by David Tennant revealed that he was in the running for the role of James Bond alongside Daniel Craig, but only found out years later.
Craig has starred in the last five 007 films, first appearing in Casino Royale in 2006 and ending his run with No Time To Die in 2021.
Speaking on the Acting For Others podcast, Doctor Who star Tennant said he recently found out that producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson were at one point considering him to play the fictional secret service agent.
He recalled: “I never thought I did, until I recently worked with a director who had worked with Broccoli, who said ‘Yeah, you were on the list that time.’
“I was like ‘What time? What are you talking about?’ She said “Yes, last time”.
“I suppose it must have been Daniel Craig; before then I would have been a child ”.
The 51-year-old Scottish actor added: “I think it was quite a long list and I don’t think I’ve ever been very close to the top. But apparently that’s the way it is ”.
Following Craig’s swan song performance as 007 in No Time To Die, there has been much speculation as to who will take over, with Rege-Jean Page, Henry Cavill and James Norton among the bookies contenders.
Asked if he wonders what his life would have been like if he got the role, Tennant said, “I think it’s probably a bit of a game changer, that level of stardom.”
He himself was catapulted into widespread recognition when he joined the Tardis in 2005 to play the 10th Time Lord, with his final episode of Doctor Who airing on New Year’s Eve in 2010.
The actor said he lost his anonymity after joining the science fiction series, saying, “It was a different scale than anything I had done before in terms of general public awareness.
“You can somehow be known in the industry and there’s a whole thing where you suddenly find yourself in people’s living rooms and they have some sort of ownership over you, in a way.
“And it’s a multi-faceted experience, and a lot of it is very beautiful, but there are parts where you can’t really anticipate what it feels like, I think.”
Tennant will return to the show alongside Catherine Tate, who played her partner, Donna Noble, in scenes that air next year to coincide with the series’ 60th anniversary celebrations.
