Reece Shearsmith cast as Patrick Troughton
It seems the cast for Mark Gatiss’s Doctor Who Biopic is shaping up nicely. They recently announced the casting of Harry Potter’s David Bradley to play William Hartnell, and now Reece Shearsmith will take on the roll of 2nd Doctor Patrick Troughton. Reece, of course, is well know to fans of The League of Gentlemen, and whilst there is an element of showbiz nepotism in the casting from fellow Leaguer Gatiss, Shearsmith is a really good fit for the part.
Gatiss has said he first approached Shearsmith about the idea of playing Troughton around 12 years ago when the idea of a Doctor Who biopic first came to him, and he notes a number of similarities. “Like the second Doctor, he’s small, saturnine and a comic genius. The complete package. He thought it was a fantastic idea and I’ve kind of nurtured it all this time.”
It’ll be interesting to see if they are only using the first 2 Doctors, or if they are going to cast 3rd Doctor Jon Pertwee as well. If that is the case, I would love to see them approach his son, actor Sean Pertwee, although I’m not sure what his feeling would be on playing his own father… I suspect it’ll be a little odd for him, as it will for Troughton’s children (2 of which are also actors), regardless of whether he plays the role, or someone else does. However, having had a brief chat with Sean via Twitter recently, he has said he’s looking forward to seeing the biopic saying “The whole project sounds awesome”, so if you’re reading this Mark, give Sean a call. ;)
Jamie Glover from Waterloo Road has been cast as William Russell who played Hartnell companion Ian Chesterton, whilst William Russell himself will be making a cameo as a different character, which must be a surreal experience for all involved!
With An Adventure in Space and Time, and the 50th Anniversary Special coming this year (which is rumoured to feature all the Doctors in some capacity), 2013 is looking like it’s going to be a great year for Who fans!
