Russell Brand: 'I'm Up For Playing Doctor Who'

Russell Brand has declared that he would be interested in taking the helm of the Tardis after Doctor Who.

The comedian and movie star was ranked as an outsider by bookies in the betting on the next Time Lord, but has now addressed the subject in an interview - and seemed enthused by the idea.

DJ Christian O'Connell quizzed him on the subject on the Absolute Radio Break Show, and Russ replied: "Yeah, I'd love to be him, I'd be like a Tom Baker one, like a sort of long scarf, flouncy, wistful, quoting occasional poems, kicking cyber-men in the nuts. This is what the country needs."

And asked whether his reputation as a ladies' man would influence the role, he answered: "I would just travel through time pinching people's arses. Carry on up the worm hole. Like quantum physics, so that is actually perfect.

"No, we can't have that in the Tardis, 'ere it's a lot bigger on the inside."

However, respected fantasy author Neil Gaiman, who has penned a couple of episodes of Doctor Who, has stated that he thinks an unknown actor should replace Smith.

He wrote on his blog: "I actually like it when The Doctor is a relatively unknown actor, or one without one huge role that made them famous.

"I like to see The Doctor as The Doctor, and an actor who doesn't bring baggage is a grand sort of thing. A star waiting to happen. So I don't want to see Helen Mirren or Sir Ian McKellen or Chiwetel Ejiofor, or any of the famous names people are suggesting.

"I want to be taken by surprise. I want to squint at a photo of the person online and go, 'But how can that be The Doctor?'

"Then I want to be amazingly, delightedly, completely proven wrong, and, six episodes in, I want to wonder how I could have been so blind."

Smith recently announced that he would be leaving the show after the Christmas special this year.