Time isn’t a strict progression of cause and effect; from a non linear, non subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey… stuff. It twists and it turns, and it could have taken a lot of different paths at different points.

Like, for example, with the part of the Doctor. As with any piece of casting, there was an audition process, and a shortlist, and finally an actor was eventually cast - but what if things had gone differently? What if the final choice for the Time Lord had gone to one of the other finalists?

These are the men - and women - who nearly took on the TARDIS…

1) Brian Blessed - The Second Doctor

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Would it have worked?

In general terms, most likely yes; Brian Blessed is a decent actor, and I’m sure he would have had an interesting interpretation of the part to give. The only question, though, is would he have worked as the second Doctor? In 1966, he would have been just 30 years old, and it’s a legitimate question as to whether or not audiences would have accepted a much younger man in the role of the Doctor, particularly when they’d never seen such a transition happening before.

Would it have been better than what we got?

Probably not, no - Patrick Troughton is, quite rightfully, remembered as one of the best Doctors, and in many ways he defined a lot of the role as we know it today. Matt Smith, for example, named him as a real influence, and you can see touches of Troughton’s portrayal in all who came after him. Technically speaking, the jelly babies actually came from him, not Tom Baker! It’s difficult to say whether or not Brian Blessed would have been able to do anywhere near as good a job.

2) Richard Griffiths - The Fifth Doctor

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Would it have worked?

Absolutely - Richard Griffiths was a wonderful actor, and a huge fan of sci-fi. He was quite close to taking on the role on two separate occasions, actually; he was almost our fifth Doctor and our Eighth Doctor. Alas, though, it was not to be - scheduling conflicts prevented him from taking on the role of the fifth Doctor, and the minor issue of Doctor Who’s cancellation stopped him from portraying the Eighth incarnation. The idea certainly captured fans’ imaginations, though; the above picture of Griffiths and the Daleks comes from a 1990s issue of Doctor Who Magazine.

Would it have been better than what we got?

Another one which is hard to judge really; Peter Davison did a great job as the Doctor, and the only issues with his tenure are ones which would have plagued Richard Griffiths as well. Behind the scenes difficulties and issues with scripts, though primarily associated with the latter half of the 80s run, were beginning to emerge even during the fifth Doctor’s time. It’s undeniable though that Griffiths would have had a very different interpretation of the Doctor than Davison.

3) Rob Lowe - The Eighth Doctor

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Would it have worked?

Out of hand, I’m immediately inclined to dismiss this idea - Rob Lowe is an American, damn it, he can’t play the Doctor! That’s just not how it works! But, in all fairness, he’s a pretty amazing actor; I recently watched him in You, Me and the Apocalypse, and he was phenomenal. Certainly, he’d bring a lot to the role - he’s quite a charming actor - and he’d be by far the most attractive Doctor. (Sorry, Paul McGann and David Tennant.)

Story continues