She’s most famous for playing a British time-traveller who (a) knows about monsters the general public hasn’t heard of, and (b) can save the day by researching solutions but (c) will point a magic wand at the problem du jour in a pinch, and you’re seriously asking which role makes me think she could play a good Doctor?
I like the idea of Stephen Fry and his old partner Hugh Laurie would probably be good too, but (not) to be obnoxious, I’ll suggest an American: Peter Dinklage. I guess he’s busy now (I don’t watch it), but I think he’d be good.
Not Steve Coogan, but Alan ruddy Partridge. The driving gloves can be his thing, like the scarf was, he’s already got an assistant / offsider, can chat pleasantly with aliens, but don’t get on the wrong side of him!
I like this idea a lot, though she’s probably too big a star at this point. They could bring back Karen Gillian as her companion. I’d enjoy them as…companions…together…
Yes. Because (1) you’re stretching to make that work (especially time travel), and (2) you’re describing actions, not a character. What about the character seems like the Doctor? Where’s that parental aspect or the alien aspect, or being absolutely ancient? I’m aware of the joke about how Hermione is a Time Lord, but I didn’t think your logic would be taking that seriously.
By this logic, we could have anyone from Star Trek play the Doctor.
She’s brainy. She doesn’t just happen to be a time traveller, much as she doesn’t just happen to be knowledgeable; she spends her free time learning stuff, and kept going back in time because she wanted to learn even more. As for actions, she often had to crisply deliver exposition to another character, the better to bring the audience up to speed – which, if it’s not part of the Doctor Who audition, bloody well should be.
And for what it’s worth, Hermione Granger is supposed to be abrasive and maybe a bit awkward in the social-skills department – and Emma Watson is, of course, charming. So if she needs to be anywhere along that continuum as the Doctor, she has it on tap just like she can impeccably enunciate every informative syllable at high speeds.