If there is anything that can come close to the status of ultimate British TV classic, it will have to be ‘Doctor Who’. The series has been entertaining us for over six decades. Its legacy remains unmatched.
So, it’s no surprise that ‘Doctor Who’ has been the launching pad for many stars in the industry that we love today. The show’s ever-changing characters fill it with countless celebrity cameos, many of which you probably completely forgot. These are ten actors whose ‘Doctor Who’ appearances are almost impossible to believe today.
10. Joe Dempsie
Right before he was cast as Gendry in ‘Game of Thrones’, Joe Dempsie made a brief appearance in ‘Doctor Who’. He played the role of Cline in the Season 4 episode “The Doctor’s Daughter”.
You might remember that episode for the Tenth Doctor’s adventure on the war-torn planet Messaline, where Cline led a small group of troops. Interestingly, the role was reportedly also auditioned for by Daniel Kaluuya. But he also didn’t have to wait long to get his break in ‘Doctor Who’.
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9. Letitia Wright
Before she became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Letitia Wright first gained attention through British TV. One of her early roles came in ‘Doctor Who’, where she appeared as Anahson in the Season 9 Episode 10 “Face The Raven”.
Anahson was the orphaned child of an alien, who escaped slavery and found refuge on the hidden Trap Street in London. It was later revealed that her mother Anah was actually placed into stasis as a trap to lure the Twelfth Doctor.
8. James Corden
Though he is a household name today in America as a late-night talk show host, James Corden was once a very familiar face on British television. He appeared in ‘Doctor Who’ as Craig Owens, an ordinary man who became the Doctor’s companion.
In the episodes “The Lodger” and “Closing Time”, as well as the exclusive mini-episode “Up All Night”, you can see Corden’s Craig having an unexpectedly funny chemistry with Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor.
7. Michael Gambon
What could be more quintessentially British than two of its biggest fantasy franchises crossing over for a Christmas special inspired by Charles Dickens? Albus Dumbledore himself appeared in the 2010 ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas episode, “A Christmas Carol”, inspired by Dickens’ classic story.
He played the role of Kazran Sardick, a bitter and wealthy man inspired by the character of Ebenezer Scrooge. The episode followed the Eleventh Doctor as he takes Kazran on a journey through his own past, giving him a chance to improve his present self.
6. Felicity Jones
Jones also made a memorable appearance in ‘Doctor Who’ when she guest starred in the season 4 episode “The Unicorn and the Wasp”. This was the show’s famous take on the real-life disappearance of legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie.
Set in 1926, the episode followed the Doctor as they investigated a murder mystery alongside Christie herself. Jones plays the role of Ada Mullins, a seemingly respectable guest who is secretly a master jewel thief responsible for a string of robberies at country houses.
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5. Maisie Williams
Joe Dempsie wasn’t the only ‘Game of Thrones’ star to make a memorable stop in the Whoniverse. Fresh off her fame as Arya Stark, Maisie Williams joined the series as Ashildr.
Williams debuted as the young Viking girl in Season 9’s “The Girl Who Died”, before returning in many other episodes. Her role was so loved that rumours quickly started to spread that she could replace Jenna Coleman as the Doctor’s next companion. Though that didn’t happen, she still remains a beloved face in the show.
4. Carey Mulligan
One of Doctor Who’s most unforgettable episodes was in Season 3’s “Blink”, where we get introduced to the terrifying Weeping Angels. Carey Mulligan gives an amazing performance in the episode as Sally Sparrow.
Unlike most episodes, we rarely get to see the Doctor in this one. Instead, the viewers mostly follow Sally as she unravels the mystery of the statue-like creature that can only move when no one is looking at it. The role even earned her the Constellation Award for Best Female Performance in a Science Fiction Television Episode.
3. Olivia Colman
In Matt Smith’s debut episode as the Eleventh Doctor, we see Olivia Coleman’s brief appearance in the show. In the season 5 episode “The Eleventh Hour”, she played the role of a mother. Her physical form is adopted by the shape-shifting Prisoner Zero.
Coleman had a pretty small role, though she was already a very established actress at the time. Writer Steven Moffat even expressed his regret at not using the chance to create a more impactful villain for Coleman.
2. Daniel Kaluuya
When Daniel Kaluuya was first starting his career in the acting industry, he earned a small role in ‘Doctor Who’. He played the role of Barclay in the 2009 Easter special “Planet of the Dead”.
The episode saw the Tenth Doctor and a group of London Bus passengers accidentally getting transported to a deserted alien world overrun by deadly flying creatures. Barclay is one of the passengers, who used his knowledge of mechanics to help the Doctor in getting everyone safely back to Earth. His quick thinking even earns him a recommendation from the Doctor to UNIT.
1. Andrew Garfield
Long before he became Spider-Man and started earning Academy Award nominations, Andrew Garfield got one of his earliest breaks in ‘Doctor Who’. He played the role of Frank in the two-part story “Daleks in Manhattan” and “Evolution of the Daleks.”
Set during the Great Depression, Frank is a young man from Tennessee who makes his way to Manhattan before getting caught up in one of the Daleks’ deadly schemes. And yes, the English actor attempts a very unconvincing Tennessee accent throughout the episodes, but that only makes his appearance even more memorable.
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