David Tennant reveals he was in the running to play James Bond

David Tennant has been in some iconic British projects across his career: Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Broadchurch, St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, to name just a few.

But in a parallel universe, the actor fronted the biggest British franchise of all time, as he revealed that he came fairly close to playing 007 himself in the iconic James Bond movies.

Speaking on the Acting for Others podcast (from seven minutes 13 seconds in), Tennant revealed that he was in consideration to play Bond when producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson were rebooting the series in the mid-2000s following Pierce Brosnan's panned Die Another Day.

What to read next

Shane Anthony Sinclair//Getty Images

"I never believed I had [been considered], until I worked with a director recently who had worked with the Broccolis who said, 'Yeah, you were on the list that time.' I was like, 'What time? What are you talking about?'" he said.

"He went, 'Yeah, the last time.' I suppose it must have been Daniel Craig, before that I would have been a child! I think it was quite a long list and I don’t think I was ever very near the top of it. But apparently so."

Obviously, Daniel Craig ended up playing Bond, and despite saying he would quit many times throughout the years, he ended up making five films across over a decade and a half. Meanwhile, Tennant played the fan-favourite Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who between 2005 and 2010, returning for the 50th anniversary in 2013 and will be back again for the 60th anniversary special next year.

"I bet it's a bit of a game-changer, that level of celebrity," he said about being a James Bond actor, stating that playing the Doctor is similar, but not on such a huge level.

Doctor Who's next special premieres on October 23 on BBC One in the UK. In the US, the show airs on BBC America, with series 1-12 available on HBO Max. Classic Doctor Who streams exclusively on BritBox in the UK.