Hugh Grant Could Have Been The Ninth Doctor Who
By Sam Callahan
Doctor Who‘s Russell T. Davies recently came clean about whom he originally pursued for the revived role of The Doctor in 2005.
Russell T. Davies rebooted the classic British series after a 15 year hiatus, broken up in 1996 by a TV movie starring Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor whose tenure extends to Big Finish radio dramas, novelizations, and an appearance in a prequel mini-episode for the 50th Anniversary episode in 2013, “The Day of the Doctor,” written by Steven Moffat. (watch it here). In a recent interview, Davies revealed some pretty big news about Hugh Grant.
According to iNews, Russell T. Davies was talking about his new project, A Very English Scandal, which stars Hugh Grant, when Davies shared,
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"“[A Very English Scandal] was a miracle really with Hugh Grant. I have always wanted to work with Hugh Grant. Always. I literally offered him Doctor Who in 2004.”"
Hugh Grant actually has already played The Doctor in “Doctor Who and the Curse of the Fatal Death”, which aired in 1999 for Comic Relief. (watch it here).
He played alongside Rowan Atkinson, Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, and Joanna Lumley, the last of whom was technically the first female Doctor, even though this mini-episode isn’t considered canon.
Hugh Grant is one of my favorite British faces, having graced my adolescence with charm and providing my family with our most quotable romantic comedies:
Given Hugh Grant’s scandal 20 years ago, I wonder how or if it would have affected the Doctor Who reputation and success, especially since it was all still pretty fresh when Doctor Who was revived in 2005.
I am a bit proud that, so far, nobody in the Doctor Whoniverse has been implicated in the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
Would it have become as globally popular as it did after Eccleston’s series?
My main hesitation with fantasizing about a Doctor Hugh is that if Hugh Grant had accepted the role, then we may not have gotten David Tennant, who was cast when Christopher Eccleston left the show, and who knows what butterfly effect this timey-wimey reversal would have created.
“The Doctor’s Wife” season 6 via GIPHY
So, basically, time
can
be rewritten, and it would be a delight to watch Hugh Grant as the Doctor, especially for this thirsty girl, but if it would have meant sacrificing Tennant, Smith, and Capaldi, and (Goddess-forbid!) Whittaker, then
“Forest of the Dead” Season 4 via GIPHY
The role of the Ninth Doctor ultimately went to Christopher Eccleston, who ended up being an amazing choice for the future success of the show.
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Unfortunately, he only lasted one season due to tensions among the production team, forcing Davies to scramble to find a new Doctor. Thankfully, he found David Tennant.
Here is a fun song John Barrowman, David Tennant, and Catherine Tate did for Russell T. Davies, illustrating his struggle re-creating the show after a 15 year hiatus: