It seemed a little out of place in the discussion, and he ended up denying it. But could Mark Gatiss, a writer for "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock" (as well as an actor) be working on a project that would chronicle the creation of "Doctor Who"?

British television personality Graham Norton posed that question directly to Gatiss during a radio show over the weekend, according to Bleeding Cool.

"Is it true ... are you writing a film about the creation of the original 'Doctor Who' TV show circa 1973?" Norton asked Gatiss.

"Am I writing a film about it? No, I'm not writing a film about it," Gatiss replied.

But Norton pressed on: "Are you writing a book about it? Are you writing a radio play about it? Are you writing a television program about it? You're writing something about it."

Gatiss, however, had a coy response. "I'm writing on the back of my hand, now, what a good idea that would be."

Seems awfully persistent of Norton if that question wasn't based on something that had been floating out there, even if he did get the launch of "Doctor Who" wrong (it premiered in 1963, not 1973).

The beauty about television and movies are that they can be just about anything, including the making of television and movies. Gatiss would be an interesting writer to choose. His first major job was with "Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)" in 2001, and was followed up with "The League of Gentlemen" television series and "Crooked House."

Two years ago, he wrote the four-part documentary series "A History of Horror With Mark Gatiss" and would write four episodes of "Doctor Who" -- "The Unquiet Dead," "The Idiot's Lantern," "Victory of the Daleks" and "Night Terrors" -- as well as two episodes of "Sherlock," that he co-created with "Doctor Who" showrunner Steven Moffat. He's also appeared in "Sherlock" as Mycroft Holmes.

Such a project would be timely, especially with the 50th anniversary of "Doctor Who" right around the corner. But whether Norton was working on real information he had, or just trying to plant a seed in Gatiss' mind, it's not totally clear.