Johnny Depp Versus The Daleks - UPDATED

Depp as Who? Yep, it's a load of bobbins...

We can categorically put this one to bed now, having spoken to Russell T Davies himself. It's all rubbish. "Someone sits in New Zealand", he wearily told us (except with a few more expletives), "Types out a rumour, and I spend the next three days dealing with that rumour!"

Until the next time a Doctor Who movie rumour comes around, then...

Original story:
Johnny Depp IS Doctor Who. Possibly. Maybe. Perhaps. In a parallel universe accidentally created by Steven Moffat when his timey-wimey plotting suddenly became a self-aware entity that sent the universe into paradox meltdown.

Okay, okay, the internet is never short of rumours. And reporting on articles based on articles that have since been taken down may sound like we’re perpetuating some virtual game of Chinese whispers, but the one thing that’s making us just the tiniest bit intrigued is the use of one word in one of those articles – “confirmed".

Tor.com has posted a story based on another story from a site called pubarticles.com which has since vanished into some space anomaly. All sounds a bit dubious doesn’t it? But the original article had a quote supposedly emanating from Russell T Davies (hmm...) and plot details (Daleks! The Doctor curing the bubonic plague!). More importantly, Tor.com adds this paragraph:

“So it was with even greater surprise that movie studio sources confirmed with Tor.com today that, while it can’t comment on possible story elements, the casting of Johnny Depp as the Doctor for a 2012 film is confirmed.”

Either this is the scoop, or the scam, of the century. What’s the reading on your rumour-ometer?

But now we think about it… Depp’s fave collaborator, director Tim Burton, was seen emerging out of the TARDIS at the BAFTAs. Now, that’s how to start a rumour…