10 Doctor Who Facts You Won't Believe Are True
5. Kate Winslet Was Originally In Mind For River Song
Let's all agree now that Alex Kingston did a terrific job as River Song. Okay, cool, moving on.
She's one of the most popular characters in the show's recent history, and a lot of that comes down to Kingston's fiery portrayal. However, in an alternate reality, we would've seen a much bigger name in the role.
Originally, the producers sought to cast Hollywood star Kate Winslet, who had worked with Russell T Davies on the 1991 teen drama Dark Season.
Kate Winslet! Just think about that for a moment.
In February 2009 (not long after River was first introduced) Winslet won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in The Reader. She'd already been in Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Finding Neverland. So imagine if she'd turned up in a Saturday night sci-fi show about murderous shadows.
We'd also have seen Kate Winslet pointing a banana at Matt Smith in Nazi-era Germany, which blows our minds just thinking about it.
Interestingly, the producers also sought Ian McKellen and Michael Gambon for the role of Dr. Moon, so Winslet might not've been such a wild suggestion after all.