Veteran actor Brian Blessed has said he turned down the lead role in the BBC's Doctor Who back in the mid-Sixties.
In an interview with the Radio Times, the 77-year-old stated that the programme makers asked him to to step in as a replacement for the show's first Doctor, William Hartnell. Blessed said: “After I was in Z Cars, the head of BBC serials took me aside and said, ‘We’re thinking of having a young Doctor Who and we’d like to cast you’. But it clashed with other things.” Hartnell was eventually replaced by Patrick Troughton in 1966.
When asked how he'd respond if he were offered the chance to play the Doctor today, Blessed said: "I'd jump at it."
While Blessed has never played the Doctor himself, he did make a guest appearance on show back in 1986, when he played Ycranos, an alien warrior king.
The actor went on to speculate about possible future casting for the role, stating: "I think they need to re-examine his surname – ‘Who’ is very oriental. It’s about time they had an Asian actor as the Doctor. And a female one.” Who, as fans of the show will know, isn't the Doctor's surname: the character is always referred to as the Doctor.
The eighth season of Doctor Who returns on August 23. Sadly for Blessed, the latest regeneration of the Doctor will be played not by a female Asian, but by a 56-year-old male Scot, Peter Capaldi.
IN PICTURES: Doctor Who, season eight
