Series/{{Coupling}}''.[[/note]] This led to her being cast as Missy, the Series 8 BigBad who went on to be central to the Twelfth Doctor's MythArc.
86	* Had Creator/JennaColeman left as planned in [[Recap/DoctorWho2014CSLastChristmas "Last Christmas"]], Creator/FayeMarsay's character Shona [[https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2018-08-06/doctor-who-steven-moffat-replace-jenna-coleman-companion/ was considered as a possible successor companion]] for Clara Oswald.
87	* Ashildr was originally to have been played by [[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0092677/ Katie Boland]], who appeared on ''Series/{{Reign}}'', but actor availability and visa issues for working in the United Kingdom (since Boland is Canadian) meant the end of that idea, so the role went to Creator/MaisieWilliams instead.
88	* [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied "The Girl Who Died"]]: Creator/BrianBlessed was approached to play Odin, but later pulled out due to ill health and was replaced by David Schofield. Funnily enough, this is the [[Film/{{Thor}} second time]] that Blessed was approached to play Odin but ended up being recast.
89	* Before Creator/LallaWard was cast as Romana II, Creator/BelindaMayne was among the actresses considered for the part.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Other revival concepts and miscellaneous projects]]
93	* There were pitches to bring back the series in the early '90s, including one from Creator/TerryNation and Gerry Davis.
94	* At one point in the '90s, Canadian animation studio Creator/{{Nelvana}} proposed a ''Doctor Who'' animated series, which never got beyond the concept art stage. It would apparently have featured a Doctor who dressed like Creator/TomBaker's version but bore a heavy facial resemblance to Creator/ChristopherLloyd.
95	* ''The Dark Dimension'' was a proposed 30th anniversary special that would have featured Creator/TomBaker with Creator/JonPertwee, Creator/PeterDavison, Creator/ColinBaker and Creator/SylvesterMcCoy in smaller roles. It took place in a "dark dimension" timeline in which Creator/TomBaker's Doctor never regenerated. It certainly had potential with such ideas as these floated:
96	** The ExpandedUniverse character Bernice Summerfield serving as the companion.
97	** The alien villain not only stopping Four's regeneration but becoming the prime minister of England in a ploy to TakeOverTheWorld. Now, doesn't that last part sound [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E12TheSoundOfDrums familiar]]?
98	** It didn't happen when it turned out BBC Enterprises (the Beeb's merchandising arm) had no idea how to actually make a TV series, and had neglected such fiddly details as "budgeting" and "checking the actors were interested".
99	* Throughout the early 1990s there was a project for a ''Doctor Who'' cinema film by independent producers Peter Litten, George Dugdale and John Humphreys, with their company going through various names but best known to fans as "Daltenreys". Successive writers who worked on the script were Mark Ezra (writer of ''Film/SlaughterHigh''), Johnny Byrne (writer of a number of early-1980s ''Who'' stories), and Denny Martin Flinn (best known as co-writer of ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry''). The scripts had varying levels of reliance on ''Who'' continuity, but all had heavy SpaceOpera overtones, with Byrne's draft in particular having a surprising amount of FamilyUnfriendlyViolence. Various actors were "linked" with the film in press statements, but the only one confirmed as having been signed for the part was long-time [[UsefulNotes/ScreamQueens Scream Queen]] Caroline Munro (who happened to be married to Dugdale) as TheDragon. After the BBC took back the rights to make the [=McGann=] TVM, Daltenreys unsuccessfully sued them for compensation.
100	* In 1997, there were plans for a crossover novel with ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' but it was scrapped due to the lack of success of [[Film/JudgeDredd the film]]. Eventually the book was published as the Sixth Doctor ''Literature/DoctorWhoMissingAdventures'' novel ''Burning Heart'', in which the ''Dredd'' characters and elements were given different names and terminology but were still [[CaptainErsatz extremely recognisable]].
101	* During The80s and The90s there were many attempts to adapt the show for American audiences (like what happened with the ill-fated attempt with another popular British Sci-Fi show in ''Franchise/RedDwarf''). One TV series idea would have featured Creator/BillCosby in the role, while a pitch for a movie included the Doctor being played by '''''Music/MichaelJackson''''' (coincidentally, Bill Cosby would've been the next pick for the role if Jackson wasn't available). At some point, even Creator/JimCarrey was considered (though seeing as Carrey never saw any episodes of the series, he likely would have turned it down if he was offered for the same reasons as seen above).
102	* Creator/RussellTDavies reportedly submitted a pitch for a low-budget revival of the show as early as 1998/99. This would have featured a group of kids in an everyday suburb befriending a crazy old man (or woman) who claimed that they used to travel in space and time, and discovering that they weren't so crazy after all. The parallels to ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' have not gone unnoticed with fans.
103	* Part of the reason why it took until 2005 for the series to be relaunched was the BBC's cinema arm BBC Films claiming priority and trying to get a movie made in the late-1990s/early-2000s. None of their attempts got to the point of a script being drafted or casting being settled, but among individuals reported at different times to have been approached or to have approached the BBC themselves were Ed Solomon (writer of the ''Franchise/BillAndTed'' films and the first ''Film/MenInBlack'' film) and Creator/PaulWSAnderson.
104	* Among the alternative pitches made for the 2005 relaunch were Dan Freedman's fantasy retelling (to have continued from the web series "Death Comes to Time"), Matthew Graham's Gothic-styled pitch, and Creator/MarkGatiss' reboot, which would have made the ''Doctor'' the audience surrogate character instead of his companions. Only the Freedman and Gatiss proposals ever got as far as written form; Graham's was an informal discussion without any specific proposals.
105	** Robert Shearman reported another proposal where the Doctor would have been like Peter Cushing's Dr Who, a human who'd built the TARDIS in his back garden, with other sources reporting it apparently came from some of the team behind BBC drama ''Born and Bred''.
