Now a fan favourite in The Walking Dead, David Morrissey reminisces about the six months he spent as The Next Doctor...
During a chat about his fantastic new role as the Governor in The Walking Dead's third season, David Morrissey kindly answered a question or two about his time on Doctor Who.
The guest star of the teasingly-titled 2008 Christmas Special The Next Doctor, which aired just weeks after David Tennant announced he was stepping down from the role, Morrissey found himself at the epicentre of Who rumours (an experience not dissimilar to being in the TARDIS when it exploded, we'd wager).
Spinning the gossip? Russell T. Davies, who asked Morrissey to play along and deny nothing as cover for the real story...
When you were playing along with those 'Is David Morrissey The Next Doctor?' rumours, was there a part of you that would have loved them to be true?
Yeah, there was a bit. It’s a great show, and I was slightly thrown by all that. David (Tennant) announced he was going and this rumour mill began, and I couldn’t say what I knew, but it was a very fun place to inhabit for six months. When people thought it was going to be me, that was great. And also I think that Russell is just a wonderful person, so it was great to even be associated with that, but I think it’s in good hands now.
Were you a fan of Doctor Who growing up?
No, not at all. No, I was really not, it was not my bag. I was also slightly suspicious of people who were. I had one great friend who could quote passages from the books, you’d go into his house and he had all the books and he wore a Tom Baker scarf, and I loved him dearly but I was also slightly… Apart from Liverpool Football Club, I’ve never been in love with anything in that way. I was in love with acting and drama and film and theatre but never one specific genre in that way and Doctor Who, I thought it was alright, but it never got in my bones in that way.
Saying that, the relaunch did. I watched it because my kids watched it, so I suddenly got into it in a different way, but no, I was never really into it as a child. It was always on at the wrong time for me, I was always out playing football.
The Doctor’s former companions often find themselves back in the TARDIS for an episode or two, is that something you’d be open to?
Ah, I’d love that. I would absolutely love to do it again. I had such a ball doing it. Mark Gatiss says, you know, there’s nothing more blissful for him to write than “Interior TARDIS: Day” or whatever on the top of one of his scripts, it’s living the dream. And for me, when I went down and worked on it, I thought ‘This is great’, it’s a really well-run show, people take it very seriously but you have fun on it. And l loved that character, I really loved Jackson Lake, I thought he was a really interesting man, he was in some sort of trauma himself and the Doctor liberates him from that…
He was another troubled parent, like the Governor…
[Laughs] Another man going down the toilet, I wonder why! But also at the end he’s full of joy. I’d really jump at the chance to do that.
Duly noted, Morrissey. Anyone around to have a word in Mr Moffat's ear?
