10 Actors Who Turned Down Doctor Who

Dating all the way back to the 1960s, Brian Blessed was in line to replace the very first Doctor. Although he was enthusiastic for the role, Blessed allegedly wanted to make some drastic changes to the part, which the BBC weren't willing to comply with. One of these ideas included changing the race of the Doctor, to make the protagonist Chinese. Brian also had other projects in line which may have clashed with the filming schedule of the programme.

Brian didn’t completely leave the series behind, as during the Sixth Doctor's era, he played King Yrcanos in ‘The Trial of a Time Lord’. The actor has also admitted he’d still love to play the title role, if given the chance.