4 Actors Who Should Be The Next Doctor

So who will become the new Doctor? This is the question on everyone’s mind, as the BBC search around for whoever will replace Matt Smith, when he bows out of the role, during the Christmas special of 2013. Matt Smith will definitely be a tough act to follow, but he, himself, had to take on the Doctor once David Tennant (arguably the best Doctor), had finished with the role. Rumours suggested that Rory Kinnear (you know him as Bill Tanner in the latest Bond movies), had been offered the role, but it has been reported that the actor is probably a decoy. Or is this even more misdirection on the BBC’s part? I am confident the BBC will pick the right person. Despite this, I cannot help but think at how I would cast as the new Doctor.

4 – IDRIS ELBA

Let’s start with the least likely. Idris Elba is already a major player for the BBC, becoming the face of Luther, one of the greatest shows on the channel. He is a fan favourite for the role and this would make him the first black Doctor. Also, he could take the series to a darker place than Matt Smith would have been able to, maybe shaking off the child-friendly nature of the last season. Idris Elba is definitely my first choice.

However, I doubt it. Matt Smith left because playing the Doctor is a massive commitment. He had no time to take on any other projects. Idris Elba has just got out of the TV game, getting parts in major blockbusters, like Prometheus and Pacific Rim. It seems unlikely that he would throw away all of this fame to take part in a TV series, no matter how popular and interesting the show may be. Also, it would be bittersweet news. If Idris Elba became the Doctor, it would definitely kill any chance of Luther returning for a fourth season.

3 – DOMHNALL GLEESON

This is one of the more interesting rumours I have heard on the internet. Domhnall Gleeson definitely looks the part, judging by the photo shown above. You will know him as Bill Weasley from the Harry Potter franchise, not the biggest role ever. However, this makes him the ideal candidate to take the role. He looks eccentric, is probably waiting to jump on a job like this and would finally mean the Doctor would achieve his dream of regenerating as a ginger. There is a whole load of jokes to be made from that.

2 – ADRIAN EDMONDSON

Unlikely. The Doctors seem to be getting progressively younger, while Edmondson would be going in the opposite direction, giving us an older, calmer Doctor. I wanted Edmondson to get the role, when Tennant left, as it coincided with the time, he was leaving Holby City. His role in that soap was pretty similar to the Doctor. He has this odd aura around him, getting small jokes. It was almost as if he was broadcasting to the BBC that he was ready for the job. Besides, watching him portray Vyvyan in ‘The Young One’ makes you really want to see the actor get back onto the TV, in a crazy role. The Doctor would be perfect.

1 – AMY ACKER

I thought I would end with a left-field casting choice. A woman. Personally, this might work out well for the writers. The Doctors have been getting slowly crazier and more manic since Ecclestone, meaning that soon they will have to find a new avenue to take the Doctor, which could hurt the fan base. Casting a woman as the Doctor could hold off this decision. A female Doctor could match Matt Smith’s eccentricity and the change in gender would be enough new material to shake any ideas of repetition. Everyone was kind of waiting for Alex Kingston (aka River Song) to turn out to be the next Doctor, but Moffat knew that was too obvious. However, it does suggest that we are ready for a female Doctor. And who else other than Whedon favourite: Amy Acker.

In Angel, she nails the crazy role, playing Fred. She works well with a subtle slice of humor sprinkled onto her work. She is energetic. She has her own cult fan base. She seems like the dream Doctor. We may struggle with the American accent, but that could become a new trademark for her Doctor in itself. “American accents are cool.”

Other potential female Doctors: Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood – Harry Potter), Jamie Winstone (Kidulthood), Laura Haddock (The Inbetweeners Movie)

There need to be rules for making a female Doctor though. I would hope that Moffat is good enough to do the obvious thing, but I would hate this Doctor to get a love interest, simply because she is a woman. After Rose, we smartly dodged around the issue of a relationship (the classic seasons of Doctor Who never felt the need for it), and only River Song has managed to win the Doctor’s heart. But my one hesitation for casting a woman as the Doctor is the fact that the show could turn into the Doctor and her companion becoming a couple and cruising the world. In all honesty, there is no need for it. Making the Doctor fall in love would throw gender conflicts into everything and it would work better if the Doctor could become a feminist figure. I would write it, so the Doctor would be playfully disgusted with the idea of relationships. Matt Smith has a child-like confusion at the idea of ‘women’, but it would be funnier – and character-building – if a female Doctor simply was revolted at the idea of kissing. Just every now and again, she made a face at her companion kissing their partner goodbye. However, we would have to cleverly do this to shrug off claims of lesbianism. I think this would be pretty funny.

WHO I DON’T WANT TO PLAY THE DOCTOR

Benedict Cumberbatch: Come on, it’s too obvious. He would end up doing the same thing he does with Sherlock and he already works with Moffat. I would hope the writers would take a bigger risk than casting Cumberbatch in both of those seasons. (Maybe Martin Freeman though, thinking about it…)