Matt Smith and Karen Gillan almost starred together in Merlin, not Doctor Who

“The first time we [Smith and Gillan] ever met was in an audition for something else, and we got down to the last two for a show, and then we got Doctor Who,” Smith told an audience at the Wizard World con in New York city, “and that show was Merlin.”

Cue literal gasps from the audience.

“And at the time I remember thinking ‘that would have been good’, her as Guinevere and me as Merlin, then I got the Doctor.”

“That’s not to diminish the quality of Merlin. Merlin’s fantastic and Colin is a brilliant, brilliant actor. But it’s just funny, me and Karen often say ‘oh, you know…’”

We're sure everyone is glad things worked out the way they did.

While we’re crossing the boundaries of fandoms, David Tennant also took the opportunity while appearing on stage with Smith to compliment his immediate successor.

“Have I ever told you this? There’s something that you brought to it, that encapsulated my favourite moment that you did. It’s in the one with James Corden where you get given a glass of wine then just kind of [mimes spitting it out]. It’s pin sharp comic timing, but it also has this kind of bewildered innocence that I just thought was absolutely fantastic.”

Very true, David. That’s also the face we made when we heard about Matt-lin and Gillan-vere.