An unnamed black actor turned down the lead role in 'Doctor Who'.
Peter Capaldi has just been named as the 12th incantation of the Time Lord, succeeding Matt Smith, but show writer Neil Gaiman revealed things could have been very different for the show, though he insisted the mystery man was not the first choice ahead of the 'Thick Of It' star this time round.
He wrote on his blog: "Would I like a person of colour as the Doctor? Absolutely. And there are certainly actors good enough out there that it feels like a missed opportunity. Of course there will be (a non-white Doctor).
"I know one black actor who was already offered the part of the Doctor, and who turned it down. I have no doubt there will be (a non-white Doctor)."
Neil also believes the time will be right for a woman to take on the lead role once Peter's stint at the forefront of the show comes to an end.
He said: "If I were show-running (I'm not) I wouldn't cast a woman as the Doctor yet, and it would absolutely be on my list of things to do in the following regeneration.
"Some of that is stuff I'd find hard to articulate, mostly having to do with what kind of Doctor you follow Matt Smith's Doctor with: someone harder and much older and more dangerous and, yes, male feels right to me, as a storyteller. Where you go after that, ah, that's a whole new game...
"And yes, women can be old, and hard, and dangerous [but] I'd rather see a female Doctor as a reaction to whatever Peter Capaldi is, than as a reaction to Matt's creation. (sic)"
'Luther' star Idris Elba has previously been touted as a possible candidate to play the Time Lord.
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