106	* Mal Young, who was Controller of Continuing Drama Series at the time the relaunch was commissioned, suggests that absent Creator/RussellTDavies, the series would have returned eventually, but the setup would have been bringing in a team of writers who had a producer to oversee them, in line with other BBC dramas of the period, rather than having a showrunner.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Spinoff Concepts]]
110	* William Hartnell had an idea for a spinoff called ''The Son of Doctor Who,'' in which he would also play the Doctor's evil son. Nothing ever came of this, but the overall concept might have branched off into the characters of the Meddling Monk and, later, the Master; Hartnell would get to play an evil lookalike as the Abbot of Amboise in "The Massacre."
111	* During the early part of Creator/TomBaker's era on the show, he and Creator/IanMarter wrote a speculative script for a feature film called ''Script/DoctorWhoMeetsScratchman'', which would have been a surreal tale of the Fourth Doctor, Sarah and Harry fighting a reality-warping entity calling itself "Harry Scratch" who was strongly implied to be {{Satan}} himself and who Baker imagined being played by Creator/VincentPrice. There was an unfortunate situation when Baker talked about this in a radio interview and semi-seriously suggested that the budget be crowdfunded by fans — a number of fans sent money in to Baker or the BBC, which had to be returned when BBC lawyers explained that this would be seriously illegal under the rules at the time for soliciting financial investments for a commercial venture. The script was eventually novelised by Baker and James Goss in 2019.
112	* Creator/AmicusProductions' Milton Subotsky planned a third film, but not a Dalek film, but a mid-80s TV-adjacent film, Doctor Who's Greatest Adventure, an adaptation of Guy N. Smith's Literature/NightOfTheCrabs with a new Doctor aiding an older incarnation (intended to be played by Creator/JonPertwee) in stopping a giant crab invasion of Scotland.
113	* Jago and Litefoot's double act from Season 14's [[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang "The Talons of Weng-Chiang"]] was so well-received that a spinoff focused on them was seriously considered at the time. ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' eventually realized it in audio form, which quickly became one of their most popular and critically acclaimed ranges.
114	* According to RTD, we got ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' because BBC executives were pressuring him to do a children-oriented spin-off about the Doctor as a child inventing sonic screwdrivers, which he, like everyone who was actually familiar with the show, thought was a terrible idea.
115	* Regarding suggestions/assumptions that the Paternoster Gang's heavy presence in Series 7B and Series 8 opener [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E1DeepBreath "Deep Breath"]] was deliberately seeding a spinoff for them, while they warranted lots of ExpandedUniverse material in short stories, novels, ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' comics, and especially ''Magazine/DoctorWhoAdventures'' long after "Deep Breath", an actual show never materialized (although Big Finish began an audio series in 2019). Supposedly this is because Creator/StevenMoffat owns the rights to the characters as a trio as opposed to individuals. Moffat himself had proposed a spin-off earlier, but possibly only for the sake of the terrible joke title for a series about a Victorian lesbian reptile woman: ''[[Literature/TippingTheVelvet Tipping the Scales]]''.
116	* Rose Tyler was originally supposed to get a holiday special entitled "Rose Tyler: Earth Defence". It was scrapped when the producers decided that it would ruin Rose's touching farewell in the main series.
117	* UNIT was considered for a spin-off, but due to the BBC actually owning the rights to UNIT, it never happened.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Other]]
121	* The whole show! ''Doctor Who'' was originally conceived as a series which would '''avoid''' clichés like bug-eyed monsters. Then along came the Daleks. And the Daleks' creator Creator/TerryNation had created the Daleks to avoid the image of an actor in a suit, which ''Doctor Who'' would eventually do many times.
122	** The [[https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a28912546/doctor-who-original-story/ earliest pitch]] for the story, by CE Webber, was called ''The Troubleshooters'', conceived at least partially as the BBC's answer to ''The Avengers'', which was then one of the most popular series on commercial television, and envisioned a group of scientific consultants in the near future who solved unusual cases, with a moral dimension to each story. The three main characters were envisioned as a "handsome young man hero", a "handsome well-dressed heroine, aged about 30" and a "maturer man, 35-40, with some character twist". Sydney Newman (who had co-created the aforementioned ''Avengers'') insisted on a change because he felt that the show wouldn't be accessible to children if all of the characters were experts, adding what became Susan Foreman. The other three characters would, of course, become Ian, Barbara and the Doctor.
123	* Creator/RussellTDavies expressed interest in utilizing the Raston Warrior Robot from [[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors "The Five Doctors"]], but nothing ever came of it. At least during his first era.
124	* Disney considered buying ''Doctor Who'' in the late '80s and early '90s, and was even considering opening up a "walk-through" TARDIS in Disneyland if they did.
125	* At one point RTD was planning on talking to his opposite numbers in the USA who were behind the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise about doing some type of crossover or charity special, but the cancellation of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' put an end to it, although the legal and logistical concerns made it a long shot to begin with. This concept was eventually realized in an IDW comic book miniseries.
126	* Creator/NigelKneale was once asked to write for the series, but he declined.
127	* Creator/DennisPotter also considered writing for the show.
128	* [[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/thebatgranny/ This website]] has details of most of the unmade episodes.
129	* American horror writer Creator/JoeHill submitted a few ideas to the show (he'd gotten help from Creator/NeilGaiman), but received a rejection on the grounds that ''Doctor Who'' has never been written by Americans, and that "[[BrutalHonesty even if one did, it wouldn't be him]]".[[https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/02/03/bbc-joe-hill-no-american-written-doctor-who/]]
130	[[/folder]]
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Context WhatCouldHaveBeen / DoctorWho