Who’s Next?

[Tarka Dal]

I know we’re already talking about this in the ‘Tennant to quit thread’, but I thought it made more sense to make a clean break and start this for gossip and speculation about the next one.

PaddyPower seem to be taking it quite seriously and have the book running online.

http://tinyurl.com/5o3x56

Amongst all the tips and joke bets there are some interesting, and to my mind suprise names, on this list. Of course there’s a good chance it will turn out to be someone not on this list at all. Still bugger it I’ve not been able to sleep all night and this has killed a good couple of hours googling the names of all those I didn’t recognise.

Anyhow I’ve edited the list above into a few different groups with what I’d loosely say is the serious market at end.

Obviously I’m not as informed or geeked-up on Who as many here, but bugger it I’m on a roll with this and I may as well finish it now. So…

The ones who may as well be Elvis:
Jennifer Saunders 66 – 1
Dawn French 80 – 1
Hugh Grant 150 – 1
Ricky Gervais 150 – 1
Daniel Craig 150 – 1
Vinnie Jones 200 – 1
Russell Brand 200 – 1
Robbie Williams 250 – 1

Okay let’s get the chaff out of the way. It’s not going be any of the names above is it? Perhaps 15 years ago if the show had never been taken off and they decided to be all controversial then possibly Jennifer Saunders, but not now surely?

The ones who are always in the betting:
Robert Carlyle 18 – 1
Richard E. Grant 18 – 1
Alan Davies 20 – 1
Eddie Izzard 33 – 1
Stephen Fry 50 – 1
Bill Nighy 50 – 1

Well of course according to the Daily Mail Bill Nighy is the 9th Doctor. As for the rest, Robert Carlyle always seems to have very low odds, but surely he’s a bit too high-profile isn’t he? Besides a quick look at IMDB and he doesn’t seem short of work for the next couple of years. As for the rest they all just tick boxes for various aspects of previous Doctors rather than being someone you could see making the role their own.

Aren’t they a bit too Hollywood?
Robert Carlyle 18 – 1
Jason Statham 25 – 1
James McAvoy 40 – 1
Paul Bettany 80 – 1
Gary Oldman 80 – 1

As per Carlyle for all of these. All ‘name’ British film actors, all with plenty of movie work to keep them occupied and out of the running.

Who Alumni (and whatever the latin is the female equivilant. (*Cough* Seb?)
Colin Salmon 10 – 1
John Simm 12 – 1
Anthony Head 18 – 1
Billie Piper 20 – 1
Mark Gatiss 25 – 1
Marc Warren 25 – 1
John Barrowman 66 – 1
Christopher Eccleston 80 – 1
Alex Kingston 100 – 1
Dean Lennox Kelly 100 – 1

All memorable faces from New Who, and on those grounds alone can probably be ruled out. Gatiss has already written and starred in Who, it just wouldn’t be fair if he then got the keys to the Tardis too. Simm seems a very low price and looking at IMDB doesn’t seem to have much coming up, but surely he’s done his stint in Who, save perhaps an encore as the Master in one of the specials. That could actually explain the low price.

Anthony Head auditioned for the role of the 8th Doctor, but at fifty-four his chance has past. Interestingly Dean Lennox Kelly has this coming out next year.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910554/

Obviously a few more names in contention could be included here, but as they weren’t lead characters, and as such stand more chance of ‘doing a Colin’ I’ve left them for the final cut.

The Moffat Connection:
James Nesbitt 10 – 1
Patterson Joseph 12 – 1
Richard Coyle 20 – 1
Jack Davenport 25 – 1
Ben Miles 66 – 1

Now it gets interesting. There seems to be a large swell of people against James Nesbitt, just as there was for ‘Jekyll’. As Moffat insisted (and proven correct he was too) he was utterly fantastic in that. I’m not quite as convinced for Who, but it’s definitely a real possibility. Looking at IMDB again Nesbitt seems to be far too busy, As for the trio from Coupling Coyle’s bagged a Hollywood role in a big screen version of ‘Prince of Persia’, Miles too is breaking into films and lacks presence. Whilst Jack Davenport… well surely he’s just treading water in his slippers and dressing gown waiting for another time, another space.

Which leaves in reverse order…

Christopher Villiers 100 – 1
Joel Beckett 80 – 1

– Villiers has an impressive C.V., although with C.V’s it’s always your last job that sticks isn’t it? So ‘the Solictor from Emmerdale’ doesn’t bode well. Likewise for Walford’s Jake Moon.

Matt Smith 80 – 1
– Stage actor. A couple of BBC period pieces with Billie Piper. At 26 he would be younger than Davison when he took the role. Note: I am enjoying this, I feel like the guy who writes the pinstickers guide on Grand National Day.

Hugh Laurie 66 – 1
David Suchet 66 – 1
– Laurie is tied to House. Suchet would be several years older than the oldest ‘New’ Who so far. Hartnell, as if you didn’t all know.

David Mitchell 50 – 1
Matthew Macfadyen 50 – 1
– Mitchell would seem to be more guest star than TimeLord. Macfadyen… Hmm well it’s difficult to actually find grounds to rule him out.

Julian Rhind-Tutt 40 – 1
Rupert Penry-Jones 40 – 1
– Er. No actor to play The Doctor has ever had a double-barrelled name? So anyhow, moving on briskly…

Stephen Merchant 40 – 1
Martin Clunes 40 – 1
– Moffat has been quoted, albeit from 1999, as saying of The Doctor “He should be 40-plus and weird-looking”. So Clunes fits, but surely by now we’d have seen a ‘Doctor Behaving Badly’ headline in The Sun. Merchant – well has he done anything that wasn’t comedy?

Adrian Lester 33 – 1
Tom Ward 33 – 1
Alexander Armstrong 33 – 1
Julian Walsh 33 – 1
Rob James-Collier 33 – 1

– Lester I’ll return to. Tom Ward seems part of the furniture on Silent Witness and a bland choice. Armstrong fits the mould, but he’s already the voice of Mr Smith on SJA and surely that’s not been all part of some grand plan. The Goalie in Jossy’s Giants to Timelord seems far too great a leap to take Julian Walsh seriously. The last guy is some bloke from Coronation Street, but anyway he has a double-barelled surname so that’s him out ;-)

David Walliams 25 – 1
Tom Chambers 25 – 1
Nigel Harman 25 – 1
Harry Lloyd 25 – 1

– Walliams acting credentials are paper-thin. Tom Chambers (Holby City) and Nigel Harman (Ex-Eastenders) – *Yawn* Enough already with the Soapstar hearthrob types. Chambers is here due to him publically stating an interest, Harman due to rumours he’s been seen having dinner with RTD. Which simple equates to him getting some RTD penned cock and bum fun at some point, than being the next Doctor. Although I suppose if he can do a welsh accent… you can finish thatone of yourselves. Harry Lloyd, Will Scarlett in Robin Hood, is another actor who’s previously appeared in New Who, as Baines in the Cornell 2-parter, but at 25 seems far too young and again seems to be in the running because RTD’s commented on him.

Sean Pertwee 20 – 1
Aidan Gillen 20 – 1

Pertwee Junior has publically stated he’d take if offered, and has even had a flutter on himself. Personally I’d love it, but his destiny seems to be to star in low-budget British sci-fi movies for the rest of his career, still a guest-role (he says he’d take that too) is something he could pull off. Gillen meanwhile seems to be the dark house, he’s the average age of a New Doctor, physically fit, and very high in the betting despite no discernible source. He’s also Den of Geek’s punt.

Dexter Fletcher 18 – 1
My jaw-dropped when I saw this one. Following on from Tennant he’d be on a hiding to nothing, and potential the most unpopular decision ever. Yet the more you think about it. Mid-40s, character actor, instantly recognisable yet not THAT well known. Plus he’s got pedigree having worked with Moffat before on Press Gang (I was a bit sneaky in leaving him off the list), b-b-but… DEXTER FLETCHER as The Doctor!?

Russell Tovey 12 – 1
Patterson Joseph 12 – 1
– Tovey is another New Who bit part, Midshipman Frame – Voyage of The Damned, another one who RTD’s took a fancy too, and another one who, at twenty-seven, seems a bit on the young side. Joseph… No I’m not going to mention him yet either.

Colin Salmon 10 – 1
James Frain 10 – 1
– Salmon was Dr. Moon in last year’s Moffat two parter. Frain is a star of ‘The Tudors’. Shortly after Tennant announced his departure, Frain’s wiki-page was updated to say he had accepted the role (since removed).

Tom Ellis 8 – 1
– Yet another New Who face, previously appeared as Tom Milligan and ended up engaged to Martha Jones. Prior to series four was favourite to be the new companion.

Chiwetel Ejiofor 6 – 1
Superb actor. Bagfuls of presence, and a composed charisma, perhaps equal to and yet at the same time the very opposite of David Tennant. If you’re thinking who… go to wiki or IMDB – the chances are you’ve seen him before, and been impressed.

David Morrisey 11 – 8 Fav
– Erm, bit confused by this! 11-8 runaway favourite. Okay it makes logical sense, Tennant announces he is quiting. Trailer airs on Children in Need for a story called ‘The Next Doctor’ where we see David Morrisey waving a sonic screwdriver and calling himself a timelord, but do bookmakers not read the interweb? (Unless I’ve missed something of course in which case the shame is all mine).

Anyhow so conclusions…

Two clear ‘Next Doctors’ seem to repeat throughout the betting. I) White males, with short black hair or black male actors with very little hair. The Paterson Joseph rumour originally surfaced prior to Tennant’s announcement, yet after denials from his agent his price has started drifting. Meanwhile the likes of Colin Salmon, Adrian Lester (who I’m hugely pleased to see in the running) and Chiwetel Ejiofor have come in. Now is this simply that the Paterson Joseph rumour leaked and there’s been a rush of betting on any eligible Black male British actors, or are the four in the running a short-list of potential candidates (Joseph’s agent has apparently refuted claims).

One bit I didn’t mention earlier was Terry Wogan/Nesbitt/CIN story. Wogan apparently plugged CIN announcing that the New Doctor was going to appear. Nesbitt was then asked on BBC Northern Ireland’s coverage if he was the new Doctor, only to flatly deny the role and state that he thought it should go to Paterson Joseph.

Putting all this together, my gut instinct is Nesbitt had heard rumours, but nothing has been signed. So that whilst we’re going to get a Black Doctor, it’s not absolutely nailed on that it’s going going to be Paterson Joseph. Personally I’d love it to be Chiwetel Ejiofor, but he seems to have five movies due out in the next few years so fitting in being the new TimeLord as well seems a mite tricky. Colin Salmon’s surely too recognisable as Doctor Moon, so for a rank outsider how about Adrian Lester at 33-1?

Of course perhaps the bookies have just confused Paterson Joseph and Adrian Lester… as some idiot did a couple of weeks ago ;-)

Topic

[Jonathan Capps]

I want Idris Elba from off of Absolutely Fabulous and The Wire.

[Tarka Dal]

Btw, I apologise for writing so much shit! I started that after being up for hours and it just grew and grew as I researched more names. I still can’t get my head around Dexter Fletcher having such low odds.

[Smeg4Brains]

It’ll never happen but how good would it be if Bill Bailey was the next Doctor.

[Seb Patrick]

>but do bookmakers not read the interweb?

Or indeed do they not watch his performance in that clip, which – brilliant as it is – so clearly is not the Doctor. I’m not saying DM couldn’t play the Doctor, I’m sure he could – but in “The Next Doctor”, he most decidedly is not.

[Tarka Dal]

Sorry I meant to mention in the miriad of speculation above that Wogan’s slip was probably just confusion on his behalf, since the sequence comes from an episode entitled ‘The Next Doctor’. Unless of course the actor playing the 11th Doctor
did appear on the broadcast somewhere, but they just didn’t mention it.

How do people feel at the idea of a black doctor anyhow? I think I’m going to be pretty dissapointed now if it doesn’t end going to to Chiwetel Ejiofor or Paterson Joseph. Moffat’s Doctor will probably confound all our expectations, but I’ve already built up a mental picture for a certain type of character and the wonderous speeches they could deliver on Moffat dialogue.

[Phil]

I hear they have it narrowed down to either a black guy or John McCain.

[Ben Paddon]

I’ve been cast now for the past three weeks. I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to upset anyone. The plan has always been for production of the show to move to the US for the fifth series (now called Seasons, obviously) and for Fox and Universal to work on the show again.

Not going to spoil anything, but in the first episode I will be watching a number of car crashes while offering humorous commentary, and then we will immediately cut to a clip of a small dog falling into a swimming pool. Doctor Who has never been this edgy and in-your-face.

[Seb Patrick]

This man is the Doctor, clearly. And no, I don’t mean Gary Bakewell.

[pfm]

It’s either Chiwetel or Paterson. That’s unless either of them don’t want the role (Chiwetel has a thriving movie career that he might not want to put on hold). Maybe Paterson is too crazy-eyed for the Doctor, I don’t know, but the performance would be spot on. IMO there’s no way they haven’t asked Chiwetel. I would be on the phone to him right now begging him to do it. Then I’d ask him whether he wanted to be the next Who.

[Andrew]

> This man is the Doctor, clearly. And no, I don?t mean Gary Bakewell.

Christ the colours on that clip are fucked up…

> It?s either Chiwetel or Paterson.

I love Chiwetel, but I’m not sure I see him in the part at all. The Doctor takes a lot of personality from the actor, and he’s more of an ‘immerse in the role’ kinda guy. Joseph on the other hand – ideal. No question.

[Seb Patrick]

>More to the point, why are all the candidates white males?

You mean apart from two of the main candidates discussed directly above?

And let’s not get started on the “female Doctor” thing. We’re not a tabloid newspaper, we actually WATCH the show.

[hummingbird]

> And let?s not get started on the ?female Doctor? thing.

I’ve no wish to “get started”.
Just felt the need to point out the inherent misogyny.

[Ian Symes]

The inherent misogyny of having a male character played by a man?

[Seb Patrick]

>Just felt the need to point out the inherent misogyny.

That is “getting started”, because it’s making an inflammatory and inaccurate statement. I’m pretty up on my feminism thanks, and I rail against misogyny in all its forms. But suggesting a list of male candidates to play a male character is not misogyny.

There is nothing in the history of Doctor Who to suggest that Time Lords and Time Ladies ever change sex when they regenerate. Now, that’s not to say that a future writer could never make it happen – because it’s not explicitly suggested that they don’t, either – but given that the Doctor has already regenerated into male form nine times out of a supposed thirteen, it would appear to be a bit of a stretch to suggest he’d suddenly become female after all this time. The fact that it’s never been ruled out is the reason why female names are occasionally linked with the role. The fact that it’s highly unlikely is the reason why such links are so occasional.

[Phil]

I predict the new Doctor will be a black lesbian single mother.

[Pete Part Three]

In a wheelchair.

[Jonathan Capps]

lol, political correctness.

[hummingbird]

> but given that the Doctor has already regenerated into male form nine times out of a supposed thirteen, it would appear to be a bit of a stretch to suggest he?d suddenly become female after all this time.

That’s kind of like saying that just because the president of the US has always been white ….

[Andrew]

> That?s kind of like saying that just because the president of the US has always been white ?.

Except that it isn’t remotely the same thing. Unless you genuinely believe Obama is literally the 43 regeneration of George Washington.

[Ben Paddon]

The Doctor is a bloke. Beyond that, I couldn’t care less. He could be old, young, black, white, ginger, bald, whatever. There’s no precedence for a Time Lord changing gender during the regenerative process.

[hummingbird]

> Except that it isn?t remotely the same thing.

It was meant in the context that just because something has always been a certain way, it doesn’t mean that (in more enlightened times) it can’t change. And change is not necessarily a bad thing.

Unless you’re a Daily Mail reader.

[Andrew]

> And change is not necessarily a bad thing.

I don’t think anybody was arguing otherwise.

[Jonathan Capps]

I think the idea of a female Docter is an interesting one and I don’t think it would be a disaster if it happened. However, I just don’t think that anyone thinks they can pull it off dramatically, so they’ll likely never cast a woman for a role. I really don’t believe this is a sexist issue.

Calling it misogyny and implying that only Daily Mail readers could argue against it is hugely insulting, to be honest.

[Andrew]

The appropriate presidential analogy, surely, is “Just because the President of the US has always been American…”

[TheLeen]

Discussing the gender of the role and the gender of the actor isn’t necessarily the same discussion. See also breeches role.

Recently, female actors do play male characters in movies, on occasion. Cate Blanchett in I’m not there, Tilda Swinton in Constantine come to mind. Although I’m not totally sure Cate Blanchett’s role “Jude” is actually male as it is supposed to be an aspect of Bob Dylan’s and I haven’t seen the movie.

Just saying.

[Phil]

>Although I?m not totally sure Cate Blanchett?s role ?Jude? is actually male as it is supposed to be an aspect of Bob Dylan?s and I haven?t seen the movie.

No, you’re right…that’s a good example. The fact that they were attempting something a little more artsy with the casting doesn’t change the fact that it’s a female playing a male.

What do we make of The Crying Game? The woman with the old todger. I suppose the sequel will have a man with a fanny.

[Seb Patrick]

And he got his lad out. You only see it for a second, but you get the general picture.

[Seb Patrick]

Wasn’t Tennant saying similar things back in 2005, when he’d already signed long ago?

This is a lock. It’s got to be Joseph’s. I can’t wait. I can imagine him being a bit abrasive and Colin Baker-ish, so it probably wouldn’t work for more than a year or two, but… YES.

[pfm]

Going off that article it kind of DOES seem it’s him, or at least he’s definitely in the running. He’s right for the role, I don’t think there’s any question of that. He knows Time Lords are only meant to have 13 regenerations, which is a start, and YES a definite plus describing his role in Neverwhere, ‘flamboyant and darkly dangerous’, that would be good for the Doctor.

IMO the Doctor needs to remain male. When he regenerates he’s the ‘same man’, as said in The Christmas Invasion. If he was that same man but in a woman’s body it just wouldn’t work. The audience would just be thinking about that all the time. And how could you not have a ‘new clit, that’s weird’ scene?

[Jonathan Capps]

> He knows Time Lords are only meant to have 13 regenerations

Well, 13 lives and 12 regenerations.

[TheLeen]

It worked in New Earth! :P

[Ian Symes]

I can imagine him being a bit abrasive and Colin Baker-ish

I can’t see them being that similar. Colin Baker is diametrically opposed to Patterson Joseph.

[Seb Patrick]

Colin : When are people gonna learn that you lot are just better at sports?
Paterson : What?
David Mitchell : He means the French! I keep telling you, Colin, Paterson’s not French!

[Danny Stephenson]

Oh deary, deary me…

[Seb Patrick]

“And there’s Paterson Joseph, who’s going to be the ne… POTENTIALLY the new Doctor Who”

[Tanya Jones]

O DON’T MAKE IT OBVIOUS OR ANYTHING, PHILIP…

[Tarka Dal]

Fair enough. I would have prefered Ejiofor out of the two, but we don’t know if he was seriously in the running and it seemed unlikely given his film career. Besides it’s not like Moffat is going to screw this one-up.

Kudos to Seb btw, he’s been championing Paterson Joseph as a potential Doctor for years.

[Tarka Dal]

The market appears to have closed too.

[Author]

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