My Family star, Kris Marshall, has said he would still find it “wonderful” to join “the pantheon” of Doctor Who actors.

While publicising his new show, Beyond Paradise (which is rather excellent and is shown on BBC1 on Fridays), on BBC Radio Cornwall, the show’s host, David White, said that Kris would be a brilliant Doctor; Marshall replied:

“You know, I’ve been hearing this for quite some time. It’s a wonderful show, with an amazing history – one of the vanguard of the BBC shows roster.

“It will be wonderful to have a go at it and join the pantheon – if that’s the right word – of brilliant Doctor Whos there’s been. Whether that happens, I don’t know. I’m really loving what I’m doing at the moment and where I am on Beyond Paradise. Hopefully I’ll be doing this for a while but, you know, never say never.”

(Saying that, he’s never actually seen Doctor Who. At least not the last time we heard…)

Funnily enough, Kris’ name was attached to Doctor Who a few years ago, potentially for the role of the Thirteenth Doctor (which instead went to Jodie Whittaker) — that came as he left Death in Paradise, in which played DI Humphrey Goodman, arguably his best-known part.

He returns as Goodman in Death in Paradise spin-off, Beyond Paradise, a programme set in Devon and filmed extensively in the gorgeous Cornish seaside town of Looe. As another TV staple (albeit on ITV) set in Cornwall, Doc Martin, came to an end with the previous series (and Christmas special), Beyond Paradise was certainly a genius commission by the BBC.

If you’ve missed the first episode, catch up on iPlayer — it’s well worth it.

So might Kris make a good Doctor? I personally think so, but for now, I’m happy we’ve got David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa in the near future…