---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: loved the show as a child and felt I…"
description: "\"loved the show as a child and felt I could not do it justice. [on turning down the role of the new Doctor Who\" — Rowan Atkinson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/rowan-atkinson-3883_children_loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-cou_2222095.png"
---

#  loved the show as a child and felt I could not do it…

![“loved the show as a child and felt I could not do it justice. &#91;on turning down the role of the new Doctor Who” quote by Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/rowan-atkinson-3883_children_loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-cou_2222095.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/rowan-atkinson-3883_children_loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-cou_2222095.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/rowan-atkinson-3883_children_loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-cou_2222095.png)

> “loved the show as a child and felt I could not do it justice. \[on turning down the role of the new Doctor Who”

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Childhood love for a show made it hard to meet its standards when offered a role.

**In simple terms:** Nostalgia can create pressure to meet expectations.

Key Takeaway

Accept that you can’t please everyone.

Themes

nostalgia self‑doubt performance

Mood

reflective anxious

Type

personal creative

When to use this quote

- acting auditions
- creative projects
- fan engagements

Key Concepts

Media studies personal identity

Questions to Reflect On

- What would you do if fear disappeared?
- How does nostalgia affect your work?

A Different Perspective

Idealizing the past can limit creative risk‑taking.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Doctor who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor-who/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/)

## Related quotes

> [Husband and I are preparing ourselves for the new Doctor by watching - well, mainly rewatching - Mr. Capaldi’s back catalogue, we’ve just finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-rayner/husband-and-i-are-preparing-ourselves-for-the-new-doctor-by-watching/)

[Jacqueline Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-rayner/)

> [When the BBC decided to bring Doctor Who back as a feature film a few years ago, one national newspaper ran a poll to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-callow/when-the-bbc-decided-to-bring-doctor-who-back-as-a-feature-film-a-few/)

[Simon Callow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-callow/)

> [I would be sitting in my flat watching TV, and 'Doctor Who' would be on with my flatmate there. I would have loved to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-smith/i-would-be-sitting-in-my-flat-watching-tv-and-doctor-who-would-be-on/)

[Matt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-smith/)

> [I felt that justice had been served and that the world was, in some way, a better place for all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-amos/i-felt-that-justice-had-been-served-and-that-the-world-was-in-some/)

[James F. Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-amos/)

> [But I think whenever you're bringing in a new Doctor, you have to set it up in a really great way because it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/but-i-think-whenever-you-re-bringing-in-a-new-doctor-you-have-to-set/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I'll be the first to admit it - after the first episode, I wasn't sold on Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor of 'Doctor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/i-ll-be-the-first-to-admit-it-after-the-first-episode-i-wasn-t-sold/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [I recently went to a new doctor and noticed he was located in something called the Professional Building. I felt better right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-recently-went-to-a-new-doctor-and-noticed-he-was-located-in/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [“I couldn’t have loved her more if she was my own child. But sometimes I considered shaving her eyebrows off while she slept. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-harper/i-couldn-t-have-loved-her-more-if-she-was-my-own-child-but-sometimes/)

[Molly Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-harper/)

> [All the music I loved as a child, people thought it was junk. People were unaware of the subtext in so many of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/all-the-music-i-loved-as-a-child-people-thought-it-was-junk-people/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I suspect I wasn't loved enough as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-veitch/i-suspect-i-wasn-t-loved-enough-as-a-child/)

[James Veitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-veitch/)

> [“-And what would you do if you lost a child? -I would think I was going to die, Elena said. But I wouldn't. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bergen/and-what-would-you-do-if-you-lost-a-child-i-would-think-i-was-going/)

[David Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bergen/)

> [It is the fear of being as dependent as a young child, while not being loved as a child is loved, but merely being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/it-is-the-fear-of-being-as-dependent-as-a-young-child-while-not-being/)

[Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/)

> [“He’d lived in the desert all his life, and he loved it. He was its child. It was his home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-taylor/he-d-lived-in-the-desert-all-his-life-and-he-loved-it-he-was-its/)

[Tony Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-taylor/)

> [If you think of having a family as being loved as a child, cared for - I did not experience that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pauly/if-you-think-of-having-a-family-as-being-loved-as-a-child-cared-for-i/)

[Daniel Pauly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pauly/)

> [“If you are not loved as a child by the ones who should love you, you will search your entire life for that love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-joyce/if-you-are-not-loved-as-a-child-by-the-ones-who-should-love-you-you/)

Sandra Joyce

## More by Rowan Atkinson

> [Without wanting to claim that I'm really like James Bond I would certainly prefer to be thought of as closer to James Bond than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/without-wanting-to-claim-that-i-m-really-like-james-bond-i-would/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [Get that right, then- if you get the quality right, then the marketability or whatever; your ability to sell videos or your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/get-that-right-then-if-you-get-the-quality-right-then-the/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [Funny things tend not to happen to me. I am not a natural comic. I need to think about things a lot before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/funny-things-tend-not-to-happen-to-me-i-am-not-a-natural-comic-i-need/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [Nope, I don't enjoy work generally. Not because I'm lazy; it's just all so stressful and worrying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/nope-i-don-t-enjoy-work-generally-not-because-i-m-lazy-it-s-just-all/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [A law which attempts to say you can criticise and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/a-law-which-attempts-to-say-you-can-criticise-and-ridicule-ideas-as/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [The path of my life is strewn with cow pats from the devil's own satanic herd!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/the-path-of-my-life-is-strewn-with-cow-pats-from-the-devil-s-own/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [I would never be a television presenter. It's not something I could ever do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/i-would-never-be-a-television-presenter-it-s-not-something-i-could/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [To criticise a person for their race is a manifestly irrational and ridiculous. But to criticise their religion - that is a right. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/to-criticise-a-person-for-their-race-is-a-manifestly-irrational-and/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [But I always feel that whatever I do, I could do better. I suppose it is perfectionism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/but-i-always-feel-that-whatever-i-do-i-could-do-better-i-suppose-it/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [Apart from the fact that your physical ability starts to decline, I also think someone in their fifties being childlike becomes a little sad.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/apart-from-the-fact-that-your-physical-ability-starts-to-decline-i/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [“To criticize a person for their race is manifestly irrational and ridiculous, but to criticize their religion, that is a right. That is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/to-criticize-a-person-for-their-race-is-manifestly-irrational-and/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [But, actually, so many of the clerics that I've met, particularly the Church of England clerics, are people of such extraordinary smugness and arrogance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/but-actually-so-many-of-the-clerics-that-i-ve-met-particularly-the/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [I'm not really a writer, so my main problem always is finding the writing talent to write something of the caliber that you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/i-m-not-really-a-writer-so-my-main-problem-always-is-finding-the/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [I'm not a collector. I don't like the toy cupboard syndrome that causes so many good cars to evaporate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/i-m-not-a-collector-i-don-t-like-the-toy-cupboard-syndrome-that/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [If you're a serious actor, it's when you know you're going to die tomorrow that you really start to feel it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/if-you-re-a-serious-actor-it-s-when-you-know-you-re-going-to-die/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

[Explore all 120 Rowan Atkinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

## More Children quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "loved the show as a child and felt I could not do it justice. [on turning down the role of the new Doctor Who",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rowan Atkinson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-could-not-do-it-justice-on/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-could-not-do-it-justice-on/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/rowan-atkinson-3883_children_loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-cou_2222095.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/rowan-atkinson-3883_children_loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-cou_2222095.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/rowan-atkinson-3883_children_loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-cou_2222095.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“loved the show as a child and felt I could not do it justice. [on turning down the role of the new Doctor Who” — Rowan Atkinson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Rowan Atkinson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "loved the show as a child...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-could-not-do-it-justice-on/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/loved-the-show-as-a-child-and-felt-i-could-not-do-it-justice-on/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
