These Doctor Who stars almost played totally different parts, and it would have made the Whoniverse completely different.
It’s hard to imagine a world in which these Doctor Who stars played completely different roles, but if fate had not intervened, the Whoniverse would look very, very different.
Digital Spy dug around at some of our favorite characters, and offered a look at who ALMOST played who.
David Tennant as Gabriel Sneed
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The character of Gabriel Sneed first appeared as an undertaker in 2005 in “Unquiet Dead. Sneed was initially imagined as a much younger character, so then-writer Mark Gatiss thought Tennant would be perfect. When Sneed was aged-up, it was fortuitous for Tennant, since it freed him to play the tenth Doctor.
Simon Pegg as Pete Tyler
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Although Simon Pegg played the evil Editor in the first season’s “Long Game,” rumor has it he was considered for a much more important role. When it came time to cast for the role as Rose’s father, however, Pegg was probably too busy. At the time, his movie-career was taking off, with roles in Mission Impossible III and his own Hot Fuzz, it was most likely inconvenient for Pegg.
Michael Gambon as Doctor Moon
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Colin Salmon eventually landed the part of the Doctor Moon’s human persona, but it’s reported that both Michael Gambon and Ian McKellan turned it down first. In an ironic, Whovian twist of fate, both McKellan and Gambon went on to appear in the show eventually.
McKellan voiced the Great Intelligence in the 2011 Christmas Special, “The Snowmen,” and Gambon played the Scrooge-inspired character, Kazran Sardick in the aptly named “A Christmas Carol” in 2010.
Peter Kay as Elton Pope
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Although Marc Warren wound up playing Elton in the polarizing “Love & Monsters,” the roles of hero and villain were almost switched. Peter Kay was up for the role of Pope, but decided he wanted to play the alien, Abzorbaloff, instead.
Michelle Gomez as Ms Delphox
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It’s hard to imagine Michelle Gomez playing any role but the Master, but she was almost cast at Ms. Dephox. Steven Moffat was inspired to cast her as Missy after seeing her name on the list of actors auditioning for Ms. Delphox. Luckily, she didn’t get the role, and went on to embody one of the most iconic characters in the Doctor Who mythology.
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Jenna Coleman as Mels
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Jenna Coleman auditioned, and was rejected for the role of Mels, Amy Pond’s best friend in the 2011 episode, “Let’s Kill Hitler.” The part eventually went to Nina Toussaint-White, but Coleman made quite and impression on the Doctor Who folks. When it came time to replace Karen Gillian, Coleman was still on their minds, and the rest is, well, history.