Ugh.
I would hope not, but the fans of entertainment shows are notoriously fickle. Long running shows have built up certain expectations. Should the Dalek voice be changed, and will the fans object to that change? Should the outside design of the TARDIS be changed, and will the fans support the new design? Sarah Jane Smith, or more to the point, Elisabeth Sladen was able to carry several Dr Who spinoffs. Some things are acceptable, some things are not.
Changes will be made by the BBC, and the producers. The writers will write for whichever actors are hired. It’s then up to the viewers to see if they are still willing to support the show in the manner to which it’s accustomed.
My question was, "are there people who are going to tune into Dr Who week after week only to support a PC choice when there are so many other choices demanding their attention? Assuming, of course, that a “PC choice” had been made.
Jeff Goldblum would only be acceptable as K-9’s boring cousin. IMHO, of course. 
Sophie Okonedo.
Played Liz Ten, or Elizabeth X in the Britain in Space episode.
After all, Capaldi played the roman guy in an earlier episode.
The guy who currently plays Dirk Gently would have been great, but I want him to stay on Dirk Gently. And he can’t do the same kind of quirky thing twice.
A few yeas ago, I would have hoped for Chiwetel Ejiofor, but I think he is too famous now. I think he could play a very smart, but approachable Doctor.
As I think I stated earlier in the thread, if it were up to me I’d be happy to let the casting directors have total autonomy over the decision of who to cast as the next Doctor. In my opinion, over the last ten years they haven’t put a foot wrong. Everyone they’ve cast has been terrific. They clearly know what they’re doing. If they auditioned a hundred actors and the best one was a woman, I’d say “Great! Hire her immediately. Pay her whatever she wants.” If they auditioned ten thousand actors and the best one was a pterodactyl from the dark side of the moon, I’d back that decision 100%.
Unfortunately, there are other considerations at play, namely ratings and merchandise revenue. And the sad fact is (and really, I hate to say this because I think he’s absolutely brilliant and I wish he could stay for another three seasons) ratings and merchandising sales have nosedived since Peter Capaldi took over the role, and when the demographic trends have been analysed it transpires that the demographics most alienated by Capaldi are young women and gay men. The reason for this is so obvious it barely needs stating. David Tennant and Matt Smith are both handsome actors who cultivated “dashing” onscreen personas which clearly resonated with the demographics who have since fallen away. For all Capaldi’s talent he’s just not “fanciable”, at least, not among the groups the BBC are hoping to entice back to the show.
Personally, I think it sucks that this is a relevant consideration. Tennant and Smith were both excellent, IMO, but I doubt either of them could have pulled off Capaldi’s epic anti-war speech at the end of The Zygon Inversion, nor could they have single-handedly carried Heaven Sent. Still, the ultimate responsibility of the show runners is cast someone who is both talented and who can restore the ratings. Everything else is a secondary concern.
Late reply, but this is the fallacy that often pops up in job searches for things like SCOTUS - there really isn’t any one ‘best person for the job’. There are various levels of qualified for the job, able to do the job, highly qualified for the job, but even if there is an objectively ‘best’ person - how on earth would you expect to find them?
For the Doctor, it could be some some undiscovered talent working in dinner theater in Peoria, IL.
They (I guess the showrunner) needs to decide what this Doctor’s personality is going to be (within the constraints (not many) established for the character), and then find someone that can play that part.
Given that as the standard - then no reason not to pick a non-white, non-male.
No reason to pick one either, though. The point is, at least IMO, they should audition a whole range of people–men, women, white, nonwhite, etc. and pick the one who best exemplifies the Doctor.
I don’t care which one they end up with (within my few parameters–for example, the Doctor must be British, and if they pick a female Doctor and screw her up by oversexualizing her, dumbing her down, making her a ditz, etc. then I’m out until the next regeneration)–I just want them to be chosen because they made the best audition, not because they fit a demographic.
But presumably they have an idea of what the new Doctor is like, so they will be auditioning people who can do that style.
It is looking more and more likely that it’s Kris Marshall
I could deal with Kris Marshall. But Miranda Hart was on Graham Norton’s show, sitting next to Peter Capaldi and I could see her in the role. She could handle the humor well along with the more dramatic elements.
Now I wish I had put some money on it.
I will be certain when they announce it. I’ve never heard of them shooting an episode before doing so, which makes me cautious yet.
Oh…bugger 
The problem I could see is that it could feel like a publicity stunt–an attempt to get publicity. Picking the same sort of person you’ve always picked before helps keep the news down.
I’m not sure what the solution is to this problem.