Prince 'snubbed Doctor Who cameo'

The Prince of Wales turned down an offer to star in Doctor Who, executive producer Russell T Davies has claimed.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, the BBC show's writer called the prince "a miserable swine" for not accepting the invitation.

According to Clarence House, however, the prince did not see the offer as it was turned down on his behalf.

"We receive a great many requests and it's impossible to accept them all," a spokesman told the BBC.

Speaking to the BBC's Nick Higham at Cheltenham, Davies also revealed he had no regrets about his four-year tenure as Doctor Who's chief writer.

Stepping down

"There's nothing I regret," he said. "The show has stayed successful and popular and good, so I'm really proud of it."

Davies appeared before 2,000 fans at the Gloucestershire festival, where he is promoting a book about his time on the hit sci-fi show.

The Welsh writer announced he was stepping down as Doctor Who's executive producer earlier this year.

Sir Roger Moore and Julie Walters were also at Cheltenham this weekend to promote their autobiographies.

Sir Michael Parkinson, Dawn French and comedian Alan Carr are among the celebrity guests set to attend later this week.

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