If you are as big a nerd as I am (and if continuing trends are accurate, you probably are, because the meek are inheriting the Earth and all that), you’ve probably heard a bunch of news about Doctor Who over the past week or so that has made fans of the show and just people in general who are friends of those fans freak out. These pieces of news boil down to three main points:
- Steven Moffat, showrunner for the show since Series 5 and writer since Series 1, will be stepping down from his position at the end of Series 10. The showrunner position will be taken over by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall.
- Because of the Olympics and everything else happening in 2016 this year, we won’t get any new episodes of Doctor Who till the Christmas Special at the end of the year. Series 10 will start up in the Spring of 2017.
- Peter Capaldi, who play’s the Doctor’s 12th incarnation, may also be leaving the show at the end of Series 10, so as to let Chibnall start fresh with a new Doctor.
Okay, the first piece of news isn’t that big a shock. Moffat’s retirement has been rumored for a while now, and we can see that he’s leaving the show in good hands, seeing as Chibnall has written some pretty well-known episodes of both DW and its spin-off Torchwood. The second piece…annoying, to say the least, but considering that this year is going to be pretty crazy, perhaps a good call by the BBC.
As for Capaldi leaving…I know that the average Doctor stays around three series. That’s how it’s been since DW came back in 2005. But oh my God, doesn’t it feel a little too soon?! Even my dad is a little amazed that Capaldi’s leaving, and he only knows the show as that thing his kids are obsessed with and that he’ll have to check out if he ever has the time for Netflix. And yeah, it’s been too soon, and Capaldi’s Doctor has only had so much time! And let’s face it, while I liked Jenna Coleman’s Clara, she did at times overshadow the Doctor. I was really looking forward to seeing the Doctor grow and have adventures without having an appendage that took up so much of the story (there, I said it, are you happy?!).
But I’ve had time to calm down, and I have to say that if Capaldi does want to leave, then so be it. I’m not going to be too happy about it, but I’ll accept it if I have to. I just hope that Capaldi decides to stick around for two more series instead of one, or at the very least Series 10 is just the most awesome thing ever.
And now I’m thinking, “Who’s going to replace Capaldi?” Trust me, you’re all probably thinking it by this point as well. And I know that they won’t be announcing it until probably a few months before we see this new Doctor. Still, I thought I’d jump the gun and give my predictions for who would make a great 13th Doctor (technically 14th, but let’s not get crazy here). Heck, my Predictions post for Batman vs. Superman actually hit the mark a little, so maybe I could actually get this right.
And let me just say before I start that I will not be putting Benedict Cumberbatch on this list. Yeah I know, lots of his fans would love him as the Doctor, but seriously, the guy’s already playing a Doctor and Sherlock Holmes! He’s got enough iconic roles to fill up an IMDb page!
So here it is. The actors and actresses who I think would not only make great Doctors, but maybe take Doctor Who in an interesting new direction for a whole new era.
Hayley Atwell
Hayley Atwell
Not just my top choice, but the top choice of a lot of people. Her name’s come up several times already as a possible successor for Capaldi. Not surprising, considering she’s got quite the resume, most notably as bad-ass, takes-no-shit 1940’s secret agent Peggy Carter in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Atwell’s also done two DW radio dramas, so she’s definitely familiar with the franchise already. She would have no trouble taking the TARDIS key in hand, and Atwell’s already expressed interest in playing the Doctor, so why not?
Plus if the BBC decides to listen to the fans and give us our first female Doctor, Atwell would be a great actress to set the bar with.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Ejiofor
12 Years A Slave‘s star was a name brought up back in 2013 when speculation about who Matt Smith’s replacement would be was at its height. Not surprising, considering the depth and strength he gave in that movie and in many other roles. Eijiofor would make a very great Doctor. And not only does he do dramatic roles very well, he can do funny and quirky (he played Lola in the movie Kinky Boots, if you need proof of that), so he could probably do some fun one-liners every now and then.
And in a show where the lead has always been a white actor, this could also be a very interesting and welcome change.
Rebecca Hall
Rebecca Hall
In 2011 the BBC made a horror movie called The Awakening, which I thought was a weird little flick that tried to get into our heads and failed miserably. However, I thought the lead actress in that film, Rebecca Hall, did absolutely great. And Rebecca Hall has a great list of films to back her up: Frost/Nixon, The Town, Iron Man 3, Transcendence. She can do a lot of different roles, and I think a versatile actor is important for anyone who wants to play the Doctor.
And if she’s the only part I really enjoyed in a horror film, then you know she should be seriously considered.
Ace Bhatti
If that name sounds at all familiar to you, that’s because he played Principal Haresh Chandra in the DW spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, being both comic and serious at the same time in many different episodes of the series. Honestly, he was one of my favorite characters from that show (which I’m surprised that more DW fans haven’t seen). And apparently he’s got a very long resume outside of SJA, including a very big role on the show EastEnders (which I haven’t seen but I’ve heard good things about). He could make a very good Doctor, and considering that plenty of actors who had smaller roles in Doctor Who later went on to play bigger roles (including Capaldi and Sixth Doctor Colin Baker), this would be only continuing a well-known tradition.
