Hugh Grant once played Doctor Who's titular Time Lord in charity sketch

The weekend of Doctor Who fans was made a little more interesting on Saturday when UK's Mirror tabloid quoted a "TV insider" as saying that returning showrunner Russell T. Davies was keen to have Hugh Grant take over the role of the show's titular time-traveler. The part of the Doctor is currently portrayed by Jodie Whittaker who will leave the show after two more special episodes to be screened this year.

So, might the Four Weddings and a Funeral and Paddington 2 star be headed for the show? Probably not. Truth be told, a huge number of British actors have reportedly been in the frame to star on the show in recent times, far more than ever actually board the TARDIS, with Grant's Love Actually co-star Kris Marshall a frequently-mentioned possibly Doctor who has yet to bag the role.

The good news? You can actually watch Grant play the character right now! In 1999, during a period when the BBC had stopped making new episodes of Doctor Who, future showrunner Steven Moffat wrote an extended Doctor Who sketch for Britain's annual Red Nose Day telethon. Titled Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death, the skit featured five well-known thesps playing the Doc: Rowan Atkinson, Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, Joanna Lumley, and, yes, Hugh Grant.

Watch Grant in Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death below.

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