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In 2005 BBC revived Doctor Who. The last regular episode of the series had aired in 1989, and aside from a 1996 television film, the franchise had been dormant. The 2005 revival featured Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor. However, he wasn’t BBC Studios Productions’s first choice. In another world, we could’ve had Hugh Grant or Bill Nighy as the Ninth Doctor.

This interesting bit of trivia came out during a reunion conversation between Eccleston and Billie Piper, who played his companion Rose.

“Did you read with any other doctors?” Eccleston asks during a panel at Florida Supercon.

“No, you were already on board,” Piper replies.

“Because they wanted Bill Nighy,” Eccleston adds.

“Did they...?,” asks Piper, who seemed just as surprised as some members of the audience.

“Bill Nighy turned it down. Hugh Grant turned it down. Bastards,” Eccleston jokes.

It’s hard to imagine anyone but Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, but I can’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like to have Hugh Grant and Bill Nighy piloting the Tardis. Maybe in another timeline.

If you want to start watching Doctor Who and don't know where to start, check out our handy Doctor Who watch guide. Or maybe you're already finished with the show - We've got the perfect Ten shows to watch when you're done watching Doctor Who guide for you too. If you're already heads over heels for the Fifteenth Doctor and want to learn more about the actor playing him, check out what he's been in before here. Or maybe you just need to figure out how the new series numbering is going to work (Are there really gonna be two series 1s? Yes.) - if so, this is the explainer you want.