EastEnders legend Shane Richie has revealed that he was once in talks to play the titular role in Doctor Who.
The actor, best known for portraying Alfie Moon, was in the running for TV’s famous Time Lord during the early noughties, shortly after his first stint in the BBC One soap.
‘The deal was I’d go in [to EastEnders] for three months, see the reaction, and then they’d talk about renewing the contract,’ he said in a new interview.
“It took off, so I signed a three year deal – but what happened in the meantime was the papers had said I was only going in for three months… and then someone said, “We just want to know the availability for Shane Richie to play Doctor Who.”‘
Shane said that there was ‘some interest’ at the time, as he recalled that Doctor Who wasn’t the ‘monster’ that it is now.
‘I think my manager had a meeting about it,’ he told Radio Times. ‘But I’d signed up to [play] Alfie for three years.’
Shane went on to create TV magic as Alfie in EastEnders and the rest, as they say, is history.
The actor, however, will now play a role in the Doctor Who universe, lending his voice to Connections, an upcoming audio adventure from Big Finish.
The 58-year-old will portray Drax – a character initially introduced in 1979 Who tale The Armageddon Factor.
Alfie Moon, meanwhile, will have a busy festive season ahead of him, as he sets out to win Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) back.
The market trader’s Xmas panto provides the perfect backdrop for his elaborate plan to do so, but will he ultimately succeed?
The jury is still out on that one, we’re afraid! You’ll just have to tune in to find out.
Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Connections is out next month.