Doctor Who could have been played by these two “superstars”

Lately, Doctor Who cast and crew members have been coming together with fans on an almost weekly basis to hold virtual watch parties, truly an inspiring sign of community in these isolating times. The latest took place on April 19, with previous showrunner Russell T Davies joining the rewatch while live-tweeting ” The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End”. This two-part Doctor Who finale featured David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor being shot by a Dalek and then, of course, regenerated. It also featured the conclusions of story arcs for some long-running characters like Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). Although the Tenth Doctor’s story would be wrapped up in a series of specials, this was basically David Tennant’s last “normal” episode of the show before Matt Smith came in to replace him in the role.

Anyway, Davies had all sorts of fun factoids to share. Watching that regeneration scene, he revealed that he had some ideas about who to cast as the Doctor after Tennant, if only for one scene before a permanent replacement was brought on:

Ian McKellen as the Doctor? Judi Dench as the Doctor? Um, YES. That would have been amazing. Can you even imagine two better superstars?!

Do you know what makes this even more interesting? Back in 2003, the controller of drama commissions at the BBC, Jane Tranter, actually wanted Dench to take on the lead role. And if that would have come to fruition, we would have had our first female Doctor long before Jodie Whittaker stepped into the part.

But these fan gatherings have their somber side, too. On Sunday, Doctor Who celebrated Sarah Jane Day, which marks eight years since actor Elisabeth Sladen passed away. Sladen played the role of beloved companion Sarah Jane.

She was so beloved, in fact, that she even got her own spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which ran from 2007-2011. Davies, along with the Doctor Who fandom, cast, and crew, mourned the loss of Sladen while celebrating her time on the series. It was fitting that the group watched “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End,” since Sladen featured in this two-part finale.

But perhaps even more beautiful is this video titled, “Farewell, Sarah Jane,” scripted by Davies himself and narrated by famed English YouTuber Jacob Dudman. It features Sarah Jane’s closest friends saying goodbye to her.

Grab a tissue before you watch: you’ll most certainly need it.

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h/t Digital Spy