When Merlin had its fifteenth anniversary in 2023, the creators shared some new information about its development. Some of that information included how connected the show had been to the world of Doctor Who. After developing a script for the pilot, the creators contacted Julie Gardner and Russell T. Davies for advice on how to move forward.
In addition to the behind-the-scenes support, there were a few future Doctor Who leads considered for the leading parts, with Matt Smith nearly playing Merlin and Karen Gillan considered for the role of Gwen. In fact, the duo shared in 2016 that the Merlin auditions were where they had first met!
Of course, that casting what-if would have all sorts of ripple effects, since Merlin concluded in 2012, two years after Matt Smith (and four after Karen Gillan)'s debut in Doctor Who. But it shows just how connected the two series might have been. But even without such a major cross-over, there are several actors that starred in both.
Here, we break down the eleven most prominent Merlin actors who were also in Doctor Who, including what role they played in each.
Colin Morgan
While Matt Smith might have been considered for the part, Colin Morgan is the man who won the role of Merlin in the final version. He was a relatively young actor, at age 22 when Merlin debuted, which made him perfect for playing the naive, inexperienced version of the character. Naturally, his chemistry with Bradley James also helped make him the perfect fit.
Morgan's first roles were both connected to Doctor Who, with his first television appearance coming on The Catherine Tate Show and his second as Jethro in Doctor Who's Series 4 episode "Midnight." His character was a teenager on-board the bus to see the Sapphire Waterfall, and he stood out for defending the Doctor (and mocking the other passengers) when panic took over.
Angel Coulby
Ironically, of the main four Merlin actors, the only other one to be on Doctor Who was Angel Coulby, who'd competed against Karen Gillan for her role as Gwen. At the start of the show, Coulby played Gwen as the meek but loyal servant to Lady Morgana, but she showed off her acting prowess as that role expanded, becoming Arthur's true love and Camelot's queen.
Years earlier, Coulby had appeared in the Series 2 Doctor Who episode "The Girl in the Fireplace." In that episode, she played Katherine, a close friend of Reinette (Madame de Pompadour). While the two were walking in the gardens, Katherine suggested that Reinette might be able to catch the eye of the King and become his new mistress, a suggestion that was borne out later in the episode.
John Hurt
Although he was never seen on-screen, John Hurt was a critical part of Merlin. He voiced the Great Dragon (Kilgharrah) and served as the narrator, which allowed him to be credited in every episode of the series. In his role as the dragon, Hurt did an excellent job displaying compassion, contempt, and wisdom just through his voice.
Of course, Doctor Who fans will know him better as the forgotten Doctor between the Eighth and Ninth versions: the War Doctor. He appeared in two episodes of the show, along with "The Night of the Doctor" minisode. In addition to his brief but memorable time on-screen, Hurt voiced the War Doctor in four audio drama collections.
Richard Wilson
The final Doctor Who - Merlin crossover actor to have appeared in every episode of the Arthurian show is Richard Wilson, who played Merlin's tutor and guardian Gaius. Besides a few episodes where he was enchanted, Gaius was a generally kind but reserved character, who took his duties as Merlin's mentor and Camelot's Court Physician seriously.
Ironically, he played a medical role in Doctor Who as well, appearing as Dr. Constantine in the Series 1 episodes "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances." He worked at Albion Hospital (more irony), noticing and documenting the gas mask phenomena. Constantine was then able to inform the Doctor about its progression before eventually falling victim to it himself.
Anthony Head
The next actor to appear on both Merlin and Doctor Who is likely very familiar to sci-fi and fantasy fans, as he is best known for his role as Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Anthony Head played the unrepentant King Uther Pendragon, who outlawed magic in Camelot after the death of his wife. Though he was loved by his son, Uther was an overall terrible person, killing magic users indiscriminately and serving as the single greatest cause of Morgana's dark turn.
Before being cast on Merlin, Head had joined the cast of Doctor Who as Mr. Finch in the Series 2 episode "School Reunion." He was actually a Krillitane named Lassar, who was posing as the headmaster of Deffry Vale High School in order to crack the Skasis Paradigm and become a God. Head was also considered for playing both the Eighth and Ninth Doctors, going on to voice Baltazar in the animated series Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest.
Rupert Young
Rupert Young is best known to Merlin fans as the possibly immortal Sir Leon, while his Doctor Who connection is much less known. Sir Leon first appeared in Series 2 of Merlin, where he was a relatively minor knight. However, he grew to become one of Arthur's most loyal supporters, earning his spot at the Round Table.
IMDb claims that Young appeared but was not credited in the Series 5 episode "The Pandorica Opens," but he has denied being in that episode. However, Young did join the overall Doctor Who universe by voicing a character named Binkum Fray in The Seventh Doctor: The New Adventures: Volume One audio dramas.
Tom Hopper
Continuing the trend of looking at Arthur's knights, actor Tom Hopper played Sir Percival, a young man who chose to join Arthur's fight after his village was destroyed by Morgana's forces. He was initially introduced as a friend of Lancelot's, though he would go on to spend more time with Gwaine after becoming a knight.
Hopper appeared in Doctor Who in the Series 5 premiere "The Eleventh Hour," where he played Jeff Angelo. The character was a friend of Amy's who got swept up in the Doctor's attempts to deal with Prisoner Zero. While he only appeared in person in one episode, the character was referenced through a drawing in "The Wedding of River Song."
Adetomiwa Edun
Adetomiwa Edun (sometimes credited as Tomiwa Edun) is a Nigerian actor whose first major role was as Sir Elyan, Gwen's brother and a Knight of the Round Table, in Merlin. He joined the show in Series 3, where he grew from being a prodigal son to a loyal knight. Despite initially being characterized as a flighty adventure-seeker, Elyan proved how much family and duty meant to him.
On-screen, Doctor Who fans will know Edun for playing Mr. Brock in the 2016 Christmas special "The Return of Doctor Mysterio." Brock was originally a human who worked for the Harmony Shoal Institute in New York, but he was eventually taken over by the Shoal, with his body still being used by them in the Doctor Who: Legacy game. Edun was also featured in two episodes of The War Master audio dramas.
Alexander Vlahos
Like Rupert Young, Alexander Vlahos is an actor who is visibly recognizable by Merlin fans while perhaps being best known to Doctor Who fans for his voice. Vlahos joined the cast of Merlin in its final season, taking over the role of Mordred from Asa Butterfield. His version of the character looked up to Arthur, defending him from Morgana until Arthur killed the woman he loved.
Vlahos has never appeared in Doctor Who (although he has spoken about how the Doctor is his dream role), but he has played many parts in the audio dramas. He began his journey in the audio world playing Prime Enforcer Arcalia in the Gallifrey series but has now played at least six distinct roles in Doctor Who audio dramas and video games, alongside major actors like Christopher Eccleston and Alex Kingston.
Michelle Ryan
Michelle Ryan is an actress who left a mark on both Merlin and Doctor Who, despite not appearing on-screen much in either show. On Merlin, she played Nimueh, the main antagonist of Series 1. She had been the one who used magic to allow Ygraine to conceive Arthur, resulting in her death and Uther's hatred of all things magic.
On Doctor Who, Ryan played the would-be companion Christina de Souza in the 2009 episode "Planet of the Dead." Although she didn't show up again in the television show, the character worked alongside the Eleventh Doctor in the comics, the Tenth in the audio dramas, and even earned her own two-season audio anthology.
Tom Ellis
Although he's probably better known for playing the Devil in the Fox series Lucifer, Tom Ellis made a splash in his appearances in both Merlin and Doctor Who. In Merlin, Ellis played King Cenred, a former ally of Uther's who worked alongside Morgana and Morgause to conquer Camelot. However, the sorceresses were really just looking for an army, which ended his reign after only four episodes.
His Doctor Who connection includes even less screen time, as he only appeared in the Series 3 finale "Last of the Time Lords". There, he played Thomas Milligan, an ally and love interest for Martha Jones after the Master took over the planet. While the character was mentioned in both Torchwood and Series 4 of Doctor Who, even getting engaged to Martha, he never appeared on-screen again and was mysteriously written off to allow Martha to end up with Mickey.