Now that Doctor Who season 11 is drawing to a close, we can safely say that the new run has split the fandom somewhat. Many love how showrunner Chris Chibnall has put his own stamp on the series and have embraced Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor. On the other hand, a lot of people haven’t taken to Chibnall’s radically different approach and are still waiting for Whittaker’s performance to click with them.
One thing that fans on either side can agree on, though, is that Bradley Walsh has been fantastic all season long as Graham O’Brien. The dad of the four-strong TARDIS team, Walsh’s warm, charming portrayal of the grieving step-grandad have made him a firm favorite. So much so that there’s been some talk of people wishing he’d been cast as the Doctor instead.
That’s not something that Walsh himself would have been interested, though. While speaking to Radio Times, the actor said that he doesn’t think his performance style would fit with the character of the Doctor and admitted that he would feel intimidated by the Time Lord’s long history and all the sci-fi exposition that the time-traveller has to spout.
“My style can be as manic as the next person’s, but the Doctor has a certain style and, despite regeneration, I think they ostensibly remain the same type of person. And if you don’t know the back catalogue and all the jargon, you’re up against it.”
The most important reason for his lack of interest in the main role, however, is Walsh’s admiration for Whittaker’s take on the Thirteenth Doctor. In fact, it sounds like he wouldn’t swap working with his co-stars for anything.
“Besides, Jodie is absolutely fantastic I love working with her and Tosin [Cole, who plays Ryan] and Mandip [Gill, Yasmin]. Being surrounded by these young actors – it’s terrific.”
Doctor Who season 11 has two episodes left, not including the New Year’s special, and they come in the form of this Sunday’s “It Takes You Away” and the finale, “The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos.” We don’t yet know whether all of the main cast will make it out of the season alive, as Gill has teased that there could be some changes to the line-up for season 12, but we’ll find out soon enough.