Naomie Harris
Naomie Harris
Plenty of people know her as “oh, the actress who plays Moneypenny in James Bond, right?” but she’s done a lot more roles than that. In addition to Skyfall and Spectre, Harris has done 28 Days Later, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom as Winnie Mandela, for which the actual Winnie Mandela basically said that it was the best portrayal on film of her person.
With that sort of resume and endorsements, Harris might make a very good Doctor. I sort of imagine a warm and kind Doctor, who really hates getting violent but if she gets angry even Daleks will run away from her. Kind of like the Tenth Doctor with a mix of Third’s mentor-like charms.
Jon Oliver
Jon Oliver
Enough said. I know he probably won’t leave making fun of society while at the same time improving it on HBO, but the guy’s great. I’d love to see him as the Doctor.
And my final choice:
Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Mikkelsen
I know, I know. He’s not British. He’s not even Irish! He’s Danish! He’s practically not allowed to play the Doctor! But come on! Have you seen his resume? He was amazing as Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal, as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale, and he’ll be in Doctor Strange and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story later this year. And he actually does a pretty good British accent. Can you imagine him in some fancy 19th-century garb with a side of futuristic tech? He’d make a great Doctor, and I would love to see him in the role.
And I’m not afraid to say it!
So those are my choices for who should be the 13th Doctor. But tell me, who do you think would be a good fit for everybody’s favorite Time Lord? Do you think I’m on to something? Do you think I’m totally off? Is there a name I missed? Do you hope Peter Capaldi will stay a bit longer as well? Let’s discuss, my fellow Whovians.
And Steven Moffat and/or Chris Chibnall: if you happen to read this and you’re looking for some new blood to help you write kick-ass episodes of Doctor Who, give me a call. I’ve been keeping a long list of ideas for stories with the Doctor and I would love to write them for you. And these ideas could also work as novels, which I’ve plenty of experience writing, so I could do my stories that way as well if you want.
Like I said, give me a call. I’d be more than happy to head over to Wales to discuss the matter further.
Rami Ungar The Writer 
Interesting choices for possible future actors and actresses but somehow I can’t picture any of them in the role … I will have to think about it some more to see if there is someone I can see taking over.
I don’t think anyone can imagine anyone else taking over the role at first. But give it time, it’ll come to you.
Yeah, you are probably right …
I have my moments.
” I was really looking forward to seeing the Doctor grow and have adventures without having an appendage that took up so much of the story (there, I said it, are you happy?!).”
Hahahahahahahahahahahaaha! Yes!!! 😉
Though I hope Capaldi doesn’t leave 😦
Neither do I, but we can’t control this sort of thing. Not unless we start a huge movement on Twitter, but I don’t think we’d be able to get enough Whovians behind us to make that work.
In any case, do any of my picks at least somewhat appealing to you?
Ha! It cut off the rest of my comment! After the “i hope..” line it should have said that I thought Chiwetel Ejiofor would be an interesting choice.Ace Bhatti could also be good – and I loved the SJ Chronicles and was so sad about her death and their ending. It actually made me cry, though they handled it well. I’d like to see the kids from it go on to be assistants to the doctor or I’d have liked to see them do something with them all in college still fighting aliens. That would have been awesome.
I do say I hope we don’t have a woman doctor. I didn’t like them making the master a woman. The regeneration thing confuses casual watchers already and I think gender swapping would just make it weirder. (Plus why hasn’t he head a woman regeneration before now? If this is a cannon thing, he’s already used his first set of regeneratipns up and should have been female if that was going to happen. It makes it feel tacked on, like it’s a bone thrown to feminists.) I’m am for empowering women but i think it sends the wrong message: that the only way a woman can be strong is to replace a man. There can’t be a strong woman and a strong man together. (They tried it with Clara and made her so over the top they turned him into a cream Puff). I’d much rather see a woman with the doctor -and handled right- than see the doctor being a woman. (They don’t do too bad with Riversong and Capaldi) If they want a woman time lord I’d like to see them bring back Romana or the Rhani, both of which were amazing characters. The Doctor and Romana were some of my favorite epusides. I’m afraid though that between the Master’s swap and that general in the Galifrey episode they’re working on making him a woman. 😦
Well, I think the reason the Doctor never became a woman in the past was because the gender-bending might’ve been too much for earlier audiences, particularly during Classic Who. But Doctor Who is constantly changing and evolving as new writers put their own take on the famous character (hence why the Doctor can be romantic with his companions in the first place), and many of them have different ideas and values than those of the past. So I don’t think it’ll be a PC thing if they make the Doctor a woman. They’ll probably just feel that it’s a good time to try it and it’s what the fans would like anyway, so why not? And it would make for an interesting and new dynamic, especially with any new companions.
And anyway, I love Missy, so I would love to see how she would play off of a female Doctor (and maybe we’ll finally know how regeneration affects sexual attraction).