This man was responsible for the most terrifying audition in Who history
Richard Saker/REX
The late, great, fearsomely alternative actor-director Ken Campbell (a nine-hour adaptation of Illuminatus!, a 22-hour performance of The Warp) was asked to read for the part, but was pipped to the post by his old protégé Sylvester McCoy. John Higgs takes up the story in his brilliant book The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds: 'Campbell auditioned by performing a speech on the nature of time modelled on Alan Moore's Dr Manhattan character [from Watchmen], wearing a long coat, sleeveless cartoon T-shirt and wide-brimmed hat.' He also left a frightening message on the producer's answering machine, which turned out to be a recording of his personal mantra. McCoy got the part. As he told Higgs, the producer's rationale 'was that he thought Ken would frighten the children, and I think he was right.'
