Who should be the next Doctor on Doctor Who? It was only a matter of time before people started wondering who should fill the role. Let us begin the 12th Doctor speculation with our top 15 picks for the role!
When David Tennant left the role of the 10th Doctor, the fan favorite suggestion was Robert Carlyle. Many scoffed at the idea thinking that Carlyle would never do a TV series again since he was now a major movie actor. Though he was not cast as the Doctor, Carlyle did end up back on series TV with his role as Mr. Gold in Once Upon A Time, proving that just about anything is possible.
Other names frequently suggested last time out ranged from David Walliams, who went on to play a subservient mole named Gibbis in the episode “The God Complex,” to Michael Sheen, who played the voice of House in the episode “The Doctor’s Wife.”
David Tennant himself actually created a bit of a ruckus cheekily stating that his good friend James Nesbit would have the part which resulted in the press hounding Nesbit. Tennant stated, “It’s Jimmy Nesbitt who will be taking over. Jimmy Nesbitt got in touch to say ‘please tell them it’s not me. I spend all my day going round saying its not me, I couldn’t take over from David.’ I would urge the public of Britain that if they see Jimmy Nesbitt in the street to go up and congratulate him.”
So, who will it be? The BBC needs an actor who will mesh well with Jenna-Lousie Coleman’s Clara, who can equally handle comedy as well as drama, and who is credible as an intellectual action hero whose keenest weapon is his mind backed up with a sonic screwdriver. It’s a tall order.
Though the Doctor in the past has been played by several actors over the age of 50, the recent trend has been late 20’s to mid 40’s, it seems unlikely that the BBC would return to the grandfatherly personas of the first and third Doctors. Like it or not, youth seems to sell.
Here are 15 people who we think could play the next Doctor…
Richard Armitage
Richard Armitage is a versatile actor who has managed to play everything from the brooding Sir Guy of Gisborne on Robin Hood to, most recently, Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit. No worries when it comes to the historical episodes, he first gained widespread notice as John Thornton in the BBC costume drama North and South. Fans of MI-5 or Spooks (as it is known in the U.K) know that he can handle intrigue and action.
Jonas Armstrong
Jonas Armstrong made a name for himself in the BBC tongue-in-cheek Robin Hood where he played the title role carrying a quiver of arrows while wearing a hoodie. Since then he’s held his own opposite Chloe Sevigny in the cutting edge Sky Atlantic series Hit or Miss. Most recently, he was in series 1 of Prisoner Wives playing the enigmatic Steve who went from apparent innocent man to manipulative liar in six episodes.
Richard Ayoade
The multi-talented Richard Ayoade became a recognizable face in Britain after starring as Saboo in The Mighty Boosh and Maurice Moss in The IT Crowd. His unique, grave, comedic delivery could make an interesting quality for the next Doctor. A former president of the Cambridge Footlights (other famous alumni of this extra-curricular drama club include John Cleese and Eric Idle of Monty Python, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Douglas Adams, Mitchell and Webb, and Joe Thomas and Simon Bird of The Inbetweeners), Ayoade made his directorial debut in 2010 with Submarine, a coming of age drama that demonstrates Ayoade’s depth beyond the sketch comedy he’s best known for.
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Paul Bettany
Talk about career flexibility. Paul Bettany can play anything from the childish and campy Chaucer in the Heath Ledger cult classic A Knight’s Tale to the serious and stoic doctor who is Russell Crowe’s right-hand man in Master and Commander. Bettany also played the psychotic, albino killer Silas in The Da Vinci Code and more recently has been the voice of Jarvis in the Iron Man movies. Bettany now has several young children who might enjoy seeing their dad in Doctor Who.
Jack Davenport
A slightly under-rated stalwart of both the British industry and Hollywood, Jack Davenport is an actor posessing immense range, a quality necessary for any Doctor. Showing this off in the lead role of Steve – Steven Moffat’s own avatar – in Moffat’s early 2000’s sitcom Coupling and in his emotional transition from antagonist to anti-hero as James Norrington in the Pirates of the Carribean franchise, Davenport is best known to current audiences as the emotionally complex, love-him-or-loathe-him Broadway director Derek Wills in NBC’s Smash.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
For many people, Chiwetel Ejiofor is “that guy with the unpronounceable name” (For the record, it’s pronounced Chew-it-tell Edge-ee-oh-for) who has amazing featured roles in movies like Serenity and Salt where he plays a driven action hero or antihero. American audiences might remember him best as the guy Kiera Knightly marries in Love Actually while Andrew Lincoln, who plays his best friend, pines away for her.
Idris Elba
Golden Globe winner Idris Elba is currently in the BBC hit drama Luther, but maybe he could finish their season and move on to Doctor Who. Elba brings a sheer intensity to a role that many other actors can’t. If the next Doctor will be the amoral Valeyard, Elba can get to that dramatic point. He’s also pretty versatile with accents and can pull off a seamless American accent. In his role in The Wire few realized that he was a Brit and not a native born American.
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Joseph Fiennes
No, not Lord Voldemort, but his equally talented, younger brother is an option. Fiennes first made a splash with Shakespeare in Love. After a string of somewhat forgettable movies and cancelled TV series, he’s currently on American Horror story as Monsignor Timothy Howard.
Rupert Friend
Rupert Friend is another Brit on American TV, playing the unflappable Peter Quinn on Homeland. Before that, he played Prince Albert opposite Emily Blunt in the touted Young Victoria. It’s time to bring that UK talent back home and the Doctor is just the role to do it.
Lucy Griffiths
Everyone from former showrunner Russell T. Davies to current showrunner Steven Moffat has said that the idea of of female Doctor is not entirely out of the question. Why not someone like Lucy Griffiths? Like Jonas Armstrong and Richard Armitage, she did a stint on Robin Hood. She wasn’t your typical Maid Marian. She was more like an assassin with a mind of her own. She’s also currently on True Blood where she plays Nora. If anyone can pull off a female Doctor, she can.
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Matthew Lewis
Yes, we know, he was adorable as Neville Longbottom, but did you notice in the last movie that Neville turned into quite the young warrior? Even J.K. Rowling touted him as part of an especially gifted group of actors. Lewis is now all grown up and starring in new ventures such as The Syndicate opposite Joanna Page who just happens to be starring in the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who.
Eoin Macken
Three words: Merlin Sir Gwaine. Really, do we need to say anything more? Macken can swashbuckle with the best of them, and has a huge built in fanbase of disappointed Merlin devotees. This could be just the way to easy a bit of that Merlin cancellation disappointment.
Richard Madden
Richard Madden is one of the hottest stars of British and U.S. TV today, commanding the screen as Robb Stark in A Game of Thrones. As we all know, no one is ever safe on that show and his character can’t last forever. Why not transition to Doctor Who? He already is a massive fan of the show. The only downside is that he is in a long-term relationship with current companion Jenna-Louise Coleman, but should that rule him out?
Rupert Perry-Jones
Rupert Perry-Jones was one of the best players on MI-5 Spooks. His Adam Carter was the epitome of the selfless hero with a back bone. Perry-Jones is also quite good at costume drama having played the brooding Captain Wentworth in the recent Jane Austen Persuasion. He hasn’t done as much lately, which is a shame. Doctor Who could do with a quality actor who isn’t over exposed.
Lara Pulver
Sigh… (sorry we couldn’t resist) everyone was talking about Lara Pulver last season when she played Irene Adler on Sherlock. Sexy, powerful, commanding, and afraid of no one, Pulver chewed up the screen every scene she was in. She even has a huge fan following that would like to see her in Doctor Who. Why not? Maybe the time is now?
