The Time Lord known as the Doctor has had many faces in his 50+ years on-screen, but there have been just as many that we didn't get to see.

We now know for a fact that at least one other actor was considered for the part of the 11th Doctor, before Matt Smith landed the part and blew us all away.

But who else almost took up the TARDIS controls? You might be surprised by some of these names...

Here's what Game of Thrones would look like if the intended actors had been cast

1. Brian Blessed as the second doctor

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Yes, really. Blessed claims that he was on a list of actors considered to replace William Hartnell in 1966, until he was pipped to the post by Patrick Troughton.

Can you imagine? He'd be able to bark even the Daleks into submission with those booming tones.

2. Bernard Cribbins as the fourth doctor

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"I did go along for an interview when Jon Pertwee was leaving," Cribbins - who many years later played beloved Wilfred Mott - told Digital Spy in 2013.

"I sat there with the producer and he said, 'What can you do?' so I said, 'Well, I was a paratrooper, so I can fight…' and he said, 'Oh no, no, no, no fighting at all!'

"Of course, Tom Baker got the job and one of the first things he did was knock somebody out!"

3. Richard Griffiths as the fifth doctor

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Griffiths was a popular choice with the Doctor Who creative team, it seems - by all accounts, he almost landed the lead on not one but two occasions.

First, he was a contender to play the Fifth after Tom Baker's mammoth 7-year run, then he was apparently in contention to step in for Sylvester McCoy - if the show hadn't been axed in '89.

4. Dermot Crowley as the seventh doctor

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You might know Crowley best as Idris Elba's surly boss Schenk on Luther - but back in the late '80s, he was eyed as a possible Doctor after Colin Baker's acrimonious departure.

Sylvester McCoy was the producer's top choice, though. Maybe if Crowley had been able to play the spoons?

5-9. Liam Cunningham and Hugh Laurie and John Slattery and Anthony Head and Jeff Goldblum as the eighth doctor

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Oh, the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie. As bonkers as the final product was, it was nothing compared to what might have been.

Though the final episode serves as a continuation of 'classic' Who, the film was originally envisioned as a reboot, with the Doctor hunting for his missing father Ulysses, while battling his sinister half-brother The Master.

In the early stages, dozens of actors from all across the globe were considered for the lead - including Laurie, future Buffy star Head, Game of Thrones actor Cunningham, Slattery (Mad Men's Roger!) and Jeff freakin' Goldblum.

Other names considered to a greater or lesser degree include Kyle MacLachlan, Tim Curry, Michael Palin, Matt Frewer, Gary Sinise… and, for some unfathomable reason, 'Wicked Game' singer Chris Isaak.

Oh, and two actors named Christopher Eccleston and Peter Capaldi. Wonder what ever happened to them?

10. Hugh Grant as the ninth doctor

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Russell T Davies wisely wanted to bank a big name to front his 2005 revamp and his first port of call was movie star Grant (who'd briefly played the character in a Comic Relief skit scripted by Steven Moffat).

Grant turned it down, though later admitted to regretting the decision once Doctor Who became a huge hit with Eccleston at the helm.

"I was offered the role of the Doctor a few years back and was highly flattered," he revealed in 2006. "It's only when you see it on screen that you think, 'Damn, that was good, why did I say no?'"

11. Bill Nighy as the ninth doctor

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Or alternatively...

Nighy was a hot favourite to front the new Doctor Who under RTD - one tabloid even got overexcited and accidentally printed his name instead of Eccleston's in the eventual casting release.

The Love Actually star confirmed in 2013 that he had been "approached" about the part, but felt it came with "too much baggage" - though he'd later make an uncredited cameo as an art expert in Richard Curtis's 2010 episode, 'Vincent and the Doctor'.

12. Ben Daniels as the twelfth doctor

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Bit of a Digital Spy exclusive, this one.

House of Cards actor Daniels was high on many bookies' lists in 2013, following the announcement of Matt Smith's departure. But it wasn't until Peter Capaldi was cast that the whole truth came out.

"I was approached... and I was hugely excited by it," he confessed to DS. "But I also knew from the outset that there was a name ahead of my own... that they were very interested in.

"The Doctor is a fantastic character and... if you want to, there's a huge scope for an actor to really sink your teeth into. It'd be an absolute privilege."

Unfortunately for Daniels, Capaldi was more than eager to take up the baton. Maybe next time?

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