He emailed his old friend, the writer and producer Russell T. Davies, and asked to
be put on the list of possibles for the title role in the revival of
Doctor Who (2005) series. He has claimed in interviews that he was not a fan of the original Doctor Who (1963) and was really attracted to take the part because of his admiration for Davies as a writer.
I wasn't always such a great fan of Shakespeare, mind you. I can guess
we all at one time had it rammed down our necks at school, which tends
to take the edge off it.