# Who should play the next Doctor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914 "2013-06-02T02:47:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [June 2, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/1 "2013-06-02T02:47:35Z")
I’m not going to do a poll because there are probably as many choices as there are respondents, and I’m sure I’d miss a whole bunch of really good English actors. So I’ll just put it out there: who should be the next Doctor after Matt Smith leaves? I know there’s a little of this already going on in the 50th Anniversary thread, but let’s make it easier for people to find. 🙂 My choice: Hugh Laurie (yeah, I know it’s a pipe dream, but what a pipe dream!) My “God, please, NOOO!” choice: Rupert Grint. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/2 "2013-06-02T02:55:54Z")
Emma Watson. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/3 "2013-06-02T03:02:41Z")
Carl Reiner. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/4 "2013-06-02T03:10:36Z")
Wayne “Scorpius/Harvey” Pygram ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/5 "2013-06-02T03:19:11Z")
Damian Lewis Mark Gatiss David Morrissey Craig Ferguson ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/6 "2013-06-02T03:21:24Z")
Patrick Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/7 "2013-06-02T03:26:14Z")
Alex Kingston. There’s precedent for this. Four had a companion for one season/story arc, another Time Lord, called Romana - played by Mary Tamm. The last episode of the story arc centered around a character called Princess Astra, played by Lalla Ward. When Mary Tamm left at the end of the season, Romana didn’t - she just regenerated. And since she hadn’t stolen a TARDIS to go joyriding around the universe instead of finishing up her training, she knew how to select the appearance of her next body. So she regenerated into - Lalla Ward. And of course, _The Doctor’s Wife_ established as canon that Time Lords can regenerate into either sex. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/8 "2013-06-02T03:32:10Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Damian Lewis Yes. YES! ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/9 "2013-06-02T03:32:42Z")
Dylan Moran, please. Second choice would be Paterson Joseph ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/10 "2013-06-02T03:50:51Z")
> [@Interrobang](#): > > Yes. > > YES! And he’s ginger! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/11 "2013-06-02T04:13:39Z")
Rupert Friend James McAvoy Orlando Bloom Laurence Fox Daniel Radcliffe ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/12 "2013-06-02T04:18:07Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Alex Kingston. > > There’s precedent for this. Four had a companion for one season/story arc, another Time Lord, called Romana - played by Mary Tamm. The last episode of the story arc centered around a character called Princess Astra, played by Lalla Ward. When Mary Tamm left at the end of the season, Romana didn’t - she just regenerated. And since she hadn’t stolen a TARDIS to go joyriding around the universe instead of finishing up her training, she knew how to select the appearance of her next body. So she regenerated into - Lalla Ward. > > And of course, _The Doctor’s Wife_ established as canon that Time Lords can regenerate into either sex. I would not watch a single Alex Kingston episode. Well, maybe the first so I can shoot my TV all Elvis-like. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/13 "2013-06-02T05:01:56Z")
Sean Bean. Rupert Graves Max Irons ---
**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:** [June 2, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/14 "2013-06-02T05:05:17Z")
Chiwetel Ejiofor. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/15 "2013-06-02T05:42:39Z")
[Tamsin Greig](http://www.google.com.au/search?safe=off&q=tamsin+greig&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47244034,d.dGI&biw=1225&bih=622&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=29aqUbvhNOuciAfP94DoCA) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/16 "2013-06-02T05:47:10Z")
Ann Widdecombe she made me laugh on Strictly Come Dancing. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/17 "2013-06-02T05:47:47Z")
I wouldn’t want a female Doctor except for Maggie Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/18 "2013-06-02T06:28:20Z")
Simon Peg ---
**Author:** ![Molesworth\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Molesworth\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molesworth_2)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/19 "2013-06-02T12:23:56Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > And he’s ginger! I hadn’t even thought about that, but Damien Lewis would indeed be awesome. I’d love to see that. A really solemn and moody Doctor not given to the fripperies of the last few incumbents. Great suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914/20 "2013-06-02T12:34:55Z")
One name I’ve seen bandied about is [Ben Daniels](http://i2.listal.com/image/1847304/600full-ben-daniels.jpg) from _Law and Order UK_. He had a small role in _Merlin_ last year too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-play-the-next-doctor/659914.md?page=2)