Doctor Who: Brian Blessed Interested in Being Next Doctor

With there being plenty of uncertainty given Peter Capaldi’s future on Doctor Who, there have been several actors to proclaim their interest in the role. Now, we can count Brian Blessed among them.

Fifty years ago, as William Hartnell was going to be leaving Doctor Who, there was a question of who would be his successor in the role. Patrick Troughton was eventually cast as the Second Doctor, with the claim being that Hartnell himself approved of the choice, saying that “There’s only one man in England who can take over, and that’s Patrick Troughton.” However, he was not the first choice of the producers.

Instead, the producers had looked to cast Brian Blessed as the Doctor, to the point where they had discussions about the role before he ultimately turned them down. The rest, as they say, is history, with Doctor Who continuing forward with Troughton and going on to be the longest running science fiction series in the history of television.

More from Doctor Who

• Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who Christmas special is a “complete reinvention”
• Ncuti Gatwa is “so nervous” to take on Doctor Who role
• The Doctor and Donna are better than ever in “Wild Blue Yonder”
• Take the Black: House of the Dragon season 2 trailer hints, the Fallout show, and more
• Jodie Whittaker didn’t pick up on any of the hate for her version of the Doctor

Now, after those fifty years, Blessed is interested in taking on that role if/when Capaldi departs. Should he become the Doctor, it would not be the first time he appeared on Doctor Who, having depicted King Yrcanos during Mindwarp, and had been cast as Odin in The Girl Who Died before health issues kept him from making his return to the show. Now, back at full health, Blessed wants to return, either as the Doctor or in another role.

It would certainly be interesting to see the heavily bearded Blessed as the Doctor. Not only would he be the eldest actor to portray the Doctor, as he is currently 79 years old, Blessed would become the first to have facial hair for much of his stint, unless he were to shave his beard. Hopefully, that would not be a condition of taking on the role should Blessed be offered to be the next Doctor.

It would certainly be interesting to see the reaction should Blessed become the next Doctor. We all remember the uproar when Capaldi became the Doctor, with a faction of the fanbase believing that he was far too old to take on the role. Imagine how those fans would feel seeing Blessed as the Doctor. However, given his talents and resume, as well as his familiarity with the show, he would certainly be an excellent choice should Capaldi depart, provided his health holds up.

Next: Doctor Who needs better scheduling

We have yet another entrant into the quest to be the next Doctor, and Brian Blessed is certainly an interesting option. I would not want to be Chris Chibnall and have to make that decision as to who would take on the role of the Doctor.