Star of Unforgotten says TV bosses need to ‘break the taboo’ and embrace diversity. (Image: Joe Maher/Getty Images)
When she took over stewardship of the Tardis in 2017, there was concern about how fans would react to a woman in what had been a traditionally male role. But since Whittaker, 39, announced last year that she was quitting the BBC series, TV bosses are said to have been considering “a range of radical options”.
And Bhaskar, best known for his role as DI Sunny Khan in ITV drama Unforgotten, reckons that should involve taking the opportunity to cast an ethnically diverse actor.
“Firstly, it’s great that we’ve had a female DoctorWho, and why shouldn’t it have been a woman?” says the actor and comedian, who battled the Cybermen alongside Peter Capaldi’s Time Lord in 2014.
“The term doctor is not gender-specific. The doctor is an alien and aliens can regenerate to anything. It really was time for a female to take on that role although I imagine for some people that’s not what they expected. But that’s an evolution for you.
“As for it being the first woman, Jodie has been a pioneer and hopefully now a person of colour will play it. I really don’t see any reason as to why not – until you break that taboo, it will just remain a taboo.
“One hundred years ago, women couldn’t be leaders of countries or CEOs of multinational companies and that changed because we’ve evolved and people have enough of an understanding for that to happen.
Bhaskar as Colonel Ahmed in Doctor Who in 2014. (Image: BBC)
He says the shoes of the Time Lord, soon to be vacated by Jodie Whittaker, are huge ones to fill. (Image: BBC Studios/James Pardon)
“I watched Bridgerton in lockdown and it was the first drama to really reflect a diverse cast, which was great.”
But what about those who complain that colour-blind casting is ruining British drama? “If you are going for historical accuracy, then it’s a slightly different matter and you maybe choose a white cast,” concedes Bhaskar, 58. “But if you’re not and you’re trying to tell a story about that time then get the most interesting people for the job.
“If the person is right for the job, it shouldn’t be a big deal really what colour their skin is. It’s the same as whoever plays the Doctor. Moving forward, it would be great to see a person of colour but primarily I want them to be really good.”
This year heralds the return of screenwriter Russell T Davies, who helped to revive the iconic sci-fi show in 2005. He will resume his role when current writer Chris Chibnall departs, as the show prepares for its 60th anniversary in 2023.
One of his first responsibilities will be to decide who takes over the Tardis following Jodie’s exit. Perhaps Sanjeev could be the next Doctor Who?
“I’m a huge fan of Russell T and I love the fact that he was responsible for revitalising the show with Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. I thought it was extraordinary and it became mustwatch TV again,” says Bhaskar.
Bhaskar will be back in Unforgotten later this year. (Image: Mainstreet Pictures/ITV)
Nicola Walker won’t be returning to the Series 5. (Image: Mainstreet Pictures/ITV)
“I was in a two-part special with Peter Capaldi – it was his final scenes as the doctor – but he (Davies) didn’t write my role as he had left by the time I arrived.
“But I have been sending messages to let him know that I’m available! I would have thought that if he were to ask me, he would have asked by now. Anyhow, I’ve always maintained that I’d be better as a ‘Dentist Who’ or a ‘Locum Who!’,” he chuckles.
“But in all seriousness, I do think the pressure of having those shoes to fill would be too much.”
Danny Dyer is one of the bookmakers’ favourites to take over but the actor has previously insisted that if he got the role, he wouldn’t change his strong Cockney accent.
Would that diminish the Doctor’s standing as a time-travelling genius? “I really don’t think so,” insists Sanjeev. “If you go back to the 60s the things that changed British film were regional accents. Take Michael Caine. Apart from his first film, where he was posh, he was always just Michael Caine.
“Tom Courtenay was in the first series of Unforgotten and he came through in the 60s with his accent from Hull, so it’s not a new thing. Peter Capaldi did not have a posh plummy accent and neither does Jodie.
Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal Comic Relief ‘Love Wins’ t-shirts. (Image: Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal – Comic Relief via Getty Images)
“If it works for the programme then it works for the characters and I think it makes it more interesting anyway. People bring diversity in terms of their colour or gender.
In Britain, it’s about regional voices from the North East, North West, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, or the West Country; that specificity of voice brings something different to the character. And sometimes it makes the character stand out more.
“I played King Arthur in Spamalot. I was the first person of colour to play the role. If people were thinking about my colour before the show started and were still thinking about my ethnicity when they left, then I hadn’t done my job. My favourite Shakespeare film is Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado
About Nothing, which stars DenzelWashington, and at no point when I watched the film, did I think about a ‘black guy in Italy’.”
Bhaskar’s own career includes the sketch show Goodness Gracious Me, and The Kumars at No 42, in which he played an aspiring chat-show host whose celebrity guests spent more time talking to his family than him. Both co-starred his wife, the actress and writer Meera Syal. He is also known for his dramatic roles in Unforgotten and The Beatles film Yesterday. But whether he’s regarded as an actor or a comedian depends on which country he is in, he says.
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“It made me laugh when I read a Tweet posted by an American fan, who had seen me in the Richard Curtis comedy Yesterday. It read, ‘I saw Yesterday at the theatre and it had Sanjeev from Unforgotten in it. He does comedy, who knew?’ It was obviously a surprise whereas, in the UK, it’s the other way around!” Bhaskar is looking forward to filming Unforgotten’s fifth series in March.
He will be back as DI Khan, despite the tragic death of his boss, played by Nicola Walker, in the season four finale. He admits that he will miss her on set and says they are still in touch.
“She and her family came over to our house for lunch not long ago and we message one another regularly,” says Bhaskar. “It’s not a given that you have a bond and we agreed that our connection was meaningful after the first read-through. On her last series, we were walking back from filming and she turned and said, ‘You know how special this is, don’t you?’
“We had so many funny moments on set and in one scene from series three, we had to interview one of the suspects – The Crown actor Alex Jennings – and we were sitting across the desk from him and the cameras were rolling.
“At this point, there was a natural peal of thunder and Nicola said ‘lightning’, and then we both started singing, ‘the way you love me is frightening… I better knock on…’ and then we both knocked on the desk and stopped, and Alex burst out laughing. But that is typical of how in sync we are.”
But before Unforgotten returns, we will hear Bhaskar narrating the second series of UKTV’s Secrets Of The Transport Museum, which returns tonight. Filmed at Brooklands museum, the iconic motorsport and aviation venue in Surrey, it brings to life the stories of pioneers both past and present.
Growing up near Heathrow airport in west London, Bhaskar is passionate about aircraft and, in a forthcoming episode, makes a special visit to check out a fully restored Concorde.
“I met a couple of air hostesses who flew on the original Concorde and they gave me a 35-minute tour of the aircraft,” he explains. “It brought back lots of happy memories because I flew on Concorde in the early 90s after I entered a competition run by BA to win a free flight for two to NewYork.
“I made my friend enter it too – the nowfamous film composer Nitin Sawhney – and he won so he had to take me! Neither of us had any money but we got this free trip and had $600 to last us a week. We slept on a friend’s floor.
“When we were heading back to London, we got to the airport and we were directed to the Concorde lounge.We couldn’t believe it – we had gone out on a regular flight but, for four hours, we genuinely got to live the high life and it’s an experience I’ve never forgotten. I think it was as exhilarating as getting a guided tour around the Tardis by Peter Capaldi!”
- Secrets Of The Transport Museum returns to Yesterday channel every Tuesday at 8pm from tonight