“When I signed on, the first series of the new version hadn’t even transmitted,” he said. “I sort of signed up to be in a second series that nobody could really be certain would ever arrive.

“I could have appeared in a regeneration scene at the end of series 1, and that could have been it. I would have been not even the George Lazenby of Doctor Who; if I can make a slightly obscure Casino Royale reference, I’d have been the David Niven of Doctor Who!”

Of course, in actuality, Tennant ended up as one of the most iconic and beloved stars of the show. He not only played the Doctor in three seasons and a host of specials between 2005 and 2010, but he later went on to re-appear as the Tenth Doctor in 50th anniversary special Day of the Doctor, and star as the Fourteenth Doctor for three 60th anniversary specials in 2023.

Tennant recently recalled the moment showrunner Russell T Davies and executive producer Julie Gardner gaged his interest with regards to taking on the role, when speaking with Davies on his own podcast, David Tennant Does a Podcast With….

He revealed he was invited to Davies’s house to watch early cuts of season 1 episodes Rose and Dalek, before Gardner asked him that all important question.

He revealed Tennant’s response, saying:

“There was a pause, and you went, ‘I want a coat down to there.’ And you pointed at your ankle. And I was like, ‘We got him!'”

After leaving the show in 2010 alongside Tennant, Davies is now back at the helm of Doctor Who, with the second season of his new era starting in April, with returning star Ncuti Gatwa playing the 15th Doctor.

The latest issue of Radio Times is out now.