Sir Ben Kingsley to play Dalek creator?

Sir Ben Kingsley is reportedly close to signing up to playing classic Doctor Who villain Davros - creator of the Daleks - in the next season of the cult show.

An insider told The Sun: "Ben’s agent has been in talks for a while now and he’s very keen to play the part of Davros. A deal will be signed any day now."

Kingsley, best known for his Oscar-winning portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1982 film, is no stranger to playing ruthless villains as he portrayed The Hood in the recent Thunderbirds film. He was also Oscar nominated for his portrayal of the malevolent gangster Don Logan in the 2000 film Sexy Beast.

The character of Davros was first introduced in the 1975 story 'Genesis of the Daleks' as the evil Kaled geneticist who masterminded the creation of the Daleks in a bid to exterminate the rival Thal race on Skaro. He was last seen in the 1988 story 'Remembrance of the Daleks', where he managed to flee from the Dalek mothership in an escape pod moments before it was destroyed.