Brian Blessed Turned Down the Role of The Doctor

Legendary actor Brian Blessed has gone on record to say he turned down the role of the Doctor in the 1960s when he was a young actor.

Blessed, famed for his roles in Blackadder, Z-Cars and Flash Gordon went on to play King Yrcanos in 1986′s The Trial of a Timelord some 20 years after being offered the lead. Speaking to the Radio Times, Blessed explained how was approached:

“After I was in Z-Cars, the head of BBC serials took me aside and said, ‘We’re thinking of having a young Doctor Who and we’d like to cast you’. But it clashed with other things.”

In 1966 the production team’s choice for the next lead was Patrick Troughton, even reportedly suggested by William Hartnell himself.Also considered for the part however were Rupert Davies, Valentine Dyall and Michael Horden, all of whom rejected the lead for reasons similar to Brian Blessed, an unwillingness to commit to a long-running series.

Asked what his decision would be today, Blessed said (or we imagine roared) “I’d jump at it.”

Somewhat coincidently, in 1966 after leaving Z-Cars the year before Blessed would have been starring on television in The Three Musketeers, just as Peter Capaldi was nearly 50 years later.