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David Bradley “Would Love to” Play the First Doctor Again

David Bradley has said he’d “love to” play the First Doctor again in Doctor Who.

The part, of course, was first played by William Hartnell between 1963 and 1966, then again for the series’ 10th anniversary celebrations in 1973. Bradley, however, took on the role after playing Hartnell in a 50th anniversary docudrama, which David namechecks when questioned whether he’d come back:

“Well, I enjoyed doing An Adventure in Space and Time, playing the actor who played Doctor Who, and then with Peter Capaldi I played Doctor Who itself and it still fascinates me.

“And yes, if ever I get the call, I would always love to — I would love to.”

(Kind of lovely how he calls the character “Doctor Who”, don’t you think?)

After taking on the role of William Hartnell in An Adventure in Space and Time, David Bradley (who had previously played Solomon in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship) appeared as the First Doctor at the end of The Doctor Falls, leading into the Twelfth Doctor’s swansong, Twice Upon a Time.

We most recently saw him again in the Thirteenth Doctor’s last episode, The Power of the Doctor.

So he’s appeared in the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Doctors’ eras!

Could we see him again in the 60th anniversary specials, starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor? Or in Series 14, with Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor? We’ll just have to wait and see. We wouldn’t be shocked to see him cameo in one of the three specials coming later this year…

Philip Bates

Editor and co-founder of the Doctor Who Companion. When he’s not watching television, reading books ‘n’ Marvel comics, listening to The Killers, and obsessing over script ideas, Philip Bates pretends to be a freelance writer. He enjoys collecting everything. Writer of The Black Archive: The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang, The Silver Archive: The Stone Tape, and 100 Objects of Doctor Who.

David Bradley “Would Love to” Play the First Doctor Again

by Philip Bates time to read: 1 min
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