Billy Connolly Almost Cast as the Eighth Doctor

Billy Connolly has revealed that he was almost cast as the Eighth Doctor in the Doctor Who TV Movie, which was originally broadcast in May 1996. Eventually the role went to Paul McGann, who proved to be a very popular choice for the lead role, despite the story being a disappointment for many fans.

Connolly commented: “It was brought up in a meeting, apparently, but nobody told me until after they decided against it. If I had done it, he would have been angrier, a much angrier Doctor Who. I would have loved it. I'd have taken it.”

Doctor Who Series 6 – Mark Gatiss Rumoured to Play the War Chief

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine featured a Production Notes articles with Neil Gaiman, who revealed some small details about his upcoming story for Series 6. The most important notes he revealed about the episode were: “Now it all starts in void-space, with something – or someone – we have not seen since The War Games, and a knock on the TARDIS door…”

This has caused many fans to speculate that the returning “something” is the War Chief, who played an important role in the epic ten-part adventure The War Games. There has also been a picture posted online by Mark Gatiss of him wearing a moustache, which was titled “Return of the War Chief!”

All of this information combined has led to many fans believing that Mark Gatiss will be playing this role in Neil Gaiman’s episode for Series 6, despite Gatiss already having acted in Doctor Who when playing Richard Lazarus in Series 3. All of this is speculation at the moment, and has been denied by Mark Gatiss. However, the possibility of the War Chief returning is plausible.

Backstage at the Doctor Who Proms

The official Doctor Who website has been updated with photos of backstage at the Doctor Who proms, which were held at the Royal Albert Hall. It also includes quotes from children who either attended the prom or listened to it via BBC Radio 3.

Monika wrote in to the BBC website and said: “Even though I was sitting alone in front of a computer screen it felt so magical! It only took about 32 seconds and I was taken away by this wonderful music.”

Mark attended one of the Doctor Who concerts and then listened again online. “The live drama with the Doctor was absolutely brilliant! When the Doctor appeared in the middle of the arena, the crowd went crazy! Also the fact that the three main cast were on stage hosting was amazing! The monsters were awesome as were the Daleks on stage. And at the end when everyone thumped their feet on the floor, they all came back on stage which was amazing! It was so good I listened to the Radio 3 broadcast on iPlayer the next day!”

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