Doctor Who: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Rani
9. Gandalf Was Almost Her Companion
And speaking of Dimensions in Time, it was hoped that the Rani would be accompanied by none other than Gandalf himself, Sir Ian McKellen! Kate O'Mara and Ian McKellen working together is a pairing even more enticing than Doctor Who and EastEnders, wouldn't you agree?
In the opening scene of Dimensions in Time, the Rani works on her plan to ensnare all the Doctors as the unsettling CGI heads of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton float by. She's assisted in this by her companion, Cyrian, who was named after the recently-knighted Ian McKellen. Cyrian/Sir Ian. Get it? This was decided by co-writer David Roden, who was an acquaintance of McKellen.
Roden had hoped that this affectionate tribute would convince McKellen to actually sign on in the role. Alas, it wasn't to be, and Samuel West was cast instead. West would later graduate from evil Time Lady's assistant to evil Time Lord, when he was cast as Morbius opposite Paul McGann in Big Finish's Eighth Doctor Adventures range.
Ian McKellen himself would later appear alongside Sylvester McCoy in The Hobbit trilogy, and finally got a role on Doctor Who as the voice of the Great Intelligence in 2012's The Snowmen.