Doctor Who has long been hugely successful in Britain, with millions of viewers tuning in to the science-fiction classic on Television every week, but it now seems that Hollywood is developing its own admirers of the show as well. As a result of last year's cyber-attack on Sony Pictures, a number of leaked documents have become available. They suggest that America's famous entertainment industry may well be interested in making its own version of the programme.

During a meeting with Sony in 2014, the BBC said that there was "tremendous interest" in the show according to an email that WikiLeaks passed into the public domain.

The show has been produced by the BBC since 1963 (although interest waned and it was off UK television from 1989 until 2005), with its regenerating doctor and the vast assortment of interesting adversaries he has faced down the years attracting an army of avid fans. To keep the show fresh, the leading Time Lord character has been portrayed by 13 actors on television since its inception, if you include John Hurt who appeared in the 50th anniversary special. Youngsters who grew up with the likes of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker battling against the Daleks and the Cybermen, have gladly introduced their children to the modern-day reincarnation played by such as David Tennant and Matt Smith. Peter Capaldi is the current incumbent of the time-travelling TARDIS, with viewers beginning to warm to him after a steady start last year.

Part of the attraction of the show has been the clever use of special effects within the BBC's budget down the years. Quite what format a Hollywood version of the show would take and which actors could potentially be involved is anyone's guess, with the BBC version commonly involving British talent in its make-up. 'Doctor Who' would clearly suit the blockbuster treatment, with extensive (and expensive) special effects likely to feature highly in any Hollywood version one would expect.

There might be fears that having a big budget to work with could potentially undermine some of the obvious warmth that the show engenders in its viewers.

The television Film that was made in 1996 and featured Paul McGann was not universally well received. So much so, that it took until 2005 and the involvement of Russell T Davies before the show regained its earlier popularity again. There were two earlier film versions made in addition during the 1960s starring Peter Cushing as the doctor, Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. Previous conversations were held in 2011 about a possible new film project involving David Yates of Harry Potter directing fame.
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