Back in 2013, before Peter Capaldi was announced as the 12th doctor, I took a stab and making my own potential picks for the role of the Doctor. Capaldi ended up doing a great job, but recently announced that he is leaving the role after the 2017 season.
So the hunt begins for a new Doctor. I stand by much of my original list, but I’ll make some minor changes now that we are four years on.
First, I’ll remove Joseph Morgan from my list. I also need to remove Charles Dance since he’s on “Game of Thrones,” unless the elder Lannister gets killed off in order to allow him to take on the role of the Doctor. I would still leave Ben Barnes (although he’s too attractive, I think), Ioan Gruffudd (handsome but not TOO handsome), Brendon Gleason, and Asa Butterfield (still may be too young).
I’ll add the following:
If you want a woman, I think Miranda Richardson could very nicely fit the bill. She’s a recognizable face, even if you can’t remember exactly what her name is. But she’s a great character actress and would be a fine actress to fill the role of the Doctor if the time to change gender is now. She’s done TV before, so returning to the medium would not be unheard of.
Michael Gambon is another older actor who would probably make a perfect Doctor and we can’t believe we never thought of it before. Another great character actor, he is also beloved by millions because of his turn as Dumbledore in the last few Harry Potter movies after Richard Harris passed away.
Want the kookiness of a Four back? Who better than Bill Nighy? Oh sure, purists may say he can’t be on the show since he already played the museum curator in the Van Gogh episode, but don’t forget that Capaldi played an ancient Roman in Doctor Who before being cast a few years later as the Doctor, so there is precedent (also, Freeman Aygeman (companion Martha) also appeared in a previous episode before coming back as Martha).
Oh, Richard Ayoade. Let me sing his praises. I’ve been a fan of his since his turn as Maurice Moss on “The IT Crowd” and his delightfully dry, nonsensical humor could be played with great success as the Doctor. At the very least, I wish he would at least show up on an episode or two.
Lastly, Eddie Redmayne has expressed a desire to play Doctor Who. Even if he only signs on for a year because of other obligations, we’d finally have our ginger-haired Doctor.
In addition to the actors I suggested in 2013 to replace Matt Smith, these are my additional picks for the upcoming re-casting of the role. Do you disagree with any of my choices? Have any of your own recommendations? Sound off in the comments below!
