# Let's recast Dr. Who **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024 "2013-05-10T20:23:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/1 "2013-05-10T20:23:10Z")
Frankly, New Who has been getting a bit too twee for my taste. I’m hoping they’ll turn it around and stop saving the world with songs and stories and love and memories and brown paper packages tied up with string, but just in case the they’re strapped for ideas and look here, cast your favorite pairing for a New Doctor and a New Companion. Standard Whovian rules apply, you can cast anyone you want in space and time. I’m going to start off with a pairing that is actually possible, if unlikely: [Martin Freeman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Freeman) (Watson in _Sherlock_ )as the Doctor and [Eliza Dushku](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliza_Dushku) (Faith on _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_) as the kickoff companion. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/2 "2013-05-10T20:28:50Z")
Benedict Cumberbatch (of the new Star Trek film) would be a fairly obvious choice and definitiely play it straighter than the last two incarnations. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/3 "2013-05-10T20:29:52Z")
Craig Ferguson as the Doctor For companion - gods. I would love it if they brought back Wilf or Jack, but if we need a brand new one…Rupert Grint! Benedict Cumberbatch as the Villain of the Week. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/4 "2013-05-10T20:44:03Z")
Benedict Cumberbatch as the Doctor and Martin Freeman as the companion. Somehow this pairing feels slightly derivative ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/5 "2013-05-10T20:44:39Z")
Alan Rickman as The Doctor ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/6 "2013-05-10T20:45:40Z")
Robbie Coltrane? I imagine his Doctor would be more inclined to think rather than run. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/7 "2013-05-10T20:46:48Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > [Martin Freeman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Freeman) (Watson in _Sherlock_ )as the Doctor. And Lucy Liu as his sidekick? 😉 Now that I’ve got the US version of Sherlock in my head, who better than Vinnie Jones as The Master? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/8 "2013-05-10T20:47:33Z")
Robbie Coltrane would make for an interesting Doctor. First coming to terms with his size, then presumably less inclined to be all “Monsters! Run!”. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/9 "2013-05-10T20:52:46Z")
Meryl Streep as the Doctor - someone who could pull off a first female regeneration. Christopher Walken as a companion. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/10 "2013-05-10T20:55:37Z")
Since I was disappointed to not see him as the latest Bond (though Daniel Craig is doing a fabulous job), I’ll instead nominate [Colin Salmon](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0758760/) as the Doctor. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/11 "2013-05-10T20:58:35Z")
My browser timed out and I though #6 didn’t go through. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/12 "2013-05-10T21:21:29Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Alan Rickman as The Doctor Yes, perfect - an older, snarky Doctor would be great. I think he’d be well-paired with a _much_ younger companion, one from a completely different generation and one that would shut down any sexual tension crap. I quite fancy Jessica Barden for the role. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/13 "2013-05-10T21:30:21Z")
Only since Craig Ferguson was already taken: Jason Statham as #12 Lena Headey as the companion ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/14 "2013-05-10T21:36:45Z")
How about Hugh Laurie for the gig? ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/15 "2013-05-10T21:45:46Z")
Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson, or Bill Nighy would do wonderfully, though I suppose they’re a little old now. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/16 "2013-05-10T22:10:12Z")
There can be only one Doctor: Tom Baker! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/17 "2013-05-10T22:16:12Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Since I was disappointed to not see him as the latest Bond (though Daniel Craig is doing a fabulous job), I’ll instead nominate [Colin Salmon](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0758760/) as the Doctor. 😃 Note that he was already on the show, in Season 4’s terrific “Silence in the Library”/“Forest of the Dead” (my favorite NuWho episodes, bar none), as Doctor Moon. I’m rooting for [Chiwetel Ejiofo](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0252230/?ref_=tt_cl_t10)r, myself. I understand he was a candidate last round. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/18 "2013-05-10T22:31:56Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Note that he was already on the show, in Season 4’s terrific “Silence in the Library”/“Forest of the Dead” (my favorite NuWho episodes, bar none), as Doctor Moon. > > I’m rooting for [Chiwetel Ejiofo](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0252230/?ref_=tt_cl_t10)r, myself. I understand he was a candidate last round. He was in a couple Bond films as well; that didn’t deter my wish to see him get that role, either. 😉 But your counter-proposal is a superb choice. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/19 "2013-05-10T23:26:51Z")
Alan Cumming as the Doctor Tom Hiddleston as the Master I don’t have any good ideas for companions, but somebody non-sexual-tensiony, similar to Catherine Tate with Ten. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024/20 "2013-05-10T23:43:18Z")
Judi Dench as the Doctor. H’m, drawing a blank for Companion, Idris Elba maybe… I agree with **Infovore**. Can’t characters in a TV series just _work_ together? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-recast-dr-who/658024.md?page=2)