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Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who

Simon Brew


The star of the new take on Sherlock decided against Doctor Who, it’s been revealed…

Published on Jul 28, 2010

It's been revealed in an interview with The Sun newspaper that the star of the BBC's new Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch, declined the chance to go for the role of Doctor Who once David Tennant announced he was vacating the Tardis.

Both Sherlock and Doctor Who now fall under the watch of Steven Moffat, and Cumberbatch had the chance to audition for the role of the 11th Doctor. Cumberbatch revealed that he had a conversation with David Tennant about taking the part, too, before opting to turn it down.

He told the paper that "David and I talked about it but I thought it would have to be radically different. And anyway I didn't really like the whole package - being on school lunchboxes."

The Sun continues to insist that Matt Smith is stepping down as the Doctor after the next series of the show, meanwhile, and Cumberbatch has inevitably been mentioned in association with the role once more. Our thoughts? Leave Smith in the Tardis, and get Cumberbatch making more Sherlocks. That strikes us as a bit of a win-win from where we're sitting...

The Sun

 
Tags
Sherlock | Doctor Who | Matt Smith | Steven Moffat | Benedict Cumberbatch

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Users Comments

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By intheshadows 1 July 28, 2010 07:46:01 AM

The funny thing is, watching Sherlock on Sunday night, it struck me that Cumberbatch reminded me of Tom Baker. And on another note, where would we all be if everyone believed what we read in the Sun. Pinch of salt and all that.

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By TerriblyTwisted 1 July 28, 2010 09:21:12 AM

I really don't believe this, look at it's source The Sun isn't known for it's professional integrity.

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By Sprocket 1 July 28, 2010 10:14:40 AM

Ok, lets all read the article again. Nowhere does he say he was offered the part, he may have been in the running for the role but not offered it. The Sun don't show the question he's supposed to be answering either. He could have talked to DT about the role without being offered it and decided not to follow up on it. Nowhere does he say, Moff offered me the gig and I said no thanks. Usually actors never talk about roles they turn down out of respect for the guy who got the job in the end. Wouldn't be nice to find out you were 2nd choice for a part, would it?

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By Viridis 1 July 28, 2010 10:16:34 AM

"That strikes us as a bit of a win-win from where we're sitting..." I agree with that wholeheartedly. And hopefully they'll do a crossover for Children in Need or comic relief one day! That'd be awesome!

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By cattt 1 July 28, 2010 12:58:01 PM

Wrong. He decided not to try out for the role. An entire universe away from "turning the role down".

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By ztom6 1 July 28, 2010 01:43:14 PM

Can no one on the internet freaking read? It doesn't say anywhere he was offered the part! That's just the Sun making stuff up again.

Fail.
Posted By moorish 1 July 28, 2010 02:01:39 PM

Just hit-whoring bullshit from The Sun. If it WAS the case, Cumberbatch would have to be a pretty enormous dickhead to start blabbing about it in public.

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down auditioning for Doctor Who
Posted By FonceFalooda 1 July 28, 2010 02:50:41 PM

I watched Sherlock and liked it a lot, but honestly it was mostly for the script. Benedict did a fine job, but so could many other people with such a script. Smith, on the other hand, takes an amazing script to weird, wonderful places that few others could. ------ Yeah, Cumberbund didn't AUDITION for the role, for whatever reason, and he probably saved everyone the trouble. From all that I've read (yeah, I know), Smith was their early favorite by a considerable amount, and rightly so. He's just a superb actor, and he looks great on a lunchbox. ;)

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By Cornjob 1 July 28, 2010 07:11:25 PM

And that whole conversation Moff had where he says that Matt more or less won the role right out the gate didn't happen?!?

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By A1nostalgia 1 July 28, 2010 08:07:13 PM

Funny thing, back in 1980 when Peter Davison was offered the role of the Doctor, he felt he had to do it as the idea of turning down such a role would perhaps come back to haunt him. Weirdly Tom Baker always disliked his performance as Holmes yet his Holmesian Doctor in Talons Of Weng chiang is, arguably, his best performance in Who... As for The Sun, I always have plenty of salt on hand, especially about Geek stories... Lets face it, The Sun probably believe Doctor Who is still made using cardboard sets and primary school SFX and Sherlock Holmes should wear a deerstalker, smoke a curly pipe and say "elementary my dear Watson"...

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By Noddle 1 July 29, 2010 01:04:52 AM

To be fair, he probably (hopefully) will say "elementary, dear Watson" at some point. As for The Sun (or, as I like to call it, "The Bog Roll of Tabloids") - Did Not Do The Research, Blatant Lies, and, ooh... I'm pretty certain there's a "Annoying the public to the point of frustration" trope somewhere...

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By A1nostalgia 1 July 29, 2010 07:34:29 AM

I liked the fact Jeremy Brett (for me, the best Holmes by some distance) would make sure never to use the word "elementary" and "my, dear Watson" in the same sentence.

Re: Benedict Cumberbatch turned down Doctor Who
Posted By phortonfour 1 July 30, 2010 12:19:33 PM

Leave the two actors in their respective roles. Holmes and The Doctor are fairly similar characters anyway both come into a situation that needs saving, use their brains to figure it out, and charm everyone along the way. And both have a companion. I'd prefer to see someone like Chiwetel Ejiofer or Paterson Joseph as the next Doctor.
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Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock
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