The first black Doctor Who was almost a reality, according to the show’s executive producer.
Steven Moffat has revealed that the role of the Time Lord was offered to an unnamed black actor, but “it didn’t work out”.
Despite stopping short of revealing who the actor in question was, Radio Times have insisted they have it on good authority that it was Chiwetel Ejiofor.
According to the magazine, the '12 Years A Slave' star was unable to agree terms with the BBC and the part was eventually handed to Matt Smith.
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Chiwetel Ejiofor
Joel Ryan/Invision/AP
In an interview with the official 'Doctor Who' magazine, Moffat went on to say that there was “no excuse” for the BBC series to not feature a more diverse cast.
Speaking about the casting of Pearl Mackie, whose father is from the West Indies, as The Doctor's companion, Steven said there was still more to do.
"We decided that the new companion was going to be non-white, and that was an absolute decision, because we need to do better on that. We just have to," he said.
"I don't mean that we've done terribly - our guest casts are among the most diverse on television - but I feel as though I could have done better overall."
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Steven Moffat
Mike Marsland via Getty Images
Moffat, who is also the lead writer on ‘Doctor Who’, said he would be keen for his show to have two lead black actors.
"Two non-white leads would be amazing,” he said. “In fact, a lot of people would barely notice.
"I certainly don't think there's ever been a problem with making The Doctor black, which is why it should happen one day.
“I mean, we’ve tried. The part has been offered to a black actor. But for various reasons, it didn’t work out.”
He added that diversity within the cast could only be a positive thing for the television industry.
"Outside of the fiction, it's about anyone feeling that they can be involved in this industry as an actor, a director, a writer,” he said “It's hugely important, and it's not good when we fail on that. We must do better.”
'Doctor Who' Celebrity Appearances
Anne Robinson(01 of11)
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Anne voiced a robot version of herself, the hillarious Anne Droid, in the episode 'Bad Wolf'. The Anne Droid fronts a dystopian version of 'The Weakest Link', who obliterates contestants with a laser, rather than the 21st century Anne's acidic putdowns.The episode also saw Davina McCall playing a Davinadroid, who hosted a futuristic version of 'Big Brother' (we suppose that would be an Emmadroid now...). (credit:BBC)
Peter Kay(02 of11)
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Beneath those alarming prosthetics sits Peter Kay, who went all out for his appearance in the episode 'Love & Monsters'.The Northern comedian played The Abzorbaloff, who masqueraded as a human being, in an episode in which The Doctor and his companion featured only briefly.We suppose if you'd splashed out on that costume you'd want it to be seen as much as possible... (credit:BBC)
Kylie Minogue(03 of11)
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Kylie played Astrid Peth, companion to David Tennant's Doctor in the 2007 Christmas special, 'Voyage Of The Damned'.She received a mixed reception for the part, which was created especially for her by producer Russell T Davies, with most of the action taking place on a re-imagined futuristic Titanic.Good boots, too. (credit:WENN)
David Walliams(04 of11)
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Another British comedian who underwent quite the makeover for his 'Who' role.David played the Gibbis in the episode 'The God Complex', a rodent-like alien who encounters Matt Smith's Doctor when he crash-lands in what appears to be an 80s hotel.And you thought 'The Shining' was weird... (credit:BBC)
Suranne Jones(05 of11)
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Suranne had the honour of playing a new incarnation of a 'Doctor Who' staple in 2011, when she took on the role of a humanoid version of the TARDIS.In 'The Doctor's Wife', Surrane plays Idris, a human who takes on the personality of the TARDIS, with Michael Sheen also making a voice appearance in the episode. (credit:BBC)
James Corden(06 of11)
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James played The Doctor's temporary housemate, Craig Owens, in the episode 'The Lodger', which sees The Doctor stranded on Earth, and forced to fit in with everyday humans.He reprised the role in the following series, during which he's married to Sophie (Daisy Haggard), who Matt Smith's Doctor helped him get together with, and they have a baby son. (credit:BBC)
Olivia Colman(07 of11)
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Olivia's 'Doctor Who' role was a fairly ordinary one... oh, unless you count those terrifying gnashers, that is. (credit:BBC)
Keeley Hawes(08 of11)
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Like several guest stars before her, Keeley's appearance in the last series of 'Doctor Who' was only meant to be a one-off stint.However, her appearance as the villainous Ms Delphox was so well-received by Whovians that they can look forward to her reprising the role in the latest series. (credit:BBC)
Derek Acorah(09 of11)
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In a rare moment of self-awareness from Derek Acorah, he appeared in a brief cameo role during the episode 'Army Of Ghosts', joking that he'd no longer be of use once ghosts began to roam the earth.It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance on a TV screen, but we enjoyed it nontheless. (credit:BBC)
Catherine Tate(10 of11)
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Viewers were so taken with Catherine Tate's portrayal of Donna Noble that she eventually wound up as the Doctor's companion, and went on to become one of the most popular characters of the modern era of 'Doctor Who'. (credit:BBC)
Peter Capaldi(11 of11)
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Does he look a bit familiar to you?Long before he was cast as the Twelfth Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi made an appearance during David Tennant's time as Time Lord, playing Caecillius in an episode set in ancient Pompeii. (credit:BBC)