We have heard about some strange suggestions for Doctor Who – Dawn French anyone? – but this may just be the strangest.


Apparently the late singer Michael Jackson was put forward for the role of the Time Lord in the late 1980’s by Hollywood Studio Paramount Pictures which was considering a big screen remake of the classic.

According to Charles Norton’s new book Now On The Big Screen: The Unofficial And Unauthorised Guide To Doctor Who At The Cinema, Jackson’s was one of the names suggested when the project was being considered in 1988 – as was Bill Cosby’s of The Cosby Show fame.

Apparently Jackson, who had just released the Moonwalker film, was quite keen but if he hadn’t come through Cosby was considered the ideal replacement.


The irony of course is that Moonwalker wasn’t a narrative film as such that required the former king of Pop to act but was more of an anthology of videos. But we will let that one pass.