EastEnders' Shane Richie says he was approached to play lead in Doctor Who

Albert Square got in the way.

By Justin Harp

29 Nov 2022

EastEnders legend Shane Richie has revealed he was once considered for the lead role in Doctor Who.

The soap actor is joining the science fiction franchise for new Big Finish audio stories to take over the classic role of Time Lord Drax, opposite Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor.

To promote the series, Richie has revealed that he was initially considered for producer Russell T Davies' revival of Doctor Who around the time he debuted in EastEnders as Alfie Moon.

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"The deal was I’d go in [to EastEnders] for three months, see the reaction, and then they'd talk about renewing the contract," he told The Radio Times.

"It took off, so I signed a three year deal – but what happened in the meantime was the papers had said I was only going in for three months… and then someone said, 'We just want to know the availability for Shane Richie to play Doctor Who.'

"Of course, it wasn't the monster it is now, so I didn't think any more about it. But there was an availability check and there was some interest. I think my manager had a meeting about it. But I'd signed up to [play] Alfie for three years."

Richie recently returned to the soap after a lengthy absence, and his character Alfie has already got involved in stealing Phil Mitchell's money and trying to win back ex-wife Kat Slater.

shane richie as alfie moon in eastenders

Kieron McCarronBBC

Maybe The Doctor could help him sort his problems?

Doctor Who returns in 2023 on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere. Meanwhile, in the US, the show airs on BBC America, with series 1-12 available on HBO Max. Classic Doctor Who streams on BritBox in the UK.