Tom Hanks on playing The Doctor in Doctor Who: “That would’ve been a blast”
Tom Hanks has played some pretty famous roles in movies in his time, starring in many of the best-loved films of the modern era. But it turns out, he might have also enjoyed taking on one of the most iconic television roles, that of the Doctor in the BBC’s science fiction hit Doctor Who.
When asked about conversations regarding being on the show by Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (video clip below), Hanks admitted that it sounded like fun – but went on to say that he didn’t think it would necessarily have been a good idea…
“That would’ve been a blast, but that’s all – that’s all scheduling I guess. Can’t do every job!”
Hanks went on to suggest that an American in the TARDIS might cause upset amongst fans because Doctor Who is such a quintessentially British show.
“And honestly, me as Doctor Who– can you imagine? Can you imagine the outrage? I’m an American, and I’m gonna go over, and I’m gonna jump in that you know, red telephone box, and you know, and either wear a scarf and whatever it is…”
But he did think that perhaps if he was going to be on show, perhaps he could have taken on the role of another famous character, the Doctor’s most famous foe.
“I would’ve played one of the Daleks, maybe. I would’ve been inside one of those big salt and pepper shakers talking in that automated voice– with an English accent, by the way.”
Hanks has mentioned in the past that he grew up in the 60s watching Doctor Who and has a great affection for the show.
”We got our first colour TV in 1968, and in California that meant meant all these extra channels nobody watched, filled with trippy Japanese cartoons – and ‘Doctor Who’!
”And we always watched because the English video just looked so weird, and you had the guy with the big red hair and the bow tie [Jon Pertwee]” he told ContactMusic.
Added the Hollywood Star: ”And everyone talked in English accents and there were these big salt and pepper shaker robots and we’d look at each other and say, ‘Can you make any sense out of this?’ But it was intriguing. And that’s the root of my affection.”
But for now, it seems, the Forrest Gump star will be sticking to Hollywood rather than Cardiff – but who knows, maybe he’ll turn up as a Dalek on the show when you least expect it! In the 60th anniversary or season 14? Yes, please!
- Love Doctor Who? Get all the latest Doctor Who news and views from Screen OD
- Looking for some entertainment? Have you tried our general knowledge quiz questions and answers yet? Or browse all the Screen OD quizzes.
- Want to supercharge your streaming? Take a look at our guide to Netflix secret codes for TV and movie fans
- Love TV and movies? Try Screen OD on YouTube...